# Why Did You Summon Me - Sixteenth Basket of Mantaos - Ongoing 201 To 400

Did YouSummonMe-SixteenthBasketofMantaos-Ongoing201To400 Why

Why Did You Summon Me - Sixteenth Basket of Mantaos - Ongoing 201 To 400

Why Did You Summon Me - Sixteenth Basket of Mantaos - Ongoing 201 To 400

Origin: http://samlib.ru/c/chernij_a_w/whydidyousummonme-sixteenthbasketofmantaos-ongoing201to400.shtml

Создан: 09/04/2020, изменен: 09/04/2020, 3121k

Стихотворение: Foreign+Translat

Series: @Other

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## Why Did You Summon Me？

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Description Why Did You Summon Me？

Imagine being forced to live, after death, as incorporeal bodies trapped in a vast space of nothingness for thousands of years, with nothing to do but exchanging past memories with other cohabitants (read: weirdos). Everybody wanted out, but there was no way to leave the Void...

Until one day, a young man was finally summoned, as a powerful but reluctant mentor, by a bubbly and motivated but completely...

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Why Did You Summon Me？

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201 This is the Perfect Place for a Vacation!

Everywhere within their field of view was encompassed by the sunny, blue sky. It was as if they were standing on the summit of a tall mountain. White clouds surrounded them so closely that they might be able to pluck one just by reaching out their hand.

After boarding multiple transmission formations from the Mage Tower, the girls' cries of awe and wonder showed that they had not expected the sudden, stark change of scenery.

"Have we… have we finally reached Heaven?" Laeticia asked Baiyi in a dumbfounded tone as she looked around.

'Excuse me, but can you be less morbid than that?'

"This… This is one of those cities-in-the-clouds, right?" Tisdale, who was more knowledgeable than the others, said. "I read somewhere that many powerful sorcerers are capable of constructing their own city in the clouds…"

Baiyi shook his head sideways, then replied casually, "Nope. We're now in the realm of Gouve."

"Huh?!""Eh?!"

The girls exclaimed in unison. They had not expected that—after only going through multiple transmissions—they would arrive at a different realm altogether

"C'mon, don't be too surprised. We did pass through a lot of transmission formations, didn't we?" Baiyi smiled at their bewilderment. "I just thought that since we sought a good getaway, we might as well as travel to somewhere far."

"Ooh, but this is… so much farther than I'd ever thought of…" Little Mia stuck out her tongue in anticipation and a little nervousness. This was her first time leaving the realm of Isythre.

"Oh, you won't regret this trip," Baiyi replied reassuringly, leading the girls down a slithering, mountainous path leading down the slope. Owning to how close they were to the clouds atop of the mountain, the girls thought it would take a pretty long time to reach the foot of the mountain; however, after passing through a puff of clouds, they found themselves bracing the sight of a town.

Unlike the bustling towns that someone would normally have in mind, this town was quiet. Even the huts with shop fronts were closed. It was as if the whole place had been deserted for years.

"Do settlements like these also exist atop mountains?" Laeticia asked out of curiosity. "Though this one looks so empty…"

Baiyi did not reply. Instead, he led them through the ghost town until they reached the edge of a cliff. He then waved the girls over. "Hey, check this out!"

"Eeehhh! That's dangerous! Right?" Little Mia asked, but her feet had shuffled close to Baiyi's out of her curiosity. The Soul Armature then wrapped his arms around the girl's tiny waist and tipped her forward a little so that she could see clearly.

Little Mia froze. She realized that she was not at top of a mountain; instead, she had been standing in the sky! The land beneath her was actually a small floating island which was hovering in the sky!

And close to their island were many more identical floating islands, scattering across the fabric-like blue sky like stars.

This marvelous revelation triggered another cry of exclamation from the other girls who had managed to muster enough courage to inch close to the edge. The fact that they were standing on top of a land hovering on air also compelled them to huddle close to Baiyi unconsciously.

'And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why this is the perfect place for vacations.'

"Gouve is actually a far larger realm than Isythre, but there isn't a complete continent here. The only thing that defines the realm as a whole is the large ocean way down below—and these little islands that float on air perpetually for some unknown reasons. Now, the island that we're on is one of the higher ones, but there are still some more islands floating at an altitude far higher than ours. Like that one, behind the clouds," Baiyi explained, pointing at the sky.

Academics were still debating about the origin of Gouve's unique geographical conditions, but due to how ancient the realm was as a whole—more ancient than the human civilization—no scholar could come up a really convincing theory. One scholarly conjecture stated that Gouve used to have a large continent similar to Isythre, but a major catalytic event occurred that caused the land to fracture into what it currently was.

So what could be that catalytic event? Many believed it was a cataclysmic world war.

However, could a war fracture an entire continent into smaller slabs of land and produce some kind of energy that caused the slabs to float forever? Baiyi couldn't picture a war of that magnitude. He himself might be able to cause such a damage if he tried, but even his attack could not leave behind forces that would cause the slabs of land to hover in the air for eons.

Oh, well. It didn't matter why and how it happened; Gouve was a strange place, regardless. Over here, more humans and other living beings would gather on islands that were slightly larger than others, and these inhabitants transported themselves by taming and riding flying beasts. In possession of these animals versed in flight, the inhabitants managed to connect each island with one another, and together, they constructed their own dazzling civilization.

"No wonder this realm was famed for its dragon riders," Tisdale commented quietly after Baiyi's briefing.

"A place like this a haven for all kinds of wildlife. They dominate the floating islands, safe from the predatory eyes and harassment from humans. Life's good!" Baiyi added, half-jokingly. The truth, however, was that building an infrastructure of any kind in this realm was more difficult than trying to plant a potato in Siberia. Nevertheless, the realm, as a whole, enjoyed a level of tranquility that Isythre would be envious of. There were no demonic attacks, and only a few wars occurred between mankind here. A few large nations situated on large islands had existed for thousands of years; they had always maintained peace with each other.

Since the realm was vast and traveling around it was tough, coupled with the fact that the environment was harsh, staying alive became a blessing and a priority. No one had the luxury to disrupt the lives of others here. Hence, despite being the largest of all three realms, Gouve had the smallest population and was the most peaceful.

It really was the most perfect place for a vacation.

"Now that you mentioned it! Aren't we at a really high altitude? Why don't I feel cold? Not only that, I don't even feel a draft! This place really is amazing!" Little Mia announced suddenly. The girls wanted to look their best for their outing, without knowing that they were going on a long trip, so they had chosen to wear short summer wears. Their skirts were above knees, and their legs reflecting the warm sunlight made Baiyi a little dazed.

Baiyi unexpectedly agreed with her notion.

"What's amazing isn't the place, though. It's magic," He replied calmly, extending his right hand to tap on the air, removing the magic that he had secretly placed on the girls' bodies.

Then, he waved around the air a bit. Immediately, the girls felt the surrounding temperature drop so low that they almost jerked from the chill. Yelping, they felt as if they had been lowered into a cellar. A gust of chilly gale swept by, mercilessly lifting up their skirts…

Pfft. Mia still hasn't outgrown her teddy bear one? …and Tisdale shouldn't wear something this mature. Laeticia was the most demure, as she was wearing a long skirt, but no one could say the same for Attie...

Baiyi redid his thermal spell on the girls, then very swiftly pinched each of Attie's cheeks as he nagged. "Haven't I told you to dress properly? Haven't I told you to dress properly?!"

"Uhhhhhh….!" Attie's whimper had come dangerously close to an actual sob. 'Didn't I dress properly on the outside already? In c-conclusion, this most definitely is the perfect place for a vacation…'

"Got your lesson, girls?" Baiyi released his grip and asked with a trace of sarcasm. "Why don't you girl wear even less, huh?"

"Owww, it was so cold!" Little Mia was still shaking from that tiny demonstration of the actual temperature, so she huddled close to Baiyi, grinding her cheeks against his body to steal some warmth. That was surprisingly comfortable.

"Before magic was common, no one could actually live up here, at such an altitude, you know. The strong wind and the overtly low air pressure are both fatal to humans, so the few islands that were actually habitable were those that lay close to the ocean," Baiyi explained. "Back then, you couldn't even build anything concrete on the islands, so people had to live in caves—like mice in a house. After the popularization of magic, humans gained a little more advantage. And they built a large area wind-shielding barrier so that those islands at higher altitudes can be more habitable."

"No wonder that town had been deserted," Laeticia said, hugging herself to shake off the chill she felt just now.

"Deserted? Oh, not really," Baiyi said, leading the girls back to the town.

He pushed open the door of a boutique shop.

There was no counter and no shopkeeper, but there was a spiral staircase that led downwards. The girls could barely contain their curiosity as they followed the Soul Armature downstairs.

Down there was a very different story.

The real town was down here! Everywhere they looked had been lit by strong, bright lamps which were powered by magic, rendering the whole place as bright as day. The air was packed with people and lively chatters, finally displaying the true vigor of a Gouvian town.

Another marked observation one could make, though, was the way the people here were dressed: none of them wore as little clothing as the girls had. Instead, they were garbed in thick winter garments as if they were planning to wait out the winter in a cave. Even their conversation was marked visually with white wisps of fog escaping their mouth every time they spoke.

"This particular island had been inhabited for a long time. As for the transmission portal erected by the Sorcerer Association, it was above the ground. Although they had also erected some wind-shielding barriers above ground, the underground catacombs had already been developed by humans prior to the erection of the barriers above ground. Folks here just preferred the old way of living underground," Baiyi explained. "Of course, for the benefits of us outsiders, the locals still built some decorative huts up there to lead us here."

He pointed at a boutique shop located close to the entrance of the cave and led the girls there.

As soon as they entered, the shopkeeper was inches from their nose in elation, "Oh! Visitors from afar! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Oh, such beautiful girls. Aren't you freezing to the bone, wearing something like that? Don't worry, I have just about the finest wears for all of you that will complement your beauty!"

When Baiyi finally paid for their new clothing, the girl exited the shop looking like a ball of yarn. They were adorable, but at the same time, their new look made the Soul Armature cracked a smile of amusement.I can almost see a title card of the word The realm of Gouve in the bottom left of the screen—have I been watching too many movies?Yea, in the same vein as to why horror movies are great for dates. Ya know?I knew this was familiar! Wait, of course. So many video games…If you accidentally jump down into the air, you probably lose a life!

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Why Did You Summon Me？

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202 A Big Guy with Courage

After making their purchases at the boutique shop, Baiyi led the four "furballs" to a local carriage service. It took a few turns and zips through even more caves for the group to find the carriage service that the boutique shop owner recommended.

Of course, the carriage services here never used beasts that were common in Isythre, like horses. Here, the means of transport that substituted horses were flying beasts called 'skycruising rays'. These skycruising rays looked virtually similar to the stingrays of the deep ocean, but it was larger in size. An adult skycruising ray was as big as a living room, perfectly adapted to accommodate a dozen adults on its spacious back.

This peculiar beast, which was native only to Gouve, was not only omnivorous but also incredibly docile. Although their speed was on the slower end of the spectrum, their merit rested on their reliability. For all these reasons, skycruising rays ended up being one of the very first animals to be tamed by the humans here; they also became the main mode of transportation.

This particular skycruising carriage service was located within a wide, tall cave. Atop the ceiling of the cave was a dozen gigantic skycruising rays, perching for a rest, and below them, some stable boys were feeding the younger skycruising rays with powdered, dried seaweed. They sat on the back of the younger skycruising rays and threw the powder into the air. The rays then opened their mouth wide to suck in their feed, purring with contentment.

Even the knowledgeable Baiyi was new to this unique feeding method. As a middle-aged man with a goatee walked towards Baiyi, the latter withdrew his gaze from the feeding scene and turned around.

"Hello, customer! You have great judgment. My skycruising rays are the fastest and the most reliable!" The middle-aged man beamed proudly. The skycruising rays there were also beaming, and they made booming "ooohh" sounds to echo their support for the man's claim. At the very least, these beasts were truly in sync with their masters.

Nevertheless, the man's claim seemed like a fib. Skycruising rays weren't exactly renowned for their speed, after all. For destinations that would take a common bird mere minutes to reach, it would take a skycruising ray an hour to get there; this was due to its slow-paced but relaxing speed. That was why despite its enormous size, the skycruising rays were actually at the bottom of the food chain. They didn't possess any predatory parts such as claws or fangs, neither were they capable of harnessing mana as a self-defense measure.

This made the rays the most perfect of preys; it will take only one lucky animal to hunt an entire school of them. A meek beast like this was better off allying themselves with the humans for survival; this accounted for their eagerness to be tamed.

After a little price negotiation, Baiyi rented a skycruising ray to take the girls to the floating island that was closest to the ocean. With a whistle from the owner, one of the rays perched above slowly flew downwards—like a paper which was lightly touching down from a fall—before Baiyi.

"This here is our strongest ray. I call her 'Hammerhead'!" The man patted the beast's back. A hollow sound echoed from within; the ray seemed hollow on the inside.

'Uh, for an animal that can't even fight a goose, the name it was given is an embarrassment for the entire Sphyrnidae family…'

"Ay? It has the same name as my Sharkie!" Mia exclaimed as she approached the creature in wonder. She mustered some courage, then reached her hand out to touch its smooth scale.

It felt cold and tender. Mia found herself enjoying the sensation. "Wow! So smooth… So comfy."

"This little girl is a natural at understanding animals! You see, for a skycruising ray, the smoother its skin is, the healthier it is!" the man replied gleefully. Perhaps the girl's cuteness had rubbed off on him, prompting him to talk like an enthusiastic encyclopedia.

In fact, curiously, the skycruising ray seemed to understand what they were talking about; as soon as it heard Mia's compliment, the ray eagerly leaned closer to her and gently rubbed against her body. For such a massive beast, it was as gentle as a house pet.

"Sharkie is so adorable!" Mia hopped onto the ray's back in mirth.

Boosted by Mia's gleeful antics, the other girls approached the ray as well, surrounding it as their curiosity spiked. Attie even managed to take some dried seaweed powder from one of the stable boys to feed it.

The wide smiles on their faces were all Baiyi needed to make his decision. He quickly handed over his money, even though this particular shop cost more than the others. After all, as long as the kids were happy, all that money couldn't be called a waste.

The family climbed up to its back.

The skycruising ray spread its wing-like fins, swayed its two rope-like tails and started flying—in a manner that made it seem like it was swimming—out of the cave, downwards to the direction of the ocean.

The descent was very slow, but it was marvelous enough for the girls. Clutching on its wide back, the girls passed through cotton candy-like clouds slowly, until a wide blue ocean spread out before their eyes.

"This is so beautiful…" Mia exclaimed out of awe as she watched the ocean.

"So this is an ocean…" Attie said. She was lying on her stomach, carefully clinging to the beast. "I always believed the plains to be the most expansive pieces of nature, but now…" she added, albeit uncontrollably.

It wasn't just the ocean that had attracted everyone's attention. They could see other floating islands on their way, and for reasons unknown, each island had its own unique ecology. Some islands were full of hills and thick woods; some islands were potted by lakes and parted by streams; some islands were vast plains that seemed more like savannahs, and some island were covered by seas of blooming flowers.

Every island was its own little world. These different, distinct worlds all combined to create the exotic beauty of Gouve.

"Being able to come here makes me so happy," Laeticia exclaimed contentedly. "It's so beautiful here, I don't even feel like going home."

'Seemingly beautiful, you mean,' Baiyi thought to himself. He may have emphasized how perfect this realm was for vacations a couple of time, but the fact that there weren't many tourists like them—who also traveled over to Gouve through the transmission portholes—was not lost on him.

Dangers that few could imagine lay deep within this beautiful realm.

For example, the skycruising ray suddenly shuddered after flying steadily for a while, almost as though it suddenly felt cold, or worse—afraid.

"What's wrong, Sharkie?" the sensitive Mia asked when she noticed the ray's anxiety. She bent down to stroke its back, trying to pacify it; thus, she did not see the black dot cruising through the sky in the distance.

The black dot was still too far away for the human eye to make out what it was, but if it could scare the ray, it was probably one of its worst nightmares.

"A dragon," Baiyi said calmly as he stared at the black dot.

He was a bit puzzled, though. This part of the sky was supposed to be safe—because it was part of society's territory—with dragon knights patrolling at all times. Other beasts wouldn't have dared to get close to the dragon knights' dragons, and a wild dragon shouldn't be in here, either.

Could the black dot just be a dragon knight on patrol? Was the big ray, which Baiyi was riding atop of, shuddering just because it was easily frightened... causing it to tremble as soon as it saw any kind of dragon?Well, it's not in caps here because this beast is apparently very ubiquitous in Gouve!Sphyrnidae is the scientific name for the hammerhead shark family!

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Why Did You Summon Me？

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203 Dragon Knights: Fun Facts

Baiyi knew that people felt they could easily ascertain the disparity between dragons and humans. This fact was because the power levels of different individuals always seemed very obvious at first glance. For example, the Third Walker could be easily identified from its abilities to control thunder and lightning, and its ability to command the attention and loyalty of lower beings. However, there were some weaker dragons that were incapable of triumphing over a goat in battle; in this scenario, the goat of the Alpine Barbarians. If that was the case, then the power level of those mixed-blood dragon beasts, such as the lindworms, was better left to the imagination.

The reason why none of the Void Walkers would boast about slaying a dragon was because of how weak most dragons were. They could only boast if they managed to slay a dragon with the caliber of the Third Walker.

The dragon that Baiyi and the girls were staring at was, obviously, what the other dragonkind would describe as "an idiot"—else it wouldn't have dared to intrude on a territory guarded by dragon knights. This strength of this idiotic dragon was at the level of common beasts—with no affinity for mana manipulation to boot. All this dragon, and most of its kind, could do was overpower other creatures with their natural strength and size, which was a physical feature common amongst dragonkind.

This was the reason why this dragon would take on a skycruising ray, even though skycruising rays don't taste as good as normal stingrays in the ocean.

Nevertheless, no matter how hard one tried to downplay this idiot, it was still a dragon. The fear of dragons had long since been deeply encoded into the genetic memory of skycruising rays, so the mere sight of an approaching dragon was enough to get the "Hammerhead Shark"—the ride Baiyi and his girls were currently riding—to consider pumping out all the air stored in its empty body so that it could sink into the ocean; this was its natural flight response to a predator.

That was the only defense mechanism that a wild skycruising ray had against predators. The only reason why this ray had not done that yet was because of its many years of domestication. This ray had been trained to never abandon its human riders.

At that moment, despite the black dot drawing closer and closer, the proudly-trained skycruising ray still put its riders ahead of its own fear, doing its best to bring them as far away from danger as possible.

Of course, the ray's body still trembled as if it was being jolted by a taser. Mia laid down on her belly and cooed, "W-w-why a-a-a-re y-y-ou sh-sh-shaking s-s-so m-m-much, Sh-Sh-Sh-Sharkie?" Even her question came out jittery due of the ray's shivering.

"M-maybe, it's b-b-b-because of th-th-that?" Laeticia pointed at a black dot—no, the figure had become a black silhouette at that point—cruising towards them at high speed. At that point, anyone could easily make out the features of the approaching beast; it really was a dragon.

"Wh-what is-s-s tha--aaargh! Whyyyyy…Thatsh…. realleh….hurtsh!" Attie was just about to ask a question when the ray's shudder made her bit her tongue. Tears were rolling down her cheeks from the pain.

Only the ever-knowledgeable Tisdale knew exactly what they were facing. She huddled closer to Baiyi and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making evident the fright that she felt.

"Sir, is that a dragon?" she cooed meekly. "Is it gonna hurt us?"

'A smart lady like you already knows that I'm right beside you, right? So, why would you ask something like that? Do you honestly think your master can't finish off such a lizard?' Baiyi thought to himself. 'Jeez, you just wanted to ingratiate, didn't you?'

However, he still patted the girl's back to assure her.

'Must I really deal with that thing?' Baiyi eyed the girls' expressions and noticed unnatural red flushes blooming on their face.

It seemed like it couldn't be helped. He lifted his finger reluctantly and started condensing his mana.

However, at that same moment, from the stratosphere, two shadows flashed past, ripping through the clouds like arrows.

Upon seeing the incoming shadows, Sharkie, their skycruising ray, stopped trembling. It gave a cry of relief and joy as the shadows came to as stop right in front of the dragon.

The dragon knights had arrived.

Two enormous dragons surrounded the intruder. Then, they began flying circles around it. As Baiyi watched, the intruding dragon was enveloped by an invisible net, and just as quickly as it was captured, it was dragged away from the territory by the knights, like a pig being dragged off to a slaughterhouse.

'Solved a threat even without going to battle?' Baiyi's felt his respect for the Dragon Knights grow after seeing their technique. Unlike Baiyi, the girls, however, understood less of the situation. Their face was blank as they watched the threat get taken care of in a manner of seconds.

Baiyi got the girl to gather around him, and he began to tell them the backstory of these marvelous Dragon Knights.

When the common folk talked about dragon knights, they usually referred to the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns. Although the former title of this particular band of knights was a little too hammy, they were no pushovers. The Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns were the most ancient and the greatest army of dragon knights in the entire realm, and every Gouvian kingdom had their own dragon knights. Whenever dragon knights were ranked by the fables of their exploits, everyone would agree that first place would go to Rodrithelia Empire's Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns.

Dragon knights were few and far between. If a power had a thousand dragon knights at their beck and call, the power would be considered shocking. This was because that individual would need to undergo long years of training in order to train an individual capable of holding the dragon knight title. Additionally, the individual's dragon would need to undergo the same grueling amount of training. This way, both rider and mount would reach the apex of their fighting ability. Forming a dragon knight army was far harder, more expensive and required a longer time than what was needed to form mere griffin riders, dragonhawk riders, bat riders, chaos riders, or even omniknights. A dragon rider was definitely not something that any random Daoist from a wuxia novel would be capable of becoming.

Every seasoned dragon knight was a force to be reckoned with. When they banded together, they formed a power that could even change landscapes.

Other realms never picked on Gouve precisely because they were afraid of the dragon knights' wrath.

According to the Thane—the 20th Voidwalker—the dragon knights of Gouve and the Divine Warriors of the Alpine plains were the two strongest armies he had ever met. They were the creme of human fighting forces. Yes, to the Thane, they were even stronger than other famous elites like the Rohserlian Sorcerers, the Moloch War Druids, and the Replica Army created by the Association of Blacksmiths, who were trained with the goal of achieving the same level discipline and leadership skills as the dragon knights.

"My own awesome army, the Black Inquisitors, were the creme of the elites, but even they paled in comparison to the dragon knights… I always wonder: if I had recruited these dragon knights under my wing, what could have possibly stopped me from ruling the entire realm?" the Thane had once asked Baiyi.

'Right. Your cheap knockoff of the Church's brand. They had the gears, the resources, the training, and the discipline; however, your subordinates didn't have none of these guys' stamina!' Baiyi had concluded inwardly back then, treating the Thane's words as a joke.

The girls were amazed at the stories. They had eager expressions on their faces. It was as if they were hoping to meet the knights face-to-face. Laeticia, however, wondered out loud, "How can they be compared to the Church's Paladins? I always believed that the Church's Paladins were the most powerful people in the world…"

'Excuse me, dear Laeticia, but the most powerful person in the world would be Yours Truly,' Baiyi thought.

Laeticia's expression was filled with admiration, and one look at her was enough to dissuade Baiyi from bursting her bubble, hard, so Baiyi opted for a smoother reply. "The Paladins are formidable, but they don't have a dragon…"

Honestly, the Church's Paladins—also known as the Guardians of The Holy City—never even made it to the Thane's list, but they probably had the most fashionable armor, which may explain their popularity with girls.

"I see. So, if the paladins rode on dragons, they would be even more unstoppable! Right?" Laeticia replied innocently.

What are dragons to you? My Little Ponies? Baiyi was speechless. He decided to indulge himself in the girls' newfound interest, so he said, "Well, if we get the chance, we can visit the dragon knights, too."

After that incident, the skycruising ray resumed its slow flight towards their destination.

In the beginning the girl was spirited enough to chatter and enjoy the scenery, but as more time passed, lethargy started hitting them and not long after, the girls fell asleep atop the ray.

Baiyi moved the girls closer to his side. As he watched their peaceful expression, he somehow felt calmer.

It was late in the afternoon when the skycruising ray finally reached their destination. It was a planetary-sized floating island situated close to sea level, where the famous Rodrithelia Empire was situated.

The girls woke up by themselves as soon as the ray docked. Apparently, being close to sea level meant that the Rodrithelian climate was hotter than a typical summer day. When they had just reached the island, the girls were still in their winter garment!

No one had the time to marvel at the fact that every island actually had a different climate. The girls hurried into the changing room provided by the carriage service. A while later, they re-emerged in their previous summer outfit of short, cute skirts.

"Wow, anytime we come to this realm, we would have to prepare different set of clothes!" Mia stuck out her tongue as she pushed her dishevelled black hair to the back of her neck. She even fanned herself with her hand.

"That's why people agree that it is challenging to stay in this realm, " Baiyi replied, leading the girls on their tour of the capital city.

The island was almost as big as a continent. The capital city was just as large as the major cities back in Isythre, undercutting any tourist's knowledge that they were, in fact, on an island. Even the architecture in this city was similar to those found in Isythre, so the girls felt almost as if they were back home.

A close inspection revealed the fact that the city was young, however. The buildings looked even newer than those in Arfin city.

"This wasn't where the Capital City used to be, actually. It used to be on another island," Baiyi explained in a low voice.

"But why? The altitude here is lower, and the climate is warmer. Why didn't they start their empire from here?" Tisdale asked in curiosity.

"It's exactly because it's low in altitude. Back then, this island wasn't safe…" Baiyi replied back in a low voice.

As if to prove his words, the mana above the city suddenly began vibrating.

It was so intense, even the two girls who did not practice magic, Attie and Laeticia, noticed the vibration. Instinctively, they looked up…

Water. Or more specifically, a tsunami. A tsunami towered above the island's sky; its shadow robbed the city of daylight as it rushed over, threatening to envelope the whole island. The city, which until a second ago had been lit by beautiful sunshine, instantly darkened.

The sudden shift to an apocalyptic setting easily set off the girls' instinct to scream, but Baiyi calmly held their shoulders.

The tsunami hammered down, but it hit an invisible dome above the city, releasing a low but loud growl, akin to the heartbeat of a leviathan. Whitewater thrashed and enveloped the city, making it seem as if the entire island had submerged into the ocean bed.

Then just as quickly as it came, the wave was gone. The sky and the warm sunlight were visible once again, as if nothing had happened.

"Th-th-! The-the-the!" Poor Mia could not get over what she had just witnessed. She could not finish her sentence and could tighten her grip on Baiyi's elbow, pointing at the sky above the city in horror.

Baiyi smiled. "Now you know why it was previously uninhabitable, yes?TL REFRESHER!: 1. Remember back in Book 1, where Baiyi was still going around posing as some vagabond and fighting in the arena to earn some quick bucks? He had used the Third Walker's draconic aura to command the loyalty of the hyenas. 2. Also in the same arc, Baiyi (and us!) met the a lindworm, controlled by a summoner. A lindworm is native wild beast to Gouve.Omniknights: some sort of class in DoTA 2. Yea.Throwback to Book 1, where Baiyi had fun with the Divine Warriors, who kept displaying 'different' beauty standards.Oh yea. They will. And I'm saying that without reading ahead of all of you!

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204 This Trip Was Totally Worth I

As Baiyi had stated before, Gouve was a place to experience, but it was not a place to stay.

It was dangerous to stay in Gouve. This was not because of the appearance of wild animals or enemy tribes—which are all problems that can be solved with a certain degree of Fist Diplomacy—It was because of the danger that the natural disasters there posed; one could not solve natural disasters with their fists, after all. Natural threats were always more mysterious and complicated than threats that had identifiable causes.

The floating islands at the lowest altitudes always had to brace themselves for tsunamis and tropical storms, while the islands way above had to brace themselves for polar winds and skin-biting winters—such a beautiful realm... not! These were the struggles that the inhabitants of Gouve had to go through all the time.

According to social science experts, places like this city would not be able to play host to a civilization, but the people here had firm hearts; they bonded, they stayed put, and they endured it all. With magic and their own hands, the pioneers built their own dazzling civilization in this schizophrenic realm.

That was the reason why Baiyi's chose to travel to this location. He wanted the girls to enjoy the scenery but understand the hardships of this place. Additionally, he wanted to show them the drive that human had for endurance, and their continued optimism despite all odds.

"An immeasurable amount of time and hard work was used to build this city, you see. They had to build the city while bracing for sudden tidal wave, like the one from before. That required them to exert more than just patience and mettle," Baiyi explained, taking the opportunity of the girls' current shock to start a parable. "They were only able to complete their city after getting some help from the Isythre's sorcerers. It was the sorcerers that erected a more sturdy barrier against the waves. I can't imagine how many times the tidal waves rendered their efforts into ruins before the sorcerers came to help. This city here is the amalgamation of many blacksmiths and workers throughout the centuries."

"Why were they so adamant on building a city on a land this close to the sea? Couldn't they just have built it on the islands which are more higher up?" Attie asked.

"No one would like to stay in a cave forever," Baiyi answered briefly. "Besides, just because you're high up doesn't mean you're safe from other kinds of natural disasters. When storms and lightning roll, you would find yourself warming up more to tidal waves, instead. There's also the fact that they didn't want resources to go to waste. This is the largest island in the realm, after all. Naturally, people would not want it to remain deserted."

"Oh, I just realized that our realm is so much safer. We gotta protect her even better," Mia muttered under her breath.

If the kids were able to learn more values from this trip, Baiyi would consider it a job well done, even if it had cost him quite a fortune to come here.

He took the girls sightseeing around the capital city, and he bought many souvenirs and local cuisines. When they found a hotel that looked pretty welcoming, they decided to lodge there.

The girls had a seafood buffet for dinner. Afterward, they retired to their separate rooms, leaving Baiyi alone to map out plans for the next few days.

'A visit to the dragon knights would be good… Then, an exploration of a beautiful island? Sounds like a pretty solid plan geared for great experiences!'

As he was planned, a loud roar and a resounding crash boomed above the city barrier; it was similar to the racket made earlier on when the enormous wave hit the city's protective barrier. But this time, in the silence of the night, the racket sounded even more jarring and frightening.

Not long after, Little Mia, who was dressed in her sleeping gown and held her hammerhead shark plushie in her arm, crept into the Soul Armature's room.

"Mm…" Mia nodded feeling embarrassed; she hugged the plushie even harder and blushed. It was fortunate that the dark night masked her face, making it harder to notice her expression.

"Come over here," Baiyi waved her over to a spot on the bed, just beside where he sat on the bed.

Mia ran into his embrace like a cat and snuggled against him. "Does this feel better?" Baiyi gently rubbed her forehead with his face armor and ruffled her head lightly.

"Everything is better when Mr. Hope is around," Mia nodded and closed her eyes. Baiyi always emanated a warm sense of security to her…

Ever since the duo began living in Tisdale's mansion, Baiyi hadn't been watching the girl to sleep. This sudden gesture brought back memories—enough to make a happy smile grace Mia's face.

Before Mia could doze off, however—Tisdale, who was dressed in an unintentionally suggestive black silky nightgown, also came to Baiyi's room.

"You, too?" Baiyi stifled his laughter.

Tisdale nodded in embarrassment.

"Alright," Baiyi sighed, beckoning the girl over to sleep next to Mia. He rubbed his face armor on her forehead as well.

Mia opened her eyes when he did that, and when her gaze met Tisdale's, they both smiled.

"Alright, go to sleep now. We have a big day ahead of us," Baiyi said as he covered the girls with two blankets.

He pulled a chair next to the bed, sat on it, and without trying to hide it, he began watching the supple, lean bodies of his daugh--er, students as they fell asleep.

After they had finally fallen asleep, he used his psychic power to locate Attie and Laeticia. He was pleased to note that both were already asleep. One of them was sleeping more deeply than the other, but both of them had easily ignored the thunderous roar of the last tidal wave…

Conclusion? This trip was totally worth it.

When both girls woke up the next morning, the first thing they did was greet Baiyi a sheepish "good morning".

Then, as part of their greeting, they proceeded to rub their cheeks against Baiyi's chest armor. Whatever bashfulness that they had before was gone after that, seeing as they began to change right in front of him, without any reservations. They even made comments about each other's bodies in the presence of the Soul Armature.

Baiyi raced out of the room in a hurry, and met face-to-face with a blurry-faced, eyes-rubbing Attie, who also greeted him with a 'good morning'. To his surprise, she stood on tiptoes and also rubbed her face on his chest armor.

'Who started this trend? Is Laeticia gonna pick it up next?' Baiyi touched the spot where the three beauties had rubbed their cheeks against and his thoughts wandered.

After packing quickly, Baiyi and the girls were once again touring the streets of the Rodrithelian capital city. Biayi was looking for another carriage service that was recommended by the hotel receptionist, and this time, he had no plans to use the ever-so-slow skycruising rays.

When the girls saw their means of transportation for the day, they cried out in unison, "Is this... a griffin?"

They were right. The day's ride would be atop the unique creature known as the griffin. It had head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Two distinctly different beasts, the lion and the eagle—One had command over the sky and other controlled the lands—merged together into a majestic beast with its own disposition. Its lean body and snowy white feathers easily and instantly won over the four girls' hearts.

It was not as if there were no griffins in Isythre, but they were only a few which are bred for the wealthy aristocrats who loved the beast's perfect blend of grace and power. However, only the griffins in Gouve had been tamed well enough to be used as mounts. perhaps due to being different breeds, The griffins in Isythre were proud and was not known to submit this much to humans. It could perhaps be because they were of a different breed than the griffins in Gouve.

It's not cheap to ride on a griffin, but Baiyi had gotten himself some pretty deep pockets. Plus, the owner's compliment, "Your daughters are so beautiful, sir!" had really hacked open his paying hand.

How so? Well, an average griffin would have no trouble handling the girls' dandy weight, so two adult griffins would have sufficed for the group, but Baiyi was so pleased that he rented five griffins straight away so that everyone would get to ride on their own griffin.

The Soul Armature and the girls soared into the sky atop their mounts.

"What a generous man. He must be a very generous father as well." The owner fidgeted with the gold coins in his hand and uttered a heartfelt comment about the Soul Armature.

One of the differences between the griffins and the skycrusing rays was in flight speed; the griffins were extremely fast. Even with Baiyi's precautionary wind-shielding barrier, the girls still felt very anxious atop their mounts. They gripped the griffin's back tightly throughout the journey, only opening their eyes for short intervals to observe the scenery that seemed like blurs because of their speed.

It didn't take long before they reached the headquarter of the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns. After the girls bade goodbye to their griffins, they turned their attentions to the unique floating island.

The entire island was like an enormous castle. The outermost border was guarded by sturdy castle walls, and one could see the towering mountains blanketed by clouds in the distance. It was easy to mistake the island for a fort built in the middle of tall mountains.

Baiyi led the girls to the entrance. On top of a gigantic door, which was a few hundred feet tall, hung an emblem of a fire-breathing dragon—the emblem of the Brotherhood.

"Sightseeing tourists?" A fully-armored guard approached the group. The same fire-breathing dragon emblem was on his brigandine.

He did not seem to find the presence of tourists surprising. In fact, it seemed like he was used to it.

"Yes. Taking the kids for a spin," The Soul Armature replied, handing him a bag of gold coins.

The guard examined the bag, and after a quick count, he nodded in satisfaction. "Gosh, if only there were more of you generous kinds visiting us!"

It was as though the compliment was a line to trigger his transformation because right after he had said that, the guard turned into an enthusiastic tour-guide, bringing his customers in through the door and into the castle. Judging from how practiced his introduction and actions were, one could guess he had been doing this part-time job for a while.

One of the main differences between a dragon knights' camp and other military camps was that the dragon knights actively encouraged the public to visit them. If one could afford the tour, they would be in for a warm and enthusiastic treatment.

The real reason behind this, however, was less savory; the dragon knights always had the need for more monetary resources.

As it turned out, taking care of a dragon was leaps and bounds more difficult than having a doggo as a pet. Even the smallest costs for their maintenance could veer into the millions. Thus, it would be unsurprising if a kingdom filed for bankruptcy because they tried to maintain dragon knights.

To make matter worse, Gouve was not even a financial or resource powerhouse. The costs that they incurred in their bid to own dragon knights were painfully expensive.

That was why tourists were welcome. In fact, if they were wealthy enough, one could even employ the knights as mercenaries…

"My esteemed visitors! May I say a few words before we start out tour?" The guard-turned-tour guide started briefing them about the rules along the way. They had restricted areas that no one was allowed to venture into; they forbade loud noises; they forbade tourists from making some odd huffing sounds to the dragons; they forbade tourists from trying to feed the dragons, etc.

There were about a dozen rules to follow. Some of them were made to protect the military secrets of the dragon knights, while some were enacted to ensure visitors' safety.

When Baiyi and the girls finally reached the depths of castle, they were treated to a large, wide, grassy plain.

"Welcome… To the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns!" The tour guide declared theatrically.I don't know about this! I do remember that most ancient civilizations start from a river… Plus, maybe the existence of magic had given them a bit more chance than us muggles, eh?Guys, we only have one Earth too! Let's take care of her!Probably to deprive the Gentlemen in his head the pleasure!

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205 Sightseeing

"I never knew that this place would be like this!" Attie exclaimed. "Somehow, it feels like home...

The tour guide blew into his whistle. Moments later, a giant, lizard-like ground dragon clambered before the party. This ten-meter long, gigantic creature crouched tamely before the tour guide. On its flat, wide back, there were a few seats attached to it…

Everyone clambered on board. Like a tour bus, the dragon slowly crawled towards the meadows, beginning the journey.

"It's... not cold at all here?" Mia noted in surprise. She had a short dress on today, and her two cute legs dangled from the seat, swaying to the rhythm of the dragon's footsteps. This floating island had a very high altitude, but it did not feel cold at all.

"Haha, that's because we picked a good spot..." the guard, who was substituting as a tour guide, started to give an introduction of the environment to the girls in a grandiose manner. Good location, underground volcanoes, safe from winds from neighboring floating islands – this floating island felt just like normal land.

Baiyi listened on in silence and never once did he attempt to interrupt the tour guide's explanation. In reality, he already felt that this floating island—and a few others—was encompassed by some sort of large barrier. The abnormally comfortable climate might be the result of this, and not because of some volcano as iterated by the tour guide.

Attie, who had once been a king, was bored out of her wits, for she had already grown used to seeing such vast plains. "This place may look very vast, but can it really fit a few thousand dragons?" She asked suddenly.

The tour guide laughed awkwardly before he explained, "Ah, my beautiful lady, actually it was not as rumored from the outside... we may have a thousand riders in the association, but we do not have so many dragons. Furthermore, most of the dragons do not live here. They can be found on the neighboring floating islands."

Whenever a dragon knight prepares for battle, they do not venture out by themselves act. The dragon knight would bring along a small troop of three to five comrades along atop the dragon's back. The extra manpower would then serve either as normal fighters, assistants, or flight controllers.

Therefore, each dragon that took off into battle did not convey only one rider; it conveyed an entire platoon for the battle in the air.

Eventually, the girls sort of understood the point. They had assumed that the 'hundred-strong' or 'thousand-strong' claims that they heard about the dragon knight's club meant that the knights lead thousands of dragons to war.

From the boundary of the vast plains, the party headed in the direction of the mountains. Instead of these so-called dragons, spotted many little animals along the way. This made the girls feel a little disappointed.

"They don't seem to have many left," the Explorer suddenly stated within the Void. "Remember what I said about the opening of the Realm? The dragon knight club experienced severe losses in that event. That year, when I came over, I still saw a few knights undergoing their training..."

Baiyi remembered the Explorer's story well enough. During the event where the realm cracked open, the dragon knights had encountered the king of the land—the phantom behemoth itself. Both parties clashed, and it was rumored that the dragon knights lost hundreds of riders. The collateral damage almost led to the extinction of the club. It was not an easy feat for the club to remain in the present day after experiencing such disastrous losses.

After while later, the group seemed to reach the bottom of a mountain. After a short work forward, they were greeted by a sight of gunfire; a massive army camp sat right at the mountain base. This must be the place where the knights were stationed to undergo their training.

As the ground dragon crawled near the entrance of the army base, the tour guide waved towards his other comrades at the gates. "We have guests today!"

"Damn! You're so lucky! Bumping into more tourists again!" The soldiers exclaimed in envy.

"Wo-aah! Such beautiful girls." A soldier exclaimed, upon noticing the girls atop the dragon's back. He declared in admiration, "They do not pale in comparison to the mistress's beauty..."

"Alright, alright, stop scaring our guests," the tour guide reached into the sack that Baiyi had passed him earlier to extract a gold coin. He pushed it into the palm of one soldier. "Go entertain yourselves with some drinks..." He then led Baiyi and the rest into the camp successfully.

"This level of defense—isn't this a little too...thin?" Thane expressed his dissatisfaction within the Void. "Anyone could infiltrate this easily!"

"Don't belittle their abilities. If they were brave enough to allow visitors here, then they shouldn't be afraid of infiltration attempts. There is a reason why they have managed to exist for a thousand years." Baiyi explained.

"Well, you're not wrong..." Thane mumbled and kept silent.

Although the scene before everyone's eyes seemed relaxed and under control, Baiyi could discern that it was a facade of calm implemented to hide the internal turmoil. In fact, with only a quick glance, Baiyi knew that the tour guide had brought them to a place with nothing on importance. A few kids were practicing on the field, and a small hoard of ground dragons circled slowly within a wooden pen; these places had no real value! In contrary, a number of soldiers could be found patrolling the area along the valley deeper within the army base. Now that surely was a restricted area, without question.

One could only see the most basic of things at this place, but the real deal was nowhere to be seen. Thus, the closest thing to a dragon that the group saw after circling the camp was a few catcalls and wolf-whistles…

The tour guide decided to bring the party to register for a tour at the historical museum of the dragon rider's club. Baiyi could not contain himself, so he called out, "Ah... about that. We wish to see something more... exciting."

"Dragons? Alright, alright, I get you..." The tour guide responded. He changed their route, suddenly, and brought them up into a watchtower. This tower was much taller than the standard watchtower, allowing a much wider field of vision. The peaks of the mountains afar could be seen surrounded by a wisp of mist and within the mist was the faint outline of dragons flapping their gigantic wings.

"This is the best viewing deck in the plains," The tour guide explained, clearly enjoying himself. He pointed at a faraway peak. "That is a dragon's den. Some dragons have an affinity towards humans, but the ones that live there are wild dragons awaiting their riders. After passing the examination, the riders would travel there to pick a dragon, and when they do, they would accompany the dragons for life."

"Actually, do dragons develop feelings towards humans?" Mia asked with full curiosity. "I saw somewhere in a book that they rather see humans as food..."

"Haha, this beautiful lady here, you must be from the realm of Isythre, yes? Only the books from there would make those kinds of observations. However, in reality, the dragons are intelligent and strong creatures. They are known for being loyal friends and companions..." The tour guide trailed on.

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206 I Came Here Just To Relax, Guys!

The girls accepted the tour guide's explanation easily, with a satisfied expression. They continued watching in glee and tried to count how many dragons there were.

However, Baiyi was less impressed. "That's it? We can't even get closer? 'This is too far away. I can't even tell the colors of their hide, so how the hell will I be able count them?'

'I'm not gonna have my money wasted like this!'

"As you know, sir, dragons are dangerous creatures. If we get close to them just like that… well, it would endanger all of you," The tour guide shrugged. "If you must watch them up close, we should wait till the dragon knights return here from their patrols…"

"Hold on. There isn't a single dragon knight at home right now?"

The tour guide's expression changed immediately at the realization of his mistake. He covered his mouth and shook his head, showing the intention to drop the topic.

'Interesting.' It's common to have dragon knights go on patrols or even sent to battle, but what would be so serious that the entire army had to leave their fort?

'More importantly, everything we have seen so far gives the impression that Gouve is as peaceful as it's always known to be—without the tension of wars, so what else would have required the presence of all of the dragon knights?'

Baiyi eyed the tour guide's expression again and decided to let the topic slide, simply because the tour guide looked more embarrassed—possibly because he had accidentally betrayed some secrets—than outright nervous. 'It was probably nothing too severe. Plus, why should I care about someone else's private matter?'

The Soul Armature was disappointed that the girls would not be able to interact with a real-life dragon up close, neither would they get the chance to feed them. The girls did not seem to share his sentiment, though; they looked very satisfied.

Baiyi was still deep in thought when rhythmic footsteps resounded from the tower. A few moments later, a beautiful belle wearing a long, sky blue gown befitting an aristocrat walked towards the group, holding a tray in her hands.

"My lady! Why are you here?" The tour guide exclaimed, and he quickly bowed in respect. From the looks of it, this beautiful woman with golden hair and azure eyes was someone with a pretty high status.

"I heard that there were visitors, so I decided to share the cookies I was making," the noble lady replied, with an aristocratic smile evident on her face.

Her every action were textbook examples of regal bearing. She looked as if she had come to life from a portrait painted by a most skilled artist.

"Whoa… she's so pretty," Mia couldn't stop herself from exclaiming.

"You're just as beautiful, my dear," the noble lady replied warmly. She brought the tray close to the Mia, showing cookies adorned with animal motifs made with more precision than anyone would have expected. "Would you like to try them?"

Mia was eager enough to quickly grab a cookies that had a bear motif. Other girls quickly obliged her warm offer, enjoying the treats as they compliment the noble lady.

Baiyi was more reserved, however. In fact, since the noble lady appeared, he did not even join in the rapt discussion going on within the Void, neither did he try to talk to her.

He just kept staring at the lady.

Since Baiyi did not attempt to hide his gaze, the noble lady quickly noticed him. She did not seem bothered by his awkward gawking. Instead, she gave a him a polite little smile and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really…" Baiyi withdrew his gaze and glanced at the cookies. He added, "I was just thinking that perhaps this trip can no longer be considered disappointing… now that we get to see someone like you."

The tour guide's expression fell, and his previously mirthful eagerness vanished almost instantly. He cautiously moved a few steps closer towards the noble lady.

The girls were puzzled at Baiyi's remark, too. "What do you mean, Mr.Hope? We are not disappointed! This is a beautiful place; we saw dragons, and we got these delicious cookies..."

The noble lady was not surprised, neither did she feel offended, at Baiyi's remark—even if the remark seemed like a catcall. She remained composed, and her smile did not falter. With a sincere tone, she sighed, "You are very clever, sir."

"What are you two talking about?" Mia looked at the two, feeling puzzled.

"Didn't you girls want to see dragons? There's one here." Baiyi gave a curt nod at the noble lady.

"Huh?!"

"Wh-wha--?"

"But how--?"

The girls couldn't help but cry in amazement. They had no idea that this beautiful and noble lady, who had given them these delicious cookies—was, in fact, a dragon!

This schism between expectation versus reality is too large, c'mon!

The noble lady was not flustered about her identity being exposed. She smiled and explained, "I heard what you said to the tour guide, and I agree. We should do everything in our power to satisfy our visitors' request. That's why I came here… I just didn't expect anyone to discern my true identity this quickly! So many before you had failed to do so."

"I… am Aya," The noble lady formally introduced herself.

'This name… is a bait to unleash my lambasting tirade…' Baiyi eyed her a few more times, checking off every item on his "list": no cowlick on her head, breasts are as full as the mountains, satisfactory cooking skills. 'Not someone else I had in mind.'

After his mental scrutiny, Baiyi finally said, "I'm Hope."

A flash of surprise crossed to Aya's otherwise composed face. "I cannot believe this. It's—you! Please, do come in for a chat."

"Gosh, information sure spread fast nowadays," Baiyi muttered.

Aya flashed him a demure smile, but she did not reply him.

Moments later, Baiyi was led by the noble lady to a special room for visitors in one of the military camps. Along the way, Baiyi noticed that many stop and bow respectfully when Aya passed by as if she was their Lieutenant.

On their way to the room, Baiyi took the chance to explain the reason behind the bows to the four very confused girls. Aya was an elder dragon, imbued with the ability to manipulate mana, and because of this, she could take the form of a human.

Elder dragons were different from other lowly dragons for a number of reasons: they possessed keen wisdom as the wisest of all creatures, and they possessed powers most creatures have no access to. To rule over other dragons was, therefore, their birthright. They were truly the proud representative of the dragonkins.

As aforementioned, elder dragons possessed the ability to utilize mana, so they were privy to many unique, special magic spells. One of the spells granted them a human form.

This was the reason why many Voidwalkers had experience interacting with the elder dragons/ The most notable experience was the Soul Armature Practitioner's intimate relationship with a belle of the elder dragon tribe.

Not only was Aya an elder dragon, but she also appeared to be so fully accustomed to her human form, that Baiyi almost couldn't tell. That very mild sense of otherworldliness, however, betrayed her secret.

Now that she had admitted to her true identity, Baiyi no longer had any question as to how the dragon knights managed to tame the ever majestic beasts, which were famed for their hubris. They had done it with the aid of the elder dragons.

If an elder dragon was helping, then all the trouble that one would usually face when attempting to domesticate a dragon would become non-existent. i

Maybe the ancestors of these dragon knights had saved an elder dragon, and in gratitude, the dragon turned into an adorable maid who then formed a deep, close bond with them?

As soon as the group entered the special room for visitors, they were about to start up a conversation when a young girl in a red dress, spotting a golden horsetail braid, burst in and hopped into Aya's embrace.

"Mom—" the girl cooed in the sickly sweet voice that a typical loli would possess. "I did all of my homework…"

'Hold it. Does she have a child? Yet, everyone still calls her 'Miss'? Was this child born from relations with a human? Was there no reproduction barrier… even physical ones?' Baiyi's mind was thrown into a chaos at that revelation.

He even began to wonder if the Soul Armature had a child with his romantic partner…

However, Aya was oblivious to Baiyi's thoughts. She gently smoothed the child's head as the latter turned her attention to the visitors, and her eyes widened in anticipation.

"She's my daughter, Mordred. Would it be alright if your girls become her playmates for a while?"

"Uh, alright…" Baiyi was surprisingly reluctant to answer. The child's name sounded like bad news to him for some reason.

Mia and the girls were not too worried, which was evident by how quickly they warmed up to their equally adorable playmate. The kids left, leaving only the two adults in the room.

"Ma'am, I..." Baiyi had barely begun talking when Aya shook her head disapprovingly.

He paused, and corrected himself. "Miss."

'She already has a child, yet she still goes by the title 'miss'? Was the child conceived out of wedlock? This… this is quite slutty!' Baiyi thought to himself, and he considered waking the Third Walker so that he could lecture this imprudent dragon.

"She's adopted," Aya explained briefly. "She just feels so close to me that she calls me 'mother'. Whenever she takes the form of a human, she chooses to look almost like me."

'Oh, that's the reason, huh? Hmm… An unmarried woman having to take care of a child alone… must be pretty challenging, right?' Baiyi thought, before shaking his head sideways.

'She's a dragon! You can't apply human standards to the affairs of dragons.'

"I'm more curious about why you live as a human," Baiyi stated plainly. He couldn't find an answer to this from the Voidwalkers' memories, especially the Third Walker's, who never took any form other than his proud, majestic dragon form.

"It's a very good way to live, don't you agree?" Aya replied calmly. "It's convenient; it costs fewer food resources, and it allowed me to blend in with the knights."

Baiyi decided not to pursue the topic. "I did not expect a powerful elder dragon to reside with the dragon knights. Your rider must be very powerful!"

"Oh, no." Aya shook her head. "I don't have a partner. I'm only here just to lend some help aids."

"Oh, I see." Baiyi's mind raced with thoughts. 'That's an elder dragon for you. They wouldn't possibly let a human ride them.'

'And I meant it both literally and euphemistically. Yep.'

"You've asked me two questions, so I shall return the favor," Aya started. "Why are you here, Master Hope? Shouldn't you be back in Isythre, meeting your new worshipers?"

Not only was she very informed, but also her information was very accurate, too. Of course, as she was someone of esteemed ranks, that wasn't surprising.

"This realm is beautiful, so I brought the kids over for some sightseeing," Baiyi admitted. "As we toured, we witnessed a little incident, so I told them about the knights, and they got so interested that taking them here seemed like a great idea."

Surprisingly, a look of relief and gratitude dawned on Aya's face.

"You truly are as formidable as the Church says you are—The Mighty Hero Who Saved the World. You can even detect the smallest signs of instability," she replied, with genuine admiration evident from her words. "You came here to offer your help, yes? Truly grateful... Master Hope, we are truly indebted to you. Please, forgive us for every inconvenience and trouble. I am sure you can already tell… we require urgent aid…"

The noble lady took a deep bow, oblivious of how deep her collar was as she did.

Baiyi was very confused.

'Do dragons follow a different logic than humans or what? This dragon-woman just created a fable out from thin air? Mighty hero? Who saved the world? The Church really put on their best game in making bombastic titles, huh?'

'And what was with this idea of 'instability'? I didn't even detect a single shit! How did our conversation derail from a relatable context—'the challenges of a single parent who has a kid to raise'—to me taking up a summer job as a 'hero'? Weren't we just talking about our private lives?'

'C-can't we just chat about the funny things of forming families and other wholesome topics?'

However, Aya wasn't wrong in her assumption. She was facing some trouble at the moment, but suddenly, that famous man who had helped saved all the realms, whom the Church had relentless talked about, had come to her. Naturally, she automatically took it as a sign that the man had come to help her, instead of believing in Baiyi's version of things.

"Okay, just… Tell me what's going on."

'Can't be helped. She had been so civil and cordial. The least one could do is listen.'

"For the past few days, the beasts have grown more… excited—" Aya began.

"Are you sure it wasn't because of, well, that season? It's gonna be autumn soon, right? The time of harvest…."

"Not that," Aya blushed a little. "Even if it's the mating period, these creatures still clearly know where not to breach, yet our safe zones had been intruded far too many times to be classified as mere coincidences. It started with the common beasts, then the magical beasts, and now, the dragons themselves had joined in. To maintain peace, the knights now have to go on patrol every day, at every second…"

"No wonder they had appeared so quickly back then," Baiyi vocalized his thoughts.

The most common form of transportation had to be the skycruising ray. That thin piece of meat pie had multiple ways to die if it ever met a predator. This meant that the people who used the rays to transport themselves could only depend on the dragon knights' timely rescue if they ever meet with danger.

That was the reason why all the dragon knights had to leave the fortress. However, the safety zones were too vast. Unfortunately, there weren't many knights in the first place already, so they had to patrol every cranny of the area, night and day, without much help.

Yes, this truly was a very strenuous activity.Yes, cowlick! Also known by the otakus as ahoge, or literally, 'idiot hair'! Usually used to indicate either a stupid one, a carefree one, a joyful one, or even a mischievous one. My citation for this? Gut instinct forged from anime experiences! Hahahhahahah!Disclaimer—this TL does not at all share Baiyi's sentiment on this issue.And a new side quest has been added into your request!

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207 This Species is Bonkers in the Head

The entire situation did raise a lot of red flags.

For starters, there were many reasons why an animal would go berserk, but would it forget the fear hardwired into its gene, which was handed down from generations to generations? That's almost no chance of that ever happening.

The 'safe zones' that the dragon knights had marked weren't always patrolled 24/7. The real reason why these territories were respected was mainly because the wild animals could sense draconian aura enveloping the safe zones, and the natural tendency of animals to steer away from other beasts' territory.

No matter how illogical an animal becomes when it goes crazy, it still wouldn't be foolish enough to trespass a territory enveloped by a heavy draconian aura—until now.

Additionally, the common beasts weren't the only ones trespassing; even the wild dragons had joined in on the madness. These dragons may not be as beautiful and intelligent as the elder dragon noble lady—Aya, here, but their robust physique had given them extra mental resistance to most common mental manipulation, too. They had never been the type of beasts to be enchanted by this particular kind of magic.

Their actions couldn't be passed off as the beats fleeing from predators because dragons were the apex predators. They were at the top of the food chain.

"Alright, this is suspicious. I'll need some time to think about it," Baiyi muttered. Of course, to him, by "thinking", he meant "starting a new thread in the Void forum with the Voidwalkers".

Aya was prudent enough to know better than interfering. Still, she quietly prepared a cup of red tea and presented it to him in her hands as she waited patiently.

The entire scene looked oddly warm though, and it was as if they were a family.

"What do you guys think?" Baiyi started, calling out loudly into the Void.

"This is fishy!"

'Well, thank you for such an insight, Captain Obvious.'

"The stronger the beast, the less likely it is to be affected by mind-bewitching spells. It's common for normal beasts to turn mad through these means. However, now that even dragons are susceptible, it's safe to remove the possibility of humans being involved. In fact, I doubt that even the demigod-level Lich would be able to pull that stunt off, right?" The Soul Armature Practitioner responded.

The man used to be an accomplished summoner, so his conjectures on the subject of wild beasts had its authority.

"Oh please. The dragons may not fear Deimos* and other fear-mongering techniques of mine, but they still fear my true power!" The Lich replied indignantly; nevertheless, his retort was still in line with what the Soul Armature Practitioner had said.

"Dude, are you even on topic? This is about madness, not fear. The animals have gone berserk," Baiyi replied, unimpressed.

"Why can't they be related? Only a greater fear could override genetic fear!" The Lich retorted in confidence.

'Uh, he's not wrong.'

In reality, Baiyi turned his attention to Aya. "Tell me, did those beasts and dragons display any form of ultra-aggressiveness when they ventured into the safe zones?"

"Huh?" Aya was stunned, obviously confused at his question, yet she managed to answer, "Um, they appeared to have completely lost their mind and retaliated violently to our attempts at capturing them. That's ultra-aggressiveness, right?"

"No, that's beside the point. What I was asking is if the intruders had displayed ultra-aggressive behaviors even before you guys attempted to capture them? For example, actively attacking skycruising rays or other common beasts that happened to pass by them?"

"Um…" Aya trailed off. She had no straight answer for Baiyi's direct question because she—or any other dragon knight for that matter—never thought to look for differences in the methods that the beasts used to intrude. The Safe zones were similar to restricted areas guarded by the military; it didn't matter why one trespassed. To the guards, once anyone made a move that breached security, they would either capture the intruders or gun them down—no due process required.

However, now that Baiyi had highlighted that important question, Aya tried her hardest to oblige. She blinked her large azure eyes as she tried to think, and finally, slowly said, "It's fuzzy. There are many kinds of common beasts flying through the safe zones, and these mad beasts all had very different appetites. Some of them loved griffins; some of them preferred skycruising rays, and some even loved human flesh. After breaching our zone, these mad beasts either go for the domesticated creatures, or they fly around aimlessly. I—I can't tell what their actual intention is."

"Is that so? Hmm, the situation has just gotten more complicated…" Baiyi remarked, then turned his attention inward again.

"Hey! Why don't we ask someone who had lived with wild beasts for a long time?" The Soul Armature suggested helpfully.

"Good idea." Baiyi poked the Caveman, requesting his input.

"Errr.. Very honestly? All I know is how good they taste. As for other knowledge? Um, do you know that if you kill their cubs, they go berserk?" The Caveman replied plainly.

'So, why did I think a gastronomer would make a good zoologist?'

Baiyi let the man off the thread and turned to the Walker codenamed Monster.

"Woof!"

"?"

"Woof woof woof!"

"???"

'Ah, for fuck's sake. Trying to ask for advice from a slobbering dog-worm-monster is really stupid. Next!'

Baiyi poked the ever-knowledgeable Scholar.

"D-don't you dare jab at an a-area this… critical!" The Scholar was less than enthusiastic. "I have no interest in zoology, which means that I have nothing to offer. As evidence, when I was alive, I never even owned a common household feline as my pet."

'Oh, that's not surprising, considering how you almost couldn't even feed yourself regularly.'

Baiyi looked around the Void and realized that none of them seemed to have any actual knowledge about animals.

The Astrologer surprised him, though. He gave Baiyi a solid suggestion: "How about you ask this beautiful dragon noble lady? She would know more about the dragonkins than any of us! Mmmmmm, I'm compelled to say 'this really is a lovely dragon'. I mean, she's of a different species, but mm, my careless tongue has been summoned to lick—"

'Okay, if the additional bullshit wasn't there, that would have actually been a solid suggestion.' After silencing the pervert, Baiyi returned to reality and asked, "Excuse my imprudence. I assure you I mean no offense, but is there anything that would scare or upset your kind?"

"Scare? Upset?" The question was weird and awkward, but Aya still gave it some thought and answered, "There really isn't anything that could do such a thing to us. Not at all. We are the proud lords of the sky; we don't harbor such weak sentiments."

"...but, I'm afraid that I myself may be a bit different," Aya added sheepishly, and her head hung low like an embarrassed girl's. "Maybe I've spent too much time with the humans, and some of their emotions had rubbed on me. I'm always afraid that someone on my team would get hurt, or that Mordred would turn rebellious… Upset? Well, if anyone dared lay a finger on my daughter, I supposed I will be very upset."

She was very sincere in her words, especially when she talked about any harm befalling her daughter. A strong killing intent emanated from her when she made that point, making the room feel even more chilly.

'Wow. That's some bond between mother and daughter, huh? Isn't she adopted?' Baiyi decided to dispel the awkward atmosphere now that he had upset her without meaning too.

So he half-jokingly said, "Well, then I guess the best follow-up question would be, is there anything you like in particular?"

"Hmm? Are you… hitting on me?" Aya was stunned by the puzzling off-topic question, but she recovered pretty quickly, sticking her pink tongue out like a schoolgirl. "Oh, and here I thought a gentleman like Master Hope would be smoother than that!" She replied in jest.

'Wait—what? The nervous circuits in the brains of you dragons are wired different, aren't they? I was just trying to make us chill! And don't call me a gentleman! I no longer think it means anything good anymore!'

"You flirted and now you are rebuking her?" Someone in the Void spoke anonymously.

There was no way anyone could get any useful information from the dragon-lady. She may look human and talk like one, too, but deep in her bones, she still had that draconian pride.

'No other way.' Baiyi had to wake the Third Walker up for this particular matter. He poked the Walker with his consciousness as he cried, "Wake up! I need your help!"

"ZZZZzzzz…"

"Oi, wake up! I'm not asking you to join a game or anything! It's important!" Baiyi amplified his strength.

"ZZZZZzzzzz…"

"Er, breakfast's ready!"

"ZZZZzzzz…"

".… Holy shit! Is that your wife cheating with your perfect neighbor, Chad?"

Suddenly, the Void was subject to an enormous vibration that every Walker felt. A leviathan had awakened. An ancient, elder dragon opened its eyes slowly. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to weigh a ton, plummeting, suffocating...

Then, a voice that seemed to pierce through space and time boomed, "Wherefore doth thee waketh me, Brother?"

Its weird tone, which painted the picture of a foreigner trying to speak a new language, resounded in the Void.

Somehow, everyone was embarrassed.

Baiyi had to bite his tongue to stop himself from lambasting the third walker's chosen manner of speech. He shared clips of the present to it, explaining his predicament.

"Such a babling matt'r! Thee can solveth it yourself. Th're wast nay needeth to waketh me!" ["Such a small matter! You can solve it yourself. There was no need to wake me!"]

'What the fuck?!'

"Hey there now. You haven't been conscious for a very long time, and a lot had happened. Isn't it good to let you know about them?" Baiyi tried reasoning patiently.

"Thou art both'ring me with a bawbling matt'r. I am only int'rest'd in bigg'r matt'r, Brother. Fare thee well." [you are bothering me with a small matter. I am only interested in bigger matter, friend. Good bye.]

The Third Walker gave a disinterested reply, and its eyelids began to close, which also finally made Baiyi lose all of his patience. He took hold of his power and retracted, exposing the Third Walker's consciousness to the true Void.

"Ow! ow! Holp me, kind Brother!" [Ow! Ow! Help me, kind friend!] The walker cried out in anguish.

"So you're helping or not?" Baiyi retorted coldly.

"Okay, okay, okay! I won't sleep anymore, no sleeping!" The Dragon King caved.

The real reason why Baiyi kept insisting that dragons were bonkers in the head was mainly because the Third Walker didn't leave much of a good impression on him. After their memory exchange, Baiyi noticed that the oversized lizard had chose to focus on the wrong part of his memory.

This dragon wanted to cultivate itself to become a Daoist deity.

Perhaps, it was all the wuxia or stories that Baiyi had read—for whatever reason, that made this person become obsessed with the spiritual-mystical-tantric things, and the awesome superhuman powers in these books. It really wanted to have those, too.

Hence, it turned to cultivation to pass its unending time in the Void, but unlike real cultivation practices, the lizard opted to cultivate itself—by sleeping.

Fact: This dragon, will never succeed.Oi, is Baiyi thinking of getting another single mother to help out? And then started falling in love? Then turned out the single mother had another suitor? Find out in the non-existent spin-off, "Two's a Company"!For the bulk of the world, yes, Baiyi, it still has a good connotation.Oh yea. I don't know why this dragon had to make my life harder with that sort of antique speaks. It speaks like that right from the original Chinese text. So, I supposed I will have to make some notes on every sentence it speaks, and you can read them if you didn't get it. Hee hee!Okay, okay, okay! I wo--wait a minute! Did this f*cking dragon just switch back to normal people speak?!?! What the f*ck? That was….. That was all just to act cool!

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208 Baiyi Has Come

If one would stack the powers the Third Walker possessed up like a lego tower, it would reach all the way to the ceiling. Nevertheless, a mighty being like it was still obsessed with 'self-cultivation' mainly because it wanted to obtain a set of all-new, all-different powers. It knew that the stuff in those novels were fictional, but it just absolutely adored the spiritual systems described in books. To the Third Walker, it was inspiring because of its novelty.

There was another minor reason behind its aspirations, of course. Well.. it was jealous of the dragons in those novels.

Those dragons enjoyed higher positions and were even more powerful than the Third Walker ever was—at least, as depicted in the books anyway. Additionally, in the fantasy book, dragons were imperial symbols—the sacred beasts worshiped for a few millennia by about ten billion people. The Third Walker could act mighty all it wanted, but it would always be treated as a dangerous monster by the humans here. It didn't want that!

Regardless of the reasons, Baiyi knew for sure that this lizard was not gonna succeed in its bid to become a Daoist deity. One would have to work their butts off without a wink of sleep in order to turn into one, while all the Third Walker did—whenever there wasn't much to do—was sleep!

Still… The Third Walker could still be considered an expert in the subject of dragonkins. After all, it was once a Divine Dragon. This was not an actual dragon species, but a rank or a position akin to the leader of the dragons, or the dragon king, or the dragons' protector.

A Divine Dragon commanded loyalty from all dragonkins. If that wasn't impressive enough, the Third Walker was of the Silver Naga subspecies— high-class elder dragons that could bend lightning and thunder as they willed.

"So, O Most Respected Dragon King, what do you think?" Baiyi probed in jest.

"Brother, I request for a change in the manner of address. I know my preferred title would be a 'funny' name that is given only to the least skilled of all henchmen—who wouldn't even be able to outwit a monkey, or perhaps given to a member of a Chinese mafia gang—but..." The Third Walker noted in a sharp tone, as it attempted to change the Fifth Walker's nickname for it, "Please call me names like Proud Dragon of Heavens, True Dragon Lord of the Truth, or something similar. I love names with twangs like these."

Baiyi was about to give Mr. True Dragon Lord of the Truth another lesson by barring its consciousness in the Void again.

It relented. "Fine, fine! Let's move on! Er, the topic of the day! Yes, topic of the day."

What used to be the Divine Dragon had become a household lizard. This fate was an inevitable one whenever someone depended on another this heavily. Just as they say — a dragon that has accidentally waded into shallow water, is bound to be played by the land-dwellers.

"To be frank, my guess is not different with you humans," It said. "I don't think anyone could bewitch a dragon's mind, even if they were of the lower class. As a whole, our kind has an outstanding resistance to magic of that kind. That's why I agree with what that bag of stinky bones said; these dragons must have been motivated by fear."

The Third Walker had not hidden its scorn towards the Lich, yet "that bag of stinky bones" did not dare retort, so it could only mumble something under his breath in rage.

'Well, what can the Lich do when he is weaker than the commenter?'

"Well, what could possibly terrify you all to this extent? I always thought your kind to be the very definition of fearlessness," Baiyi asked.

"Between life and death lie much to be feared—no no no stop don't do that, Brother, I wasn't trying to act like any character! I was being serious!" The Third Walker said. "It might have been dangerous to go into a restricted zone, but at least they still had the hope of survival afterward, right? Unlike being outside? This is the only reason why they dared to breach in, acting as if they were crazy! Isn't this simple enough to be figured out? I don't believe for one that you people didn't think of this!"

"Are you messing with me?! Even a cottontail rabbit wouldn't leap into a burning furnace just because a wolf is chasing it relentlessly! The rabbit would still run around the furnace!" Baiyi retorted in displease.

"You know what this means? It means that there is no safer place than the furnace itself," The Third Walker uttered the dreaded words.

It was a plausible and simple conjecture, but the situation would have to be too ominous to get to that point, so no one would have jumped to such a conclusion immediately.

"That's not possible! If there is an impending Armageddon capable of destroying the entire realm, there will be signs! The wise and powerful ones in this realm, or even me, would have seen the signs already!" Baiyi's reply belied his disbelief.

"This would mean that the upcoming apocalyptic event lies outside the senses of humans, and the animals could only pick it up due to their acute senses of nature," The Third Walker concluded sternly.

"An Armageddon, huh…" Baiyi fell silent at the prospect. He turned his head to Aya in reality and asked, "Is… Is there gonna be an important festival coming right up?"

"Well, we were going to celebrate Harvest Day. There will be a lot of celebrations, but with what was going on right now, security has become a grievous issue," Aya replied gravely.

"Oh… I'm sorry," Baiyi started apologizing.

"Hmm? Why apologize?"

"Nothing," Baiyi shook his head, finishing his own sentence in his mind. The Voidwalkers really aren't meant to relax with festivals…

"More peculiarly, why did you think of coming to Gouve for a vacation?"

The Archmage, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke.

"Was it because the perilous environment here made it easier to connect with the children?"

"What? No! You don't think of me as someone this devious now, do you?" Baiyi rose to explain himself. "The children themselves wanted to play, and I just thought it was a good idea of a getaway to come over here! It's serene, and it's beautiful. It's normal to choose a location based on its marvelous nature, right?"

"That's what alerted me, my child," The Archmage's tone was solemn. "How did you even start building on the impression that Gouve is anywhere near perfect for a vacation? You did not even know such a realm existed. More importantly, next to you, none of us had considered this place a vacation destination. Most people would regard Gouve as a place too fickle in climates and seasons, and a place filled with threats of powerful wildlife and natural disasters. It's great for an adventure, yes, but not for a family vacation."

Baiyi froze.

Just as the Archmage had said, Baiyi was different from the other Voidwalkers in that he did not originate from this dimension. He was, essentially, a dimensional traveler. His knowledge of Gouve was not his own; it was a collection of the impressions and past experiences of the other Voidwalkers gained from their memory exchanges.

When Baiyi exchanged his memory with the others, he re-lived their lives through and gained their perspectives and judgment. Even after he removed all of those memories from his head—in fear that they would cause him to lose his identity—he still could not rid himself of certain thoughts and instincts completely. Case in point: his first impression of a certain object or event had always been made based on the instincts he gained from the other Voidwalkers, because Baiyi himself had never interacted with such a thing in his own life.

The first impressions that a person makes easily highlight their values, forming a base for the opinions of the world around him, and that was why Baiyi's basic view of the world was similar to the Archmage's because the First Walker had been the first to offer his memory to Baiyi. His mental modes were even more akin to a Rohlserlian sorcerer's than any of the others, while his general behavior was more lawful and neutral purely because most of the Voidwalkers were lawful and neutral.

If the Void had been filled with the evil types like the Lich and the Devil, Baiyi might have become a different kind of person altogether.

This made Baiyi's idea of Gouve being a good vacation spot particularly alarming because no one in the Void shared those sentiments. There were many more realms that could boast of sceneries just as beautiful yet far less dangerous.

"So someone had planted the suggestion in my mind without me even noticing, is that it?" Baiyi concluded steely.

Subliminal messaging was quite similar to a common hypnosis, but it was not as miraculous as those performed on Earth. It had specific techniques to execute—something the Charlatan had been very good at. Unlike mind control or other kinds of psychic attacks, subliminal messaging was covert and hard to notice, yet at the same time, it was usually too weak to be of much use. Most of the time it was just to leave little impressions or opinion that the victim would not have formed otherwise; most aristocrats only use this technique to get some girls.

Yes, a technique like this would be way too incompetent. Anyone who has a slightly better psychic resistance would break the technique with ease, let alone someone with as much caliber as the Fifth Walker.

"That's preposterous! With your indomitable will and ungodly reservoir of psychic energy, who would still be able to do that to you? Some kind of god?" The Charlatan, who was the Voidwalker with the most expertise in such techniques in the Void, exclaimed incredulously.

"Maybe it was some kind of god," Baiyi muttered quietly.

"You mean…. The War God?" the Archmage chimed in. "That… is possible, yes. Your consciousness has met with his, so he could have planted that idea in your head at that time. Plus, as a god, he does have the necessary strength and ability to do so… While you had always been confident of your own capability, so you would never entertain the possibility of someone invading your mind. This created an opening."

"Hmph, that must be it. No wonder he has been relaxing the terms and conditions for using his stupid sword; he had already taken me as his pawn. Let me guess, it had been planned out ever since I've gotten Attie, huh?" Baiyi's tone was chilly. "You think that I should become your pawn just because I took in a maid and that poor excuse of a sword? What a pleasure doing business with you, War God."

In a flash, the Fifth Walker had scanned through every inch of his memory to see if he had done anything else that was unintentional. Luckily, it seemed that the subliminal message only painted a very good impression of Gouve.

"Looks like he just wanted me to go to Gouve. Is it because of this unknown apocalyptic event?" Baiyi resumed his train of thoughts. "Maybe something important is at stake in this event…"

"If that's the case, you can't withdraw yourself out from the game field, mate," the Thane chimed in to finish the thought.

"You're not half-wrong. I'm now very interested in seeing just what the fuck exactly would prompt Mr. War God to play such a risky game."

Baiyi turned his attention back to the reality again, thinking of getting more information from Aya.

But to his surprise, the dragon-lady had backed into a corner and had both hands covering her chest defensively. Her expression was one of intense alertness while her gaze, which was fixed on him, was complicated.

'What the hell are you doing? Why are you protecting your breasts? Are you trying to fend off the advance of a pervert? …Why would I be interested in a dragon's mammary glands?' Baiyi thought as he said out loud, "What's wrong?"

"Y-y-you… w-w-were terrifying…" Aya gulped as she whispered. "I t-thought you wanted to e-e-eat me…"

'E-e-eat? Of all the words you could use, you used that one word that may bring up some M-rated implication?'

Baiyi put up his hands apologetically. "Sorry about that. I was just pondering on some dire situations, and I guess I accidentally reacted to that."

When he finally noticed the War God's cheap manipulation, he was enraged. As a result, the Fifth Walker accidentally released his true aura, and the ever-sensitive elder dragon had detected it easily.

Ergo, it terrified her enough to back in a corner.... Those are more like rejected ninjutsu technique names in Naruto, dude.For those who had never seen this before, this is per the Alignment type in Dungeons & Dragons! If not mistaken, I remember that Lawful Neutral was the most common alignment… Huh, I always thought Baiyi was a True Neutral. Apparently he's the type to cross red lights sometimes, but would still finish his homework on time!

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209 A Different Attitude Towards The Descendants

Honestly speaking, to be frightened by the intimidating aura from the Fifth Walker was nothing to be ashamed of. Baiyi wanted to tender more apologies, but before he could speak, the Third Walker could be heard grumbling within the Void, "Such a weakling! Disgraceful, indeed!"

"These species always attempt to imitate humans, and they eventually pick up all the nasty habits of those mortals!" The Third Walker scoffed in disgust at the many attempts of mighty, high-class dragonkins that chose to transform into humans in order to blend into the society of men. He was a firm opposer of such antics indeed.

"Want me to chide her for you?" Baiyi offered.

"Ugh, just let it be..." The Third Voidwalker answered after a moment's consideration. "This is the way of life chosen by her... I should respect her decision. Give her my blessing, will you?"

'Pfft, no reprimands... but a blessing instead?' Perhaps the Third Walker was only verbally stern; he was still very fond of his descendants. Or maybe, he just thought that this little dragon-lady was adorable and cute, so he could not bear to chide her. Although her existing appearance was just an illusion, it still required pretty good genetics to become such a good-looking human girl. Baiyi believed that if Aya went back to her dragon form, she would be a good-looking dragon too.

"Sorry to scare you, " Baiyi said.

"N-no...no worries..." Aya replied, embarrassed. A moment ago she had been bragging about how there was no being in the world whose existence could induce fear within the hearts of the dragonkin, and now she looked like a frightened little bird herself, instead. That was pretty embarrassing…

'However, when one thought of it, what was she so afraid earlier? Sir Hope... Sir Hope who usually seemed amiable and charismatic? What was his true nature underneath that mask?'

Aya could hardly control the curiosity she has developed about Baiyi. This curious mindset—be it dragon's or human's—was a very dangerous one.

"To express my sincerest apologies..." Baiyi started. He chanted an obscure phrase in dragon-verse, and in a few seconds, Aya felt something permeate her body?

Fright was the first emotion she registered, for she thought that Baiyi had made his first attack, but she quickly realized that there was no evil intent from whatever he had cast upon her. Instead, it felt uniquely heartfelt, like having an elder stroke the back your head. It was a warm, fuzzy and pleasant feeling indeed.

The blessing of the Venerable Dragon had no physical effect. Just like what Aya felt moments ago, the feeling felt like a caress upon the head. That feeling was the blessing in its purest form, it was not a problem from Baiyi's casting.

The Venerable Dragon only gave his blessing exclusively to those he favored. Dragonkind who were bestowed with such blessing would have the aura of the Venerable Dragon—an acknowledgment that they were endowed with his love. It was like being presented with a badge of honor, or a certificate of approval; it was a sign of glory.

From what Baiyi knew, the Third Walker had only given his blessing approximately ten or so times in the span of his long life. This was an extremely rare scenario, for there were very little who managed to get into his good books. Those who decided to live as humans were never his favorites. However, there was a slight difference in his mindset nowadays. Baiyi never bothered to inquire more, but he could guess that it stemmed from its change of perspective towards mankind as a whole.

What kind of existence was this Venerable Dragon? He was the most respected and most esteemed leader of the dragonkin, so it was only natural that he possessed a certain level of pride. Every being was equivalent to ants in his eyes. He would not falter even in the presence of gods, even more so for humankind. To him, humans were merely fish in water, and those humans who possessed some power were just mudskippers that skipped a little higher—bringing them up was a waste of breath.

Only when he lost his physical body, his oh-so-strong physique—the very pride and joy of his existence—did he understand the god's authority... and it was only after he entered the Void—and began to have a deeper understanding of humankind—that he began to shift his perspective.

Especially after looking into Baiyi's memories where he learned how mankind had brought development to the world, only did the Venerable Dragon lowered his skyrocketing arrogance. He showed more understanding towards the humankind. These beings might be puny and insignificant, but they still had a lot in them - he could comprehend why would some tribes team up with mankind.

He even picked up the study of god. He was very impressed and jealous of the world's respect towards the image of the dragon clan, although their powers were not as strong as his.

Seeing a change of heart from the Third Walker, Baiyi felt a little more relieved and pleased at the same time.

Aya, on the other hand, was still unsure about what exactly Baiyi did to her. She already took up a human form not long after she was born and had since lived as one for the past decades. She has neither seen the Venerable Dragon, neither had she received any blessing from him; she has never even encountered a dragonkin who had been bestowed with his blessings. Hence, she could not comprehend what Baiyi did to her at all. She only knew that there was no malicious intent from his actions.

'Now this couldn't be... a declaration of love, could it? Really now... it's only the first time we've met…' Aya was nursing weird ideas in her head. She might be almost ninety, but to the dragonkin, she was barely older than little Mia…

As the dragon-lady pondered on the best way to clear up her confusion, strains of girly laughter could be heard from outside the living room, followed by Mordred, who barged into the room with an excited expression. Her little round face had a wide smile, with two adorable canines peeping just below the lip, and her excitement seemed to stem from playing earlier. She was covered in mud and bits of grass, looking just like a mud monkey.

Mia and the rest tailed behind her. They all looked no different—dirty and grimy, but they all had faces brimming with joy.

What in the world were these little rascals playing? Wrestling? In the mud? They're all so filthy! Baiyi bemoaned.

"Mama!" Mordred rushed towards Aya, stretching out both arms for a full-frontal embrace, only stopping short when she realized how dirty she was. She thought of wiping her little hands on her red dress but decided against it, before hiding her hands behind her back in embarrassment.

'This child... she's much more thoughtful than I expected!'

Aya smiled lightly as she kneeled in front of Mordred, caressing her head gently and asked, "Did you have fun?"

'What? There was no intention of teaching her a lesson?'

"Yep yep!" Mordred nodded obediently.

It was a completely opposite scenario at Baiyi's side. He graciously took the opportunity to pull Mia's little cheek, while the three other girls stood in line with their necks contracted as deeply into their bodies as possible, awaiting Baiyi's punishment in fear.

"Haven't you noticed how old you already are? Yet, you still went to wrestle?" As Baiyi finished bullying Mia, his claws fell upon Tisdale's cheek. "The younger ones are more forgivable, but the two of you, too? Can't you just act a little more ladylike? Or be a little reserved, huh?"

After some brief questioning, it was revealed that Mordred summoned a ground dragon earlier, bringing her new friends out for a tour of the plains. At the start, Mia and Tisdale were still quite reserved and resisted the temptation to play, but after intense persuasion from Mordred and Laeticia, they began to play as well. In the end, the four girls tussled, wrestled, and rolled around the plains without a single care in the world, so they eventually ended up covered with grime and dirt.

Additionally, their skirts were already so short, so they would have put on quite a show during all that tussling around for whichever onlooker was out there…

"Mama..." Mordred called for her mom when she saw her new friends get bullied by their caretaker. She was tempted to hold Aya's arm, but her own was so filthy; thus, her arm retracted as fast as it had initially reached for Aya.

'It's okay if I'm a little dirty, but I can't let mama be filthy.'

"What's wrong?" Aya inquired gently.

"Sir Hope, can you stop punishing my friends?" Mordred pleaded, taking extra effort to defend the girls. "Please, mama! It was I who lead them out..."

"Ah, this..." Aya felt momentarily conflicted. How could she interfere with the affair of others, judging how they educate their children! Not to mention, Baiyi's performance earlier was better than hers, and his position was ultimately higher-ranked than hers.

However, when she saw the hopeful, pleading gaze in her daughter's emerald green eyes, the young mother mustered up all her courage and strode towards Baiyi. In a stern tone, she said, "Sir Hope, it was my child who brought them out to play, but if you could you just stop..."

Baiyi glanced back at her, loosening his grip on Laeticia's face conveniently. He helped sooth the burn by giving her cheek a little rub, and replied, "Don't worry, I am not punishing them. However, a little discipline could help when it's necessary."

Pinching their faces could hardly be considered punishment. At most, it left an impression on them, something to make them think first of the consequences of whatever actions they take in the future.

"You're only taking the chance to touch their faces. We all know that..." someone in the Void alleged.

"When he's done pinching their faces, I wonder if he's going to pinch somewhere else... some part more sensitive maybe..." another Voidwalker snickered.

"And we never know if there'll be more unconventional forms of punishment... like *beep beep*...*beep beep beep*"

Baiyi was just about to investigate the person spouting such lewd remarks, but they quickly kept quiet afterward, leaving no clues of their identity.

"Well, please lend us your bathroom at least, so that they can have a good shower," Baiyi could only ask.

Hence, Mordred brought the girls to an exceptionally extravagant, lavishly-furnished bathroom the size of a swimming pool. As chaperones, Baiyi and Aya tagged along behind them. After watching the girls enter the bathroom, Baiyi reminded them with a shout from the outside, "Remember to toss out your dirty clothes!"

The moment his voice rang out, a few dresses along with undergarments were tossed out of the bathroom. Aya began to call for a servant, but Baiyi stopped her with a sigh. He used water-based magic to bundle up the items and assumed the function of a washing machine.

"Oh? Using magic for such a domestic purpose?" Aya was genuinely surprised. "I didn't know Sir Hope had this… affectionate side to him?"

"Piece of cake," Baiyi replied simply. He did not wish to discuss domestic matters with this dragon-lady. It was obvious that she was still a child in his eyes. Seeing the way she pampered Mordred... she would never become an excellent mother! That child of hers would certainly take advantage of the rebellious phase, treating her father—oh no, in this case, mother—in a more unruly manner!

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210 What Has He Done To You?

Baiyi was a firm advocate for proper child education, and he confidently believed that he was pretty experienced in this field; in fact, he was a veteran. If one were to ask him where this confidence came from... 'could you not tell that Mia and the girls are more well-behaved and more beautiful than ever and that their potential grows consistently, day-by-day?!'

Hence, this little dragon-lady... could not compete with him when it came to child education! Baiyi was very proud of himself. He seemed unaware that there was a problem with washing his daughters' undergarments.

Baiyi's washer spell was very effective. Water-based magic, which was rarely ever talked about, was exceptionally useful in this area. The clothes were completely dry even before the girls were done with their bath; it was even neatly folded. He handed the pile of clothes to Aya and made a request, "Sorry to bother you, but please take these to them."

Aya lowered her gaze and noticed some leftover traces of fire-based enchantment on the garments. In a tone that contained no humor, she laughingly asked, "Sir Hope, you seem to be very well-trained in this?"

'Who do you think I am? Do you know how hard is it to breed these little rascals?' Although he had assistance from Attie, his cute Kitty-cat maid required quite some care as well, so how could he afford not to acquire experience in these domestic matters? Baiyi bemoaned internally.

Although his thoughts were not expressed aloud, Aya, a parent herself, understood his woes. She spoke up, albeit gently, "To care for them is a tough enough job for you, and you still need to find time to save the realm. Perhaps Sir Hope requires a partner for the job?"

'Looks like she had mistaken the hierarchy between saving the world and domestic affairs… but, for that thing about being partners, did a single-mother like you reflect on yourself before asking that question?' Baiyi contemplated. He did not utter a word and gave his chest a few hard knocks. Two loud bangs reverberated through the air.

He was hinting that he was a Soul Armature.

"Ah, there's also this… although there have been cases of marriages occurring between Soul Armatures and humans, most humans wouldn't accept it, right? The dragonkin is no different," Aya said, with a hint of pity. For some reasons, her heart was filled with empathy, as though they were in the same boat. She now saw Baiyi in a different light.

'Why are you looking at me with such a pitiful gaze?' Baiyi was not amused. 'You think I'm unwanted? Don't you know how many beauties out there in the Void were begging for me to call them my wife?' However, it was certain that this fellow would not be an ideal candidate as a stepmom. She ridiculously regarded little Mia as a rival. Mia could end up being fed to death—no extra effort was needed.

'But how's that a problem? She's really, really good-looking! That record-breaking beauty was enough to make a lot of men leave their wives!'

'But, all in all, elves were not ideal partners, if their beauty and loyalty were put aside. Warriors, however, were the most ideal. They did not pale in beauty, and through various games, they had proven that they had a paternal side to them, but it was a pity that this fairy-like perfection-of-a-woman did not seem interested in me at all, with all that mumbling to vouch for that…' Baiyi pondered. Perhaps because of this dragon-lady, a single-mom... he actually began putting some serious thought into something that he had hardly ever given any consideration. Marriage. Family. Children.

At that moment, however, a shriek erupted from the bathroom. It was Attie's.

"Stop it… Mordred! Stop licking me! I'm not a piece of chocolate! Uuuu—"

"I already said that I was born with it... sto-op! I'm very sensitive there—argh!"

'What in the world are these kids up to? Were they bullying Attie again? Come to think of it, was Attie that vulnerable? Where is the might she wielded as the king she once was?'

"Please forgive me. My child is being naughty again. Let me go have a look," Aya said, feeling embarrassed. She entered the bathroom with the clean clothes that Baiyi had laundered.

"Sister Aya, your complexion is very good! It's almost similar to a human's!"

"Of course, my mama is the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"Hehe. Mia, your skin is very smooth, too! It seems that Sir Hope had taken care of you very well... eh? Those parts? Oh, don't you worry my dear. It'll get bigger when you hit puberty... look, Mordred's is almost the same size as yours!"

'So this means that that unreliable dragon-lady has joined them in their shower! And what… they were discussing... puberty?! What the hell. Why can't these little rascals discuss this on their own and in private!'

"They could discuss it with me..." The Warrior interrupted.

'And what would you be discussing about? You're not their mom.' Baiyi did not pay much attention to the Warrior's comment.

After some time, the few girls finally emerged from the bathroom. They were all great beauties with their own unique characters. Their charming and gorgeous faces had been colored crimson from submerging in hot water. Their wet hair was slicked back against the back of their skulls, and their fair skin, which was as delicate as a deshelled egg, looked extremely enticing.

A mother and daughter pair, and another pair of sisters... this after-shower scene was perfection.

Upon noticing Baiyi, Aya was suddenly hit with a moment of embarrassment. She could not believe that she had abandoned an important guest to take a bath…

To break the awkward silence, Aya quickly thought of something to say. "Ahh, I was wondering... would you please stay the night? I'll get the servants to prepare the rooms. Also, when the leaders return, we could have a more in-depth discussion about that question from earlier."

Baiyi did not reject the offer and nodded in agreement. If there was a need to investigate this weird phenomenon, it would not hurt to get extra hands and more clues. Working with the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns was not a bad idea at all.

Mordred was elated at the prospect of getting to spend more time with her new friends, but she seemed to sense something and quickly scurried into her mother's lap. She crinkled her nose, getting a whiff of something in the air. She brought her lips to Aya's ear and whispered, "Mama, you have a very nice scent on you..."

"Eh?" Aya hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps it was the newly added flower-scented lotion in the bathtub?"

"Mmm..." Mordred shook her head vigorously and said in a softer tone. "It's not the scent of flowers—it's the scent of dad..."

"How is that possible?" Aya asked peculiarly, as her expression changed. Mordred was an abandoned orphan, and she could not accurately understand the concept of a father, so how could she suddenly say something like that?

Baiyi did not hear what were the mother and daughter were talking about, but it seemed like something personal and private. He had no intention on eavesdropping, so he lead the girls further away from them, giving them a private moment.

"Although I've never seen dad, I've seen other dads! I believe it would be the same feeling, right?" Mordred blinked her large eyes, spouting statements that Aya did not understand.

Even though she could not comprehend what Mordred was saying, a trace of sadness was still visible on Aya's face.

Mordred was barely thirty years old this year, but she was still an infant amongst her kind. However, due to her consistent exposure to humankind, she knew a lot more than her dragonkin-peers.

The dragon knight clan did practice familial concepts, and those kids used to be her playmates; thus, she must have picked up the concept of a father from them. Whenever little Mordred saw other children jumping into their fathers' embrace, or when they were placed atop their fathers' shoulders, what did she think about in that little heart of hers?

It was a pity that she was Dragon-kind, making the speed at which she matured relatively slower, in both physical and mental development. The human kids matured at a much faster rate, and they would often separate after a few years. They would still return to see her, but those human kids were no longer the playmates she once remembered.

Perhaps this fun and understanding dragon child had been lonely for a long time, and that was why she acted so welcoming towards Mia and the rest? Maybe she wanted the girls' company for a little longer, and that was why she blurted out a bunch of nonsense as a reason to stay.

"You stayed with Sir Hope for a bit just then, didn't you, Mama? Is this his scent? Why would your body have his scent? Did you guys kiss? Did he press you against the bed and..."

Aya's face flushed into the deepest shade of red possible. No matter how much she loved Mordred, she lashed out instantly, pulling her daughter's cheek in embarrassment, imitating the two-way pulling that little Mia was disciplined with earlier. She chided Modred with a mixture of embarrassment and rage, "You stupid child. Just what do you think you're talking about!"

"Ughh... it's painful..." Mordred whined like a hurt animal, causing Aya to loosen her grip in heartbreak.

"Don't you ever think about such nonsense again! There is nothing between Mama and Sir Hope!" Aya rubbed her hand against Mordred's cheek to sooth the burn and lectured her patiently.

"But Mama! Your face... it's so red! Uuggh—sorry Mama! It's my fault, stop pinching me!"

Baiyi wandered around for half a day before Aya reappeared with Mordred and invited Baiyi and the girls for lunch. Mordred did not seem as cheerful as she was earlier, and instead, her face twitched involuntarily, and she wore had on an unnatural expression; she did not even dare to look straight at Baiyi.

'What's gotten into this dragon-lady? Wasn't she just joking around just now?' Baiyi watched curiously.

Suddenly, Mordred approached him and held his fingers. She crinkled her nose, then scurried away looking disappointed.

'What is wrong with this pair?' Baiyi's curiosity increased.

Mordred scurried back to Aya's side. She stuck her nose against her mother's body and gave sniffed deeply. Seconds after that, she cocked her tiny head to the side, as though she found that something wrong. Her mama's warm scent was completely different from Sir Hope's scent.

'What's going on? Mama has never gone out for a meal with anyone before…' Little Mordred simply did not get it.

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211 What Does He See In Me?

Aya went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, with the ever-so-helpful Mordred offering her assistance.

Meanwhile, Baiyi and his family had retired to the living room. He had reclined on a long couch, and Little Mia—who was tired from her games and relaxed from her bath—lay snuggled beside him, resting her head on his thigh, and her two slender legs dangled of the side of the couch. Meeting a new friend, Mia was in high spirit, her legs swinging in glee.

Attie's exhaustion was more evident. She had fallen into a deep sleep, curled up like a cat at Baiyi's other side.

Tisdale was reclined on a nearby couch, and in her hand was a book that chronicled the courageous tales of dragon knights. She was fully immersed in it, reading it out loud, and Laeticia, who was nearby, laid down on her belly, listening to Tisdale. Ever so often, she would stop Tisdale in her tracks to ask what certain words meant. Being a villager, she was illiterate.

Baiyi was playing a silly, childish game with Mia. He was trying to poke the girl's cheeks with his fingers, and the child playfully attempted to block the finger attacks with her palms, chuckling as she also rolled from side to side, trying to avoid the pokes that she couldn't block.

They were having so much fun. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps and discussions echoed from outside.

The door was pushed open, and in came a middle-aged man and an elder. They appeared to be the owners of this residence.

The first things that entered their sights was a stranger and some girls who seemed to be having their family time in his living room.

The situation was very awkward. Little Mia quickly sat up bashfully, remembering to pull her dress down as it had rolled up from her silly game. Baiyi had to yank a very groggy Attie up before he turned to face the duo.

A look of alarm crossed the middle-aged man's face, but he recollected himself quickly and announced loudly, "Gosh, I did not expect visitors at all. I should have knocked!"

"Haha, very true. We haven't had many visitors for ages," the elder beside him added with a mirthless chuckle.

The girls moved to another side of the room, while the house-owners sat before Baiyi.

The middle-aged man was very candid. "So, you're a friend of Aya's?"

Baiyi nodded. "Yea. I'm Hope."

"Hope?" The duo looked at each other and quickly asked in unison, "That Hope from Isythre?"

"I can assure you that the legends have been exaggerated quite a bit, but yea, that's me."

Suddenly, their faces lit up with joy, and they finally realized why Aya had invited the man to their house. The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, "My pleasure and fortune to meet you, Master Hope! If I had known that you were coming, I would have been even more respectful…"

"Um, I'm fine just like this," Baiyi could only reply awkwardly.

The three quickly engaged in small talk, but Baiyi found time to carefully examine the two men. The middle-aged man wore a military-green army uniform adorned with all kinds of uncommon embellishments. He was, as Baiyi guessed, a man occupying a high position, while the mana emanating from him belied his status as a Legendary-level fighter, or possibly even a Holy-level fighter. However, the man was constantly suppressing his mana from letting that fact out. He appeared to be around 40 years old, but it had always been hard to estimate a dragon's age based on their human form.

Judging from his appearance, the man should at least be a commander, or even the general himself.

Meanwhile, the elder, whose hair and beard were snowy white, looked ethereal and mysterious. Yet, his aura had informed Baiyi that he was a similar dragon as Aya.

A dragon could live far longer than humans could, but their lives were still finite. Besides, those who had stayed in human form for a long time would have their actual age reflected in their looks. In other words, this particular elder was probably very old.

It became obvious that this elder and Aya were the keys to the dragon knights' dragon-taming operations.

"My name is Kandor. I am the general of this battalion," the man introduced himself, before pointing at the elder beside him. "This is my uncle, Yosef."

"Nice to meet you," Baiyi greeted. 'This elder dragon looks like he would be 1000 years old at least, and you looked like about 200 tops! This age gap between uncle and nephew is a bit too large, don't you think?'

Just as he was lambasting the pair, Aya frantically pushed open the kitchen door and cried, "Father! Big Brother! You've returned?"

She briskly pranced to the living room. Then, after she shot a glance at Baiyi, blushes blossomed on her fair cheeks, and she sat next to the Soul Armature.

'Why the hell did you blush? And of all the places to sit, why take the seat beside mine?'

"Master Hope was here for a vacation, and that was when he saw a wild berserk dragon attacking a skycruising ray. He decided to investigate the incident and came to us, so I had him come over here," Aya explained.

General Kandor was listening intently, but the elder was surprisingly absent-minded as if he was lost in thoughts.

"Father? Are you alright?" Aya's asked in a tone filled with concern as she noticed the old man's absent-mindedness and drawing herself closer to him.

Suddenly, elder Yosef's beady eyelids snapped open, and his eyes lit up with an illumination that seemed to originate within his pupils as some past memories flashed through his mind. He gripped on Aya's shoulders firmly, and his bright eyes gazed into hers. Unexpectedly, to even more surprises, one of his knees buckled to the floor.

'Does he have Parkinson's disease?' Baiyi was alarmed at the surreal development. Aya and Kandor, too, were horrified.

"F-father! Are you alright?!"

"Uncle! Are you feeling ill?"

The old man did not respond, neither did he budge when the two tried their hardest to yank him back up to his feet. He knelt stubbornly on the floor, and his chest heaved in sync with his overflowing emotions. Underneath his eyes were long, unbroken line of murky tears. He was weeping—like a child.

It took a while for the elder to recollect himself. When he finally realized his own state, he quickly wiped away his tears and tidied his clothes, before slumping back onto the couch.

The first thing he did was to apologize to Baiyi. "I'm sorry, Master Hope, for what has just transpired. However, may I request a private hearing…"

"I understand. Please, excuse me," The Fifth Walker wasted no time in heeding the implied request. He took his leave from the living room, closing the door tightly as he left.

After he had left, Yosef turned his eyes to Aya, an expression of somberness. "Aya, please tell me, have you interacted with any sort of individual… or even met with a mysterious yet puissant force?"

Ever since the crisis started, the dragon knights had not gotten a moment's rest, including General Kandor, the retired former High Counselor, Yosef, and other higher-ups. They had to obtain information from outside sources, conduct investigation on alleged sightings, and request aid from other forces and organizations. In fact, they had just returned from attending a top-secret meeting. They had only returned to groom themselves and rest before another private meeting with the Rodrithelian royals.

The current High Counselor, Aya, was deemed too young to join in, so she was assigned the role of taking care of camp affairs. Thus, ever since the Crisis, Aya and Yosef hadn't been able to meet each other.

"No. If you're talking about pretty unique individuals—well, Master Hope would be the only one I've met today. Before him, the only people I met with were the people from the Empire's logistics unit, as well as a royal vassal who came to discuss the security issues of the upcoming Harvest Festival."

When he heard her reply, the elder's expression became even more unreadable. Kandor stepped forward out of concern and asked, "Uncle, what's… What's going on?"

The elderly dragon lowered his breath.

"Aya… Aya's body… Emanates the scent of Lord Divine Dragon's blessing."

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

The younger dragons were in a daze.

They knew what the title "Divine Dragon" entailed. They also knew that the current Divine Dragon had inherited the prejudice that the previous Divine Dragon held towards those elder dragons who took a liking to human forms.

To be specific, all dragons close to the Divine Dragon despised these kinds of elder dragons. This was a toxic legacy left behind by the Third Walker.

Yosef may not have received a Divine Dragon's blessing, but he had met a blessed Crystal Dragon back when he was young. The dragon had looked at Yosef with as much scorn as a man would grace an insignificant ant. The Crystal Dragon didn't speak to him, neither did it spare him a second glance; it just spread its wings, which was lustered with the blessing, and took off into the sky.

Yosef could never forget that scent again. Only a little probe into halls of his memory was required for that scene to replay, vividly.

"How is that possible?! Lord Divine Dragon would never have blessed me! It only blesses his favored ones." Aya replied frantically, as her heart fluttered at the sudden attention.

"I'm more concerned with how the Lord Divine Dragon met you. To it, you'll probably not be worth than weed…" Yosef added in confusion.

They did not even consider the possibility of Baiyi being connected to the Divine Dragon. Although the Church had spread the legend of the hero who defeated the Abyss Lord and saved the entire Isythre from hell to the dragons, this hero couldn't possibly hold a candle to the Divine Dragon. Baiyi can't possibly be at the same level as it, neither could he be related to it.

They also had no idea how the blessing process worked, either. Could it be done by simply extending a finger and pointing at the target? With the Divine Dragon's power, that was possible, but why would he do that to Aya?

They weren't wrong that Baiyi couldn't hold a candle to the former Divine Dragon, because he would choose to drop candle so that he could his both hands to bully it. If they were referring to the current Divine Dragon, then Baiyi would agree. It would be much more difficult to defeat than the Abyss Lord. Maybe if he put in a bit more effort…

"Could this Crisis have something to do with Lord Divine Dragon?" Aya started throwing everything she had to the wall to see what sticks. "Maybe Lord Divine Dragon wanted us to solve this crisis well, so…"

It was a preposterous thought. They were outcasts among the dragons, without even the slightest inkling of where the Divine Dragon lived, neither did they know that such a crisis would be considered trivial to the prideful Divine Dragon.

"M-maybe. It sounds sensible enough," Yosef nodded and uttered forcefully. He couldn't come up with a better explanation himself. "B-But Aya, you are not the strongest dragon in our tribe. So why chose you?"

"M-maybe it was pleased with some of my qualities?" Aya voiced the only thought she had out loud.

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212 She“s Still At That Imaginative Age

"Maybe it was pleased with some of my qualities?"

Old Yosef pondered about that, then he hesitantly asked, "Aya, what do you reckon is this quality that Lord Divine Dragon would care this about?"

"Um… I am pretty good at some spells?"Aya tried.

He shook his head sideways.

"I… I'm good at teaching humans about taming dragons?"

More sideways head shaking.

"I'm very gentle? I'm good at making meals and baking cookies…" Aya faltered, shaking her head before her father did. These qualities could not even be counted as anything among the dragonkins.

"I look pretty cute?" Aya gave her last shot. As a young woman, she also had the tendency to be easily pleased with her looks, both her human form and her original draconic form.

However, her father still shook his head sideways.

To humans, Aya was a perfect beauty, when she was in her human form. Her draconic form was graceful and majestic, but these opinions were based on the standards of humans.

Dragons have their own arbitrary set of beauty standards.

First, they placed much importance on their bloodline. Aya and Yosef were both White Dragons, which was a subspecies that also contained a vaster variety of families, ranging from high-status to low-status. However, it was common to have hybrids of higher-class and lower-class dragons. A lot of them were not pure-blooded elder dragons; hence, the status of the entire subspecies was lowered just because dragons as a whole were overly fond of the dangerously-outdated eugenics.

To dragons, size also mattered. White Dragons were on the smaller end of the size spectrum, meaning they were not much use for hand-to-hand confrontation. Most of them used magic as their offensive power, which unfortunately gave the impression that they were as fragile as glass.

The last metric used by dragons to access themselves was their natural affinities. For instance, the regal Silver Naga commanded lightning and thunder. The noble Crystal Dragons possessed a physique that would always be at the peak of all dragonkins. The Golden Nagas were known for their resistance to magic. The Jade Nagas bent the elements of fire and storms to their will. Compared to all of these marvelous, nature-commanding powers, what good was there in only having the talent to cast spells? The White Dragons were not the only ones who could perform magic; the other elder dragons could do those just fine.

To lay it bare, humans may think White Dragons were majestic and noble creatures, but to other dragons, they were mediocre at best.

That was why it would take a miracle for a little White Dragon-girl like Aya to be chosen by the Divine Dragon. She was Cinderella without her glass slippers, who even lived with the filthy humans, something the Divine Dragon loathed the most.

Nevertheless, who could ever understand what a higher-up was thinking? Regardless of whatever plans it had for Aya, the Divine Dragon had chosen her, nevertheless. No one could guess the thoughts that ran through the mind of those more powerful than themselves. Therefore, after a fruitless discussion, Aya could only accept that she had indeed been chosen by the most elite of all.

'Was it because of my beauty? Is Lord Divine Dragon asking for my hand this way? But… What will become of Mordred? Will it accept her? If it wants me to abandon Mordred, what…what should I do?'

Mind-boggling thoughts characteristic of a young lady crossed her mind, slowly taking shape and coalescing into a vivid scene: a stranger forced her into a very short skirt that bared her supple thighs. He rode her from her back, and a hand forcefully covered her mouth, forcing her to lift her neck and watch Mordred weep in a distance. He snickered in her ear, bullying her and forcing anguished sobs from her throat…

This vision was so hellish that Aya couldn't help but snap out of it.

"No! Never! Even if Lord Divine Dragon abhors it, I would still never desert Mordred!" Aya spoke her decision out loud.

"Huh? What was that?" Yosef, who was ruffling the dragon-lady's hair, asked in a tone of confusion.

"N-N-Nothing!" Aya cried out, wanting to give herself a kick. 'Why did you say that out loud?!'

"Alright, let's not talk about Lord Divine Dragon and its bizarre preferences. We'll never understand the mind of those elites, anyway. Tell me about Master Hope instead," Yosef said, drawing her back to the present issue.

Aya told them about their meeting and the conversation that happened after. Of course, she left out the parts about the bath and Mordred's prank.

"So, he's going to join us to combat this Crisis? That's good news to us. Someone who could actually fight off the Abyss Lord has offered his aid. I say brilliant job, Aya." General Kandor nodded in approval. The dragon knights had been looking everywhere for help. Their lack of numbers was really becoming a problem.

"On a side note though… Why are there four girls with him? And all of them are so young and beautiful," Yosef added. "I heard that he is a Soul Armature, so one of them must be his Summoner. That leaves him with three extra girls. Who are they to them? Are they his wives?... Aren't they too young? ….Does this awesome fighter really have ephebophilia?"

He turned his eyes to Aya. His daughter was young, so she may actually be a target for someone who had an appetite for young wives.

"Um, why is Father looking at me like this?" Aya found her father's gaze unsettling. Her face flushed red, maybe because she remembered the words Mordred had said.

"Nothing, dear. Just be good with Master Hope," The elder dragon retracted his glance and replied casually.

"Hey, following that train of thought, could the Divine Dragon's blessing be related to Master Hope?" General Kandor jumped in suddenly.

The elder dragon and the lady both shook their heads and cried in unison, "No way!"

"I didn't sense any dragonkin scent from him, and his energy undulations suggests that he is a truly a human, just as advertised by the Church. He is a formidable sorcerer, who seemed to have used some methods to conceal his true undulations, making him seem weaker than he really is... You know, like an Elite-level fighter," Aya explained.

Yosef continued, "Humans do not understand us dragons that much, especially elder dragons; we are the most mysterious to them. Only the most knowledgeable human scholars would ever understand the words 'Divine Dragon', but even they thought that the words were the name of a species of dragon, not a title."

After all that was said, Aya's family and Baiyi's family came together for their meal. It was a very festive meal, but as usual, Baiyi had no faculty for eating.

Meanwhile, Aya, Mordred, and the elder each ate enough food for five humans, but to everyone's surprise, they still managed to remain graceful and elegant after they had swallowed all that food.

Baiyi was a bit cautious of Mordred. A girl like her was supposed to eat like a typical pre-teen: head hung low, gaze averted, and only focusing on her food. However, she was far from that. She patiently carved the poultry into bite-sized chunks and shared them with Little Mia, who sat beside her, as if she was afraid that the girl wasn't eating enough.

'What a mature girl! So how would she end up becoming a traitor?'

"Oy! Why do you keep insisting that she's gonna go rogue? Because of a goddamned name?" The Third Walker asked in displeasure. "She's a good girl who just coincidentally happens to bear the name of a fictional character you know! Must you then think that they are the same person? One is fictional and another is real, come on!"

'But they look so similar too…'

"What similar? She doesn't have that cowlick, and she has fuller breasts!" The Third Walker retorted.

'Oh, cut it out. Why do you care about this pair of mother and daughter? You blessed them suddenly, and now you're defending them out of love? I thought you hated dragons who frolicked with humans!'

"Well, when a dragon has lived long enough, their values tend to change," The Third Walker replied solemnly. "Of course, I am also really fond of Mordred. I just think she's really friendly, you know? Am I getting old?"

'Huh. She isn't your descendant, is she?'

"Oh please! I have been in the Void for 5000 years and look how young she is!" The Third Walker gave a strong rebuttal. "I just think that I used to be unfair to these dragons who just happen to think differently. So what I'm doing now is just to atone for my past misjudgment. Don't make it sound as if I have some ulterior motive, okay?"

The lunch was over in silence. No one talked while eating, and the hosts were just focused on their meals. They had great appetites, so if they didn't finish their meal quick enough, that would be considered imprudent to the humans.

In the evening, General Kandor left for the meeting. Yosef stayed behind to talk with Baiyi, while the girls were directed by Mordred to nap into the third floor of the Command Unit Building. Yes, the building actually served as the command tower for the dragonic knights, which also doubled up as the higher-ups' residential area.

Baiyi picked up a cup of red tea. He used mana to turn the tea into a small version of Little Mia, then changed the small tea figure to Tisdale. Immediately afterward, the tea figure split into four, and each figure took the appearance of one the girls, and the figures danced atop the cup.

This little parlor trick attracted Aya's attention. The dragon watched the cup in his hand without blinking, and even Yosef started to believe that the legends from the Church were true.

After he had shared his theory, which he and the Voidwalkers had come up with earlier, with the dragons, Baiyi asked, "That is what I think is going on. Have you dragons ever faced something similar before?"

They shook their heads sideways. When Aya heard that the realm may be destroyed, her face paled.

"An Armageddon… Is it that bad?" She said, incredulous.

"Just a conjecture, really." Came the calm answer. Baiyi himself didn't believe that to be the truth, either.

However, it had been the opinion of the Third Walker, and as one of the strongest beings who had ever looked over the world, his opinion held great bearing. Seriously, can someone monitor the sort of fictions this woman read? This sounds like a very bad Twilight fanfiction--wait a minuteEphebophilia would be when someone exhibits preferences for mid-to-late adolescent sexual partners

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213 Are You Thinking about Riding Me?

A normal person would have viewed a suggestion of an impending Armageddon with skepticism. That was how Baiyi perceived the suggestion when he first heard it, and that was happening right there to the two dragonkin. 'The world as we know it... Is heading to its end? And yet I'd felt nothing?'

After a detailed discussion analyzing the animals' behaviors, especially the wild dragons', the two High Counselors of the dragon knights had to admit to the plausibility of such an otherwise-outlandish claim.

"To tell you the truth, I still have a hard time believing this," Aya said, and her gaze turned apologetic when it rested on Baiyi. "If those dragons had sensed it, then why haven't I? I mean, even if I was one of the sluggish types, the other dragons here would have sensed it, too."

"That's because you all are inside the safe zones," Baiyi shrugged. "I think that these barrier-guarded territories are probably what the berserk beasts have come to regard as their safe zones because, for some reason, these barriers shield them from the source of their terror."

"But all we planted to mark these safe zones are wind-shielding barriers and thermal barriers. Sure, ours are much larger and wider, but zones similar as ours are still abundant throughout Gouve. Are you suggesting that these animals invaded these no-fly zones just so they can be protected by these barriers?" Yosef added.

"More or less, yea. Stopping them is a correct move, though. These barriers usually contain highly-populated cities. A wild animal in a place like that is gonna make for a very messy outcome," Baiyi replied. "I have a hunch that this Crisis has something to do with temperature or destructive winds. These are the elements that people within the barriers would not have felt."

"That makes a lot of sense," Yosef nodded in agreement. "We have conducted multiple investigations outside the safe zones, but we never knew what variable or element to be on a lookout for. You might have just cracked the case! I'll depart on another investigation tomorrow."

"Father!" A cry of alarm escaped from Aya, worrying about her father's age and safety. "You shouldn't. You're wearing yourself down with this. Let me take your place," She volunteered, turning to face Baiyi.

"Would you be my company, Master Hope?" She blurted.

'Company how? You want me to ride on you? Quite a bold lady-dragon. I mean, yea, she meant the literal meaning of riding and not the innuendo, but still… Letting a stranger on your back can't be considered be a safe practice!'

Baiyi didn't voice his thoughts, but Aya may have reached the same conclusion all the same. Her cheeks flushed again, and she started frantically and abruptly waving her hands as she blurted, "I-I-I mean, I… It's just a very normal investigation; please d-d-don't think of it as something else!"

'Um… I didn't. Your reaction, on the other hand, is making me "think of something else",' Baiyi thought. However, to be objective, it isn't too bad to be the Fifth Walker's mount, you know. Your "Lord Divine Dragon" hadn't mind, so a normal lady-dragon such as you should be honored! Plus, that shocking blessing from earlier, I was the one who delivered them to you per his will!

Discounting Aya's "inspiring" reaction, the deal was settled. Yosef had been busy for a long time, so having a good company for the beautiful Aya while she went out to investigate was a pacifying idea. It let the elderly rest without any worries.

Evening came at the same time the exhausted dragon knights they returned from their respective duties. The camp did not the celebratory atmosphere that usually signaled a hero's homecoming, and instead, they quietly washed up and went to sleep.

A report was still delivered to General Kandor.

"What? Someone was injured?"

Aya was hugging Mordred in her embrace. The child had been playing the whole day; she only stopped when she became exhausted. Her head was buried in her mother's bosom, and her eyes drooped, making it evident that she could fall asleep anytime soon, yet, after hearing that someone was injured, the wave of drowsiness was up, and she sat up with concern plastered on her face.

"It was a wild one… went mad when it was halted. Fortunately, the rider and the mount only suffered light injuries, so don't worry too much," General Kandor replied.

"Are they… getting worse? Is it just as Master Hope had said. As the end draws closer to us all, their fear will only continue to intensify, and they." Aya murmured as her own fear bubbled, and her finger stroked Mordred's head for subconscious comfort.

"I hope he was wrong," came the General's sigh.

It was barely dawn when Aya came knocking on Baiyi's door.

After hearing his voice of approval, she entered and was treated to the sight of Baiyi enjoying another kind of family time with his little potted plants. Since that there was no one back at home in Isythre to take care of them, Baiyi decided to bring the plants along.

The mysterious seeds were planted in his animal-themed money boxes, and Baiyi was always excited to see what plants they would turn out to be. Under his care, some of the seeds had started to sprout.

After lining up the boxes neatly by the windowsill, the Soul Armature turned to face her. "You're up early."

"Mordred is the one who is always up early. She woke me," Aya replied gently.

"Alright, let's go."

"... Without Miss Mia?" Aya asked in surprise. She had been told, during yesterday's conversation, that Mia was the man's Soul Armature Practitioner. Normally, he would have to be at close range with the girl at all times. This was especially so if the Soul Armature was of his level because more the more powerful the Soul Armature was, the greater the limitation would be on the range that was possible between the Soul Armature Practitioner and the Soul Armature.

"See?" Baiyi took out a Soul Booster from his armor and shook it before Aya.

"Oh! What a handsome thing. I have never seen a Soul Booster before this…"

This gem was a gift from the noble Duke's daughter, Vidomina, but it was really just for show, useful for stifling unnecessary probes such as the one Aya had asked. Ever since the fight with Thaas, Baiyi realized that there was no distance limitation between him and Mia; he was not even hindered after crossing realms. Baiyi understood that unlike other Soul Armatures, he enjoyed a very large degree of flexibility and freedom.

The duo went to the Command Unit. Baiyi was expecting Aya to transform to see if her dragon form was cute, but it turned out she had never intended to do that, at all. She whistled loudly, and from the horizon, a mighty White Dragon came to them.

A mighty male White Dragon.

"This is Launcelot—the strongest of our tribe," Aya ran her fingers along the dragon's scale gently as she introduced it.

'Okay, back up. What the hell is with the naming convention for dragons? Is the rule somewhere along the line of "When possible, rip them off from the Arthurian Legends!"? Come on, where is Morgan le Fay? Where is Gawain?'

However, the dragon gave Baiyi a nasty side-eye before hissing a few words in Dovahzul.

"Um..." Aya, who was supposed to be the translator, had an awkward expression on her face. "He said… 'What a pleasure to meet you.'"

"Pah, come on! He said 'Where the hell did you find this loser?', didn't he?" Baiyi was equally as unimpressed. "I understand Dovahzul, guys."

Aya was even more embarrassed, but the dragon raised its head even more haughtily as if challenging Baiyi's to react since the Soul Armature knew exactly what it had said.

'Oh, that's it! The class is in session,' Baiyi thought as a sly grin etched on his face.

He mustered parts of his aura and cast them out to the dragon.

Suddenly, the entire camp was alarmed.

"W-wh-what was that devastating shriek?!?!"

"That… That sounds like… old Launcelot?"

"Go to hell with that! We all know that Launcelot is that one haughty ass great dragon who would only look at others with his flaring nostrils. How the hell that dragon whimper like a puppy being kicked?"

"I don't care what it was. I just think we really should go and check it out!"

Even Little Mia was roused by that sudden shriek, and she climbed up from her bed groggily, placing the hammerhead shark plushie next to her and looked out of the window in curiosity.

The soldiers rushed to the scene. Their faces were brimming with disbelief when they found out the source of the shriek; it really was the Proud Launcelot who had cried out like that. It no longer had any traces of the haughtiness it normally displayed.

Instead, the humbled Launcelot was curled into a fetal position like a puppy that had been bullied. Its head faced downwards, and whimpers for help involuntarily escaped from the guttural part of its throat.

Beads of sweat dripped down Aya's head as she tried to comfort the gigantic puppy.

"Looks like he's not feeling too well," Baiyi commented with a coy grin, retracting his aura.

Launcelot felt the pressure disperse and immediately raised his head. It regarded Baiyi with a look of terror, and it immediately unfurled its wings and fled.

"H-hey! Y-you!" Aya stomped her feet in frustration. Just when she was about to go after the feeling dragon, Baiyi held her shoulder, stopping her.

"Alright. We should get going. Right, Miss Aya?"

"But our mount—" Aya could feel herself burning in shame. It was hard enough for her to find the courage to share a mount with a stranger like Baiyi, and now, that mount had fled. What was she going to do now? Turn into her original form for Baiyi to ride on her?

"Oh, right. Nevermind that, we'll just fly on our own." Baiyi cast his levitation spell on both himself and Aya, then created a harness out of mana that bound onto her hourglass-like waist.

"Let's go!" He bid a quick greeting to Little Mia, who was still by the window, and she waved at him goodbye. With little concentration, Baiyi flew at such a high speed, he seemed like an arrow ripping through the sky as he headed to an arbitrary direction.

"Whoooaaaaaaaa--!" Aya's scream echoed back at the camp from afar.

"I don't really get what's going on, but is… Is Miss being kidnapped?"

"Kidnapped? Have you ever seen someone being kidnapped without a single struggle against her captor? Oh no, I tell you, this is an elopement we are witnessing!"

"That grey fella is an important visitor of General Kandor, right? Or is that just a cover-up to get close to Miss Aya?"

Chatters like these were rare among the ever-disciplined dragon knights, but this morning had been quite different from the usual. It took General Kandor some time to explain to the crowd to break up the confusion.

By then, Baiyi had already dragged the little dragon-lady far, far off.Ooh, anyone remember her?Yes! It's the dragon's language.

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214 Are You Here Just to be Adorable?

"Whooaaaaa----please! Please! Ssssstop! Master H-H-op--"Aya screamed at the top of her lungs in mid-air.

Baiyi agreed that the entire scene was starting to look suggestive, so he gave in to her protest and stopped. As soon as he stopped, there something crashed into his back with a gentle impact. It was her soft, amorous body which inertia had propelled her forward.

"Ouch! Oww, that hurts…" Aya frantically climbed down from his back. Both her hands were gripping her chest as she moaned softly in anguish.

"Hey, aren't you a dragon? That flight speed shouldn't be too much to you, right?" Baiyi murmured. He really wasn't that fast in flight—at least, compared to a dragon's full-speed.

There was an abundance of creatures in the universe that could naturally reach Mach-1. Meanwhile, two highly-skilled sorcerers in aerial battles can reach supersonic speeds, aka even faster than two military aircraft.

"To be honest… I very rarely turn back into my original form, because it's… um, very bothersome…" Aya explained herself bashfully, and her face once again reddened. She suddenly realized that the number of times she had blushed after she met Baiyi was more than she had done all through the previous year.

"Ha. You really do consider yourself human already!" Baiyi chuckled lightly. When the duo began flying again, Baiyi made sure that it was at a slower speed that Aya would be comfortable with.

They headed to an unpopulated floating island. It was not too high in altitude, boasting breathtaking scenery like lush green woods and a quiet stream coursing between two hills.

The island was no longer within the protection of the barrier of the Safe Zones. That was why it was barren. Without protection from the dragon knights, not even the greediest explorers would set foot on it.

That isolation worked for the Fifth Walker tremendously. He loved the peace that came with it and strode along the calm woods with the dragon-lady.

Aya wore her conservative long dress befitting of an aristocrat. As she traveled through the woods, she gently lifted the hem of her dress, barring a pair of deer-skin boots and her fair ankles.

Baiyi was taciturn throughout the journey, so Aya maintained the silence, unwilling to break it.

A ridiculous thought took root in her mind. 'This feels like I'm his mistress, meeting him secretly…'

She shook her head hard, ridding herself of the intruding thoughts.

"Oww!" She let out a cry of pain as she knocked herself face-first into Baiyi's back, just as the Soul Armature stopped dead in his tracks.

'Damn. That pathetic reflexes of yours are starting to sully the legend of dragons! Or are you just one of those female dragons whose entire career revolves around pumping out children at home?' Baiyi couldn't stop himself from complaining. He pointed to a flat clearing between the trees, dismissing Aya's anxious apology. A quiet, snake-like creek had winded through the clearing. It was a perfect spot to stop.

Baiyi went ahead and began removing bits of rubble using magic until there was nothing left but the grass and the earth.

He crouched and started drawing a magical formation.

"Hmm? Formation? Not runes, Master Hope?" Aya watched, intrigued.

"It's for the accuracy. A thermal formation would be able to detect the slightest temperature change in the atmosphere; hence its prolific use in magus labs. On the other hand, thermal runes can't accomplish the level of accuracy needed for our work," Baiyi explained as mana emanated from his fingers. In a matter of minutes, the formation was completed.

Next, he created another formation beside the last one. This one was created to monitor the strength of the wind in the area. Usually, this special formation was created by sorcerers who wished to perform difficult wind spells. This formation could detect the strength of the wind, allowing the sorcerers to borrow some strength from nature.

Both two formations were sorcerers' substitute for scientific instruments. Any time there was a change or a fluctuation in either the temperature or air pressure, the formations would detect and monitor them swiftly.

"We will each monitor one of them to look for changes, and then collect the data gathered by the end of the day," Baiyi laid out his plan briefly. After that, he simply eyed a spot nearby, sat down there and concentrated on the thermal formation.

"Oh, um," Aya murmured. She took out a silky kerchief from her pocket and spread it on the ground. After tidying up her dress a little, she sat down next to Baiyi.

She watched the formation for a while until rings started forming around the pupils of her emerald green eyes.

She shook her head hard and wrapped her legs around her arms. Her reddened face descended to her knees until her face was almost buried between them, saved for two teary eyes.

Her voice was so timid and quiet, "Master Hope..? I'm… sorry…"

"Don't know how to read them?" He replied without turning his head.

"Mm-hmm…" Came an even quieter reply. She didn't even dare to look up to in fear of seeing his expression, even though he was only a Soul Armature. This was why Baiyi's expression was basically hidden.

'So what's the point of coming with me? You can't help with anything; you're not gonna let me ride on you, and you can't even act as a vehicle. Is your purpose just to add that extra "cute" factor?' Baiyi sighed.

"Gee, don't be harsh on the kid." The Third Walker was quick to defend his adorable junior, "How about I take over her role and watch the change on that other formation?"

Kid? 90 years old kid? …okay. I admit that to a dragon, a 90-year-old is still considered a kid. Probably not even considered older than Little Mia, yet she had already taken up the mantle of motherhood! Baiyi replied, stealing a glance at Aya.

Seeing that the Soul Armature had turned to look at her, Aya felt her tears well in her eyes as indignation overwhelmed her. "I… I wanted to come with you b-b-because I thought there might be a chance for me to h-h-help..."

Her voice started to falter. She didn't even convince herself with her own explanation.

Suddenly, the volume of her voice rose again as she voiced a thought out loud. "Right! I'm a dragon, too! I should be able to detect whatever is scaring the wild beasts!"

"Oh, so did you detect anything?" Baiyi asked.

"Um, no. Not yet." Her head sank again.

"Is that so?" Baiyi extended his psychic energy outward, and soon enough, he sensed a creature flying at top speed, heading towards the Safe Zone. This implied that they were indeed in a wild territory affected by the mysterious, maddening, undulations.

"Maybe your human form is hindering you. Why not revert to your true form?" Baiyi suggested.

"But… But the transformation spell that I'm using is a specialized, static sort… If I want to turn back into a dragon, I.. I would need special formations and tools…" Aya was already close to tears by this point.

'So did you just join me so that you score a date?' Baiyi was speechless. He thought it was better not to say anything more and returned his attention to the formations. As for this mascot of cuteness beside him, she could do whatever she wanted. Data collection would take at least half a day to give any significant findings.

The aforementioned mascot of cuteness noticed Baiyi's renewed attempt to concentrate, so she decided not to interrupt him. After spending some time engaging in odd thoughts, she quietly stood up, determined to find something to do.

First, from her storage pouch, she produced a tea set, her homemade cookies, and finger food. She ate like a squirrel, holding a cookie with both her hands and eating it in small bites.

She had woken up really early that morning, so she wasn't able to have breakfast.

Next, after being enticed by the crystal clear water from the creek, she went to sit by the water and kicked off her boots. Her fair-skinned feet, like a pair of jade fishes, splashed in the water playfully.

That evening, she ran into the woods for her own adventure, and when she returned, there was a squirrel in her hand; but judging from the squirrel's messy fur, vegetative state, glassy eyes, and Aya's poor reflexes, it was easy to guess that she had cheated by capturing the squirrel using her own draconic aura.

'You used your draconic aura to catch a rodent? Why don't use it to scare off those mad beasts instead? …Damn, just another girl whose talent lies in being cute.' Baiyi couldn't help but worry about Mordred's education. Her mom was obviously a little girl at heart!

Noticing that Baiyi's gaze had veered from the formations, Aya took the chance to inquire about the progress. "Master Hope, did you find anything?"

"No." He shook his head sideways. "All stats are normal, and there are no sudden fluctuations or anything. Could these really not be the problem? Maybe we should get some climate statistics for a longitudinal comparison…*"

He trailed off. Even if they had climate records, their measurements would no doubt be in large units, not in the accurate units that he needed.

"We could ask my father to request for the data from the Empire. I bet they keep tabs on those," She said, sitting next to him again.

She watched the sun setting in the west. After pulling a few strands of her hair back, she said, "The day's about to end, huh?"

"Hold on. What did you say?" Baiyi froze and cried out suddenly.

"Huh?" Aya jumped at his reaction, hugging the squirrel even tighter. "I said… The day's about to end."

"Of course.." The Soul Armature turned to look at the thermal formation. He recalled his memories and focused on the data he had collected, and suddenly, he lifted his finger. After a quick chant, he released a fire wall spell that surrounded the two.

The thermal formation reacted violently to the spiking temperature.

"Master Hope?! Are we being ambushed!?" Aya leaned closer to him unconsciously, startled by the sudden appearance of the wall.

"Don't worry, I was just checking if the formation had any problem, or if it was being hijacked." Baiyi snapped his finger, and the fire was extinguished. "But it looks like it has been functioning normally after all."

"I think I found the source of the problem," he muttered. "But let's talk about it after we got home."

He cast the levitation spell on both himself and Aya.

The horizon was illuminated by the red glow of the setting sun, and the echoes of a girl's frantic screams signaled the end of another day.I lowkey think you just use formations and spells for every damn thing anyway, man. It didn't really matter if runes could work!I call dibs on the source being something that only comes when it's dark!

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215 The Laws - A Perilous Fire Pit Indeed

Baiyi had really found a mysterious lead from the deductions of this idiotic but cute dragon-lady, and even if it was accidental, or even on purpose, she still deserved some credit. "Thank you, Aya. It was a good idea to bring you out here. after all."

"The wind... the wind is too strong! I can't hear you..." Aya shouted behind him.

'Let's just wait till we get back…'

Baiyi clung tightly onto Aya as they approached the skies over the Wyvern brotherhood. At that moment, Mordred—who was in the midst of bugging Mia and Attie for a game of hide-and-seek due to boredom—seemed to sense their arrival. She raced to the gates as fast as her little legs could carry her—just in time to see Baiyi and Aya touching down.

"Mama!" Modred happily rushed into Aya's embrace, and Aya licked her cheek affectionately. She reached for her own chest and brought out the squirrel she had caught during the short trip, handing it over to her daughter.

"How cute!" Modred happily raised the squirrel high up in the air, using the tip of her nose to rub against the squirrel's bushy tail.

'These two people really are still children…' Baiyi thought in private, secretly mourning for the poor squirrel who fell into the dragon's pit.

Yosef the Elder and Wyvern Leader, Kandor, were already back. They rushed out of the house as soon as they heard the commotion outside, and their gazes bored into Baiyi with a certain urgency.

"Let us talk in private." Baiyi nodded towards the two men, hinting that he had a lead.

After entering a meeting room equipped with soundproofing formations, Baiyi recreated the temperature-regulating formation he had used earlier today. He introduced the functions of the spell and increased its sensitivity. The formation could even monitor the heart rates and temperature differences in the bodies of the surrounding people.

"For this whole day, there was only a slight fluctuation in temperature. There were no significant changes." Baiyi only gave a simple statement from his observation. "I believe that you realize what the problem is, now?"

The three people in the room only stared back at him and shook their heads in confusion…

"Of course, I had expected that many would not have noticed this, especially in Gouve—an area constantly enveloped by a regulating formation. Those with a lower sense of awareness wouldn't have noticed this elementary issue, including myself..." Baiyi explained, kneading his knuckles against each other. "If the day had gone by normally, it would've have had large differences in temperature during certain times of the day! Morning, afternoon, and night... the atmospheric temperature couldn't have been the same the entire day. Even if the temperature does not change much, it wouldn't have remained the same to the point where there were no discrepancies at all!"

Everyone was stunned for a second and was hit by a moment of realization simultaneously. The three wore grave expressions; the climate of Gouve... had lost its fluctuations?

If this abnormal change happened in the realm of Isythre, everybody could have noticed it. However, due to Gouve's unique natural environment, the humans here have had to live within a barrier that had a set temperature. It was kind of similar to the people who had always stayed in an air-conditioned room back on Earth, so they wouldn't be able to know if there was any change in the temperature outside.

The humans might have not noticed the temperature change, but the creatures could. Instinct told them that this situation was abnormal, causing them to descend into turmoil, madly fighting to retreat into the safe zones where no climatic differences could be felt.

As a Soul Armature, Baiyi's reaction to temperature changes was slower than the rest. He was observing the temperature-regulating charm to see if it displayed a drastic change in temperature, but it did not register such changes. Hence, he completely neglected the fact that if it was a normal environment, the temperature would still fluctuate, even if it was only by a bit. When Aya mentioned that particular statement casually, only then was he hit with the sudden realization.

This discovery was an exceptional and serious case because it might have involved the manipulation of certain Laws.

Temperature fluctuations were highly dependent on the rhythm of the sun. It was a fact understood even by children. This was the law of nature—the law of existence. Hence, now that a phenomenon as unexplainable as this had occurred without any external influences, the Laws were the first thing that Baiyi thought of. Something must have changed.

The Laws could be described as a large, uncharted territory in the world. This concept encompasses natural occurrences that happen routinely like the rise and fall of the sun, coming and going of the four seasons, and death and the study of humanology – The occurrences were routine and can be seen, but they remained unfathomable concepts, until now.

There were many different Laws, and each governed different aspects of the universe. There were no physics or mathematics concepts available to help the humans reach a scientific explanation, so natural Laws remained unfathomable in this world.

To give it a simple example, the Sun could be observed by many realms, yet it was not considered a star, like how the people back on Earth defined it. Instead, its existence was given a very special, divine meaning. The same applied to the moon and the galaxies; they were actually nothing like what the naked eyes could make of them when seen from afar.

Hence, when the Astrologer discovered the secrets of the galaxy, his discovery was immediately labeled blasphemous. His work was deemed as support for the pagans and was promptly prosecuted. To completely get rid of his soul, he was exiled into the Void.

He had been lucky to bump into Baiyi, for nobody would have believed that the galaxy was, in fact, only a fake. After being hit by the realization that his life's work on astrology and galaxies was actually purely fictitious, he gave up on his rationality and willingly lowered himself into becoming a gentleman of the Void—which was inevitable, frankly.

Through people like the Scholar, the Astrologer, the Apprentice, and others who had sacrificed their lives for their masterpiece, a clearer unifying theory had been outlined: The Laws are the fundamental building blocks of this universe, and every being and creature of this universe could be considered a manifestation of any of these Laws. If one were to look at this with the concept through the approach of physicalism, then they can easily equate the Laws of this Universe to the fundamental axioms in Physics on Earth.

However, this was not Earth, and the Laws weren't static—they were subject to change. It was not that there was a lack of objective theory to explain a phenomenon in this universe, neither was it because there were just some phenomena that existed despite its presence posing a direct contradiction to the Laws*. The biggest reason why Laws could be amended was because this world had a group of people who wield the power to rewrite them.

These people are collectively called the Higher Power… the Gods.

Completing capable of changing the Laws… what a frightening a concept! If one had such an ability, perhaps with just a snap of their fingers, the entire existences in the world could be completely erased; not in a way of erasing life or crushing souls, but to erase existence from its fundamentals. Even the concept of gods could cease to exist. This was a power that could not be denied even by strength, friendship, aura... even entanglement.

But there was some good news in this; the existence of gods was also defined by the Laws. The gods did not wield unlimited control over Laws, and it was because of this fact that beings such as the Voidwalkers had lived on till today.

All in all, Baiyi was still instilled with a sense of fear when it came to the gods. The fact that they could control the Laws had already surpassed the maximum potential of his abilities, and he did not know how much control these mysterious presence held over them. Ever since he escaped, he had always attempted to be involved in events that might bring him a little closer to these rules of nature.

This current situation itself could be seen as a golden opportunity, but it was an extremely risky one. The Laws were supervised by the gods like it was their backyard, and those who were ever involved in them—or came close to discovering them—faced merciless punishments in the end. The gods could even make up new Laws to protect the existing ones, like the event that transpired when the Archmage fell from his climb to the truth and was exiled into the Void, eventually. Perhaps that god made this judgment out of fear that the Archmage would learn to manipulate the Laws, or maybe the ban itself was a result of another pre-existing Law.

After a moment of quiet pondering—and some exchange of opinions with the other Voidwalkers—Baiyi faced the three Wyvern members who were still discussing the weird occurrence between themselves. In an ambiguous yet cryptic manner, Baiyi told them about the Laws.

Their expressions turned ashen when they realized the severity of the persisting problem. They might not possess a knowledge of the Laws as deep as Voidwalkers did, but they knew that it was the fundamentals of their world, at the very least. It was even iterated many times in the verses within the Holy Scripture, rousing fear and respect amongst humankind. It was even considered blasphemy to disagree.

In the eyes of the Church—beside those who could be easily observed or those who were too basic and too shallow to even pay attention to—any attempts to explore or manipulate the Laws was considered sacrilege. Even having a private discussion on this matter was all it took to be labeled as a blasphemous activity; hence, the three dragons donned expressions of discomfort and unease.

At this moment, both the Wyvern Elder, who had lived up to a thousand years and possessed undefeatable experiences, and the Clan Leader, who had faced a thousand situations, looked as nervous as school children, with helpless expressions etched deeply on their faces. If the Laws were really involved in the occurrence of this abnormality, they had no idea what could be done.

"Report to the Church?" Kandor gave a suggestion.

"Are you sure that they have the power to resolve this problem?" Yosef shook his head solemnly. "Even if they do, they wouldn't bother."

The Church was currently undergoing internal investigations and purges. Although it was happening at the Church in Isythre, the churches situated within Gouve were also caught in this chaos. Hardly anyone had the time to deal with such a sensitive issue.

"The real problem now is that we don't know for sure if this abnormal situation will continue to worsen," Baiyi reminded from a corner. This was not a warning stemming from paranoia. The anomaly might be limited to mild temperature changes now, but what if worsened to the stage wherein humans are unable to breathe, later on?

"Well then, Sir Hope. I don't know that you are this familiar with the Laws," Yosef mentioned suddenly.

Baiyi did not reply. He only stared hard at him coldly, allowing his body to emit an intimidating aura on purpose. Even a random passerby would be able to tell that his accumulated hostility was at the verge of bursting.

"I apologize. I am clearly being uncourteous during this critical moment," Yosef quickly apologized. Only then did Baiyi retracted his aura, and everything went back to its usual calm.

'That question from that old fool was such a dangerous slip of the tongue!' It was equivalent to asking Baiyi, "did you break any of the Church's rules?" To him, who had the image of a hero in the eyes of the Church, it was only normal to show an adverse reaction when his character was doubted in such a manner.

Although he reacted in that manner, his beliefs were quite the contrary. This dangerous, impossible fire pit was precarious indeed, but he was still determined to obtain something of value out of it.Have a migraine yet? Don't you glaze over your eyes through this! I worked hard translating, y'all hear? Now, for your information: Physicalism is a philosophy which basically means that the world is only comprised of things that do exist in this world, physically. And by physically I don't mean that it must have a mass and occupies spaces—I meant that it has to be proven to be existing, like forces in Physics. In other words, physicalists do not believe in souls, heaven, hell… and gods. You'll see why the "god" part is important right… at… the next paragraph!An example of a phenomenon in this universe that contradicts the law is the existence of the Voidwalkers. No one should be able to live in the Void...

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216 Details

Following the logic of most people, majority of them believed that if Baiyi intended to go against the Church's orders, then he should not have even mention the involvement of the Laws in the first place by covering up the anomaly. However, Baiyi had his own considerations regarding this issue.

Perhaps the involvement of the Laws would not even be considered by a naive girl like Aya, or the experienced leaders of the Brotherhood Kandor and Yosef, but such detail like a temperature change would eventually be discovered by someone, and they would have reached the same conclusion as Baiyi after some time. The people were not dumb, or lack in such knowledge – they were just not as aware towards their surroundings as Baiyi.

So Sir Hope, that was blown up to the skies by the Church, might just not notice such a detail? And would not have thought about the laws? It was impossible. Unless Baiyi does not plan on getting himself involved with this ever again, he should not hide the truth if he decided to participate, for that would rouse even more suspicion. Hence, to seem less suspicious, he should just reveal the truth and then declare his own thoughts regarding the matter. Even if old Yosef did not ask him such a sudden question earlier, he would still use other methods to declare his fear and respect towards the Laws.

Furthermore, this insight he had provided had more or less a direction, but the details of the matter itself…

After the epiphanic moment, Baiyi attempted to relieve the situation by speaking in a more relaxed tone, "Actually, this was just a prediction on the worst case scenario – I was just bringing it up so that you could prepare yourself for what's to come. In all seriousness, I don't think that this anomaly was as bad as we thought, and it doesn't necessarily involve the Laws. We only noticed the reason behind the abnormal behavior of the creatures – we might be too quick to judge."

What Baiyi said had certainly sooth the nevourness within the members of the Brotherhood. His statement was reasonable though – even if there was no change in the temperature, it would not have been a problem with the Laws. Gouve would not be wiped out just like that from a little manipulation of the laws, right? It was not wrong to say that more investigation was required at this stage. It was only human nature – to think of the worst possible outcome, and yet balance it out with a positive direction.

Baiyi was determined to believe that the laws definitely play a role in the occurrence of this anomaly, for this was an invite - or a challenge - from the War God himself. As the first god who came into contact with him, he certainly knew the ways to entice Baiyi. By removing all the unnecessary factors in the game, allowing only the highest at stake, it would be worthwhile even if the outcome had nothing to do with the Laws. How could it have came from the hands of the War God himself if it was any less extravagant?

"Well then, does Sir Hope have any suggestions on what to do next?" A critical clue during their first ever mission – no doubt this had earned Baiyi a few bonus points in the hearts of the Brotherhood. Even elder Wywern leader seeked his opinion in a humble manner.

"Let's just go with the worst case scenario, and mitigate accordingly, shall we? Notify the king, so that we'll be given more manpower to investigate this situation. Make adequate preparations for what's to come... notify the Church as well." Baiyi mentioned a few neutral suggestions.

"There wouldn't be a shortage of manpower, I believe. If the problem persists into a more disastrous situation, the whole of Gouve would be called to participate, including other associations," said Kandor. He let out a sigh filled with a mixture of emotions. "Let's just hope that we have only been thinking too much."

"I'll be doing some investigation on my own as well. I would like to know about other findings too, if possible," said Baiyi.

"Of course, this wouldn't be a problem at all," the Leader agreed without further hesitation.

Everything is settled, then. For his next step, Baiyi could utilize Gouve's connections and network to gather more necessary information without pressure. With the help of the Voidwalkers, he believed that he would discover the truth in a much shorter time than common folk, leaving misleading crumbs to cover up his real agenda simultaneously.

The next day, using the reason that it was in fact Aya who inspired the discovery yesterday, he took initiative to request for her to join him to go on a day trip. It was part of his strategy to avoid further suspicions on him as an outsider, and to gain the Brotherhood's trust.

Aya initially thought she would spend the rest of the day at home, expecting that she would not be of any help anyway. When presented with Baiyi's invitation however, she was whipped away instantly, willingly... as though as she had no control over her own body. She had gotten use to flying at this speed today, and no longer produce very questionable screams in the process.

On ground, the other knights sent them off with an envious glares. "It felt like the missus was going on a date," mumbled someone.

"Does she... fancy Sir Hope? She has never left to somewhere with a stranger before..."

"Then... what would happen to her? Will she be accepted by Sir Hope?"

"I think he would! I mean, he brought along a few kids with him – he was being such a father figure to the cutest one."

"The cutest one? You mean, the girl with the blond hair and dark skin? The kitten-like one?"

"How so! I'm talking about the one with the pigtails..."

Aya was not aware that she was being talked about by a bunch of gossipy men. She waited for Baiyi to reduce the speed as she recalled her father's message, trying hard to find a common topic to start a conversation with Baiyi. In reality, the times where she spent with Baiyi alone were often passed with silence.

Last night, after Baiyi took his leave, she was whisked aside by her father. Old Yosef had advised her to monitor Baiyi's actions, and to be on better terms with him. Although Aya did not quite get what her father meant by those words, she knew it was of absolute importance that she carried out her duty, and hence, she played along.

Perhaps she was just very inexperienced in flirting with men as stoic as Baiyi, finding the right topic to start the conversation was a little awkward…

"Ah... Sir Hope, you're pretty strong, aren't you?" asked Aya, timidly.

Baiyi glanced back and gave her a look. What's with all this small talk, was I very weak? What's with the gossipy tone like she's got some great scoop?

"Actually... you scared Lancelot away yesterday, didn't you?" Aya persisted with another question. "He was one of our strongest members. Come to think of it, I've never seen him so afraid – I could even feel the fear in his heart."

"If you think so," replied Baiyi flatly. "I just didn't want others to come along today, anyway. And I don't want to ride on any other dragon," he added.

"Eh..? Ehhh...?!" Aya's face flushed into a deep shade of crimson. This sentence... it means... he only wanted to go out with her alone, and only wanted to ride on her? Is-is this... a secret confession?! Now, now, we hadn't known each other for long yet... the dragon-mom's head was filled with an influx of creative thoughts. She seeked to entice, but she was being enticed as they spoke.

Baiyi did not bother to feed into her wildest fantasies. He conveniently found a floating island to descend, and weaved two enchantments once more. One of them was the temperature-regulating charm as observed by Aya yesterday, and another – Baiyi explained – a charm to monitor abnomal magical activity.

This second enchantment was a new concoction produced over the night by a band of magicians and some high-ability magic users. Its abilities was not simply to monitor magical activities, but it was used to monitor spatial vibrations.

After a whole night's worth of discussion, the Voidwalkers had arrived at a conclusion, which was fully supported especially by those who had additional knowledge in this. This anomaly was not caused by a change in the laws – it was rather, a manipulation of the laws.

The Laws were quite constant in nature– the War God had no reason to allow Baiyi to reach them so quickly.

However, the possibility that the Laws could be manipulated was highly probable. For example, gravity was a law that dictates water would flow from high ground to lower ground, but a sorcerer powerful enough would be able to reverse that flow temporarily. This was a form of law manipulation, but only on the surface. It was a temporary effect that would still cause some reaction.

To have created a almost undetectable, mysterious effect such as the anomaly recently, there was a possibility that a new set of laws had been added into this world. This set of new laws were not effective enough to completely offset the existing ones in Gouve, but it was enough to create unexplainable phenomenons. Only those who were sufficiently well-versed in these laws would be able to notice these discrepancies.

This was the conclusion arrived by the apprentices. The War God has set a high bar for them – commoners will not be able to spoil the game.

All this, however, was just a deduction built on the subtle hint given by the War God. If the War God was just purely toying with Baiyi, or all these were just hallucinations due to Baiyi's numerous memories, this would be an unending game indeed.

Baiyi's duty was only to use this as the foundation for more progress. He had considered that the powers of the War God was somewhat related to space, and hence he chose to space-monitoring enchantment. He lied to the little dragon-mom – it was not like she understood anyway.

However, today was an unproductive day. After wandering for half a day, and exploring different sky islands, there was no reaction at all from the charms casted earlier – either the charms were not as effective, or they guessed the wrong direction. With no further direction, Baiyi returned to the base of the Brotherhood with the dragon-mom.

It was old Yosef and Kandor who brought good news instead. The king had declared this anomaly as a high-priority issue, and had started to mobilize some of his men to investigate the situation based on Baiyi's insight while more were being recruited at the same time; the sorcerer's association also expressed their interest in this matter. Like the king, they also mobilized their action plan, but with better efficiency.

On the contrary, it was the Church who had the slowest response of all towards this matter. As predicted by old Yosef, they were too occupied with the purge and could not be bothered. They never objected to anything or showed any support. They only further notified Isythre's committee, whose only request was that the Church's management had to be notified prior to every investigation, and that a member of the Church must be present during every information sharing session.

To Baiyi, this nonchalant attitude of theirs was not a big issue at all.

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217 No One Gets Spared for Their Mistakes

The greatest research team in the history of men had been assembled.

Bearing the name "the Pan-Gouvian Realm Investigation and Research" (PGRIR for short), this research team was headed by the mighty Empire of Rodrithelia and the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns, and promptly joined by other Gouvian nations and organizations, with a singular, overarching goal of investigating the strange occurrences in the environment. Its members included top experts of different lines of services and fields: sorcerers, clerics, scholars, beast tamers, and even the Fighter's Association had supplied their men as a security detail for the researchers.

Baiyi's position within the team was that of a highly-respected Consultant. He had no actual power within the team, but from that vacuum came the freedom of action.

The Church had not sent anyone to monitor his activities, while the dragon knights trusted him implicitly. Of course, none of that should surprise anyone. Attempt to monitor Baiyi? That would be an act of distrust to a respectable, reputable master; the hero who had saved all of Isythre, and the trusted companion of The Apostle Saint Noel… the Church would be stupid enough to do that!

An epic investigation had begun. One by one, subteams were sent to various corners of the Gouvian realm, with the same purpose of collecting data for temperature, air pressure, humidity, and other conspicuous environmental variables, aka Baiyi's hypothesis. After noticing that, just as Baiyi had said, there was no difference in the temperature, so they put in even more effort to find any semblance of a confounding variable.

They came to the conclusion was that this thermal anomaly was the same in all parts of Gouve.

However, that was the extent of their conclusive finding. The origin and the reason behind the Anomaly still remained a mystery. Various theories flew, but none of them managed to extend beyond speculations.

The investigation was essentially fruitless, but some of the teams had recovered a few unexplored mineral mines in faraway floating islands, and that could be considered as an unexpected gain.

Not much progress was seen from Baiyi's side, either. The Law had always been ineffable, and even the Voidwalkers were not really in the know. Sometimes, they even fought among themselves in the guise of intellectual debates, but no concrete solution ever came of it; some started suspecting the War God for pulling an elaborate prank.

Baiyi didn't share this sentiment. The War God wouldn't be too idle as to pull such a lame practical joke, and even if it was true, Baiyi could retaliate by screwing Attie good. For the time being, the Fifth Walker was still very far from frustration.

He still brought the dragon-belle, Aya, with him when he went investigating; a habit that had not gone unnoticed by the dragon knights for about a week and more. They were acting like a pair of lovebirds so much, rumors had started flying that Baiyi had married the girl and become part of the family. Others wondered if a Soul Armature and Dragon could even produce a baby together…

Baiyi never cared about the rumors, but Aya was obviously disturbed by them. In the beginning, she had frequently clarified their situation, but the habit was discontinued later for some reason.

To be honest, a mysterious, powerful, mature, and valiant man like Baiyi was naturally attractive to a young woman like Aya. They may not have much to talk about when they were outside, but the Fifth Walker's encyclopedic knowledge and his eloquence, combined with his habit of teasing and implying, had managed to cause him to have a minor crush on the dragon-lady.

However, it was still a minor crush. That was why Aya was very troubled by the rumors.

Aya was not the only one who was fed up. Baiyi was just as annoyed at the futility of his effort.

Yet, someone was still happy about it—why, it's the girls!

Baiyi had always been a very stern father, whose rules included 'thou shall not wear skirts that are too short; thou shall not wear skimpy clothes; thou shall not eat too much junk food, and thou shall always do this bulk of homework'. On the other hand, Aya was not as relaxed as most thought she was; she always applied strict aristocratic standards on Mordred. Conclusion? The girls were not always having much fun…

Now that the two adults had been going out all the time, they left their kids alone. They even left a lot of money for the kids in case the kids needed it, and that was when the mice played hard during the whole week.

The girls enjoyed themselves so much they almost forgot their own names. Every part of Rodrithelia had seen their chattering faces and footsteps; every dish and place worthy enough to be special entries in an airline magazine had been visited, and the number of clothes they bought for themselves was mind-boggling! Even their storage pouches—items that utilize dimensions for storage purpose—couldn't store them all. The resident straight-laced among the girls, Laeticia, had already been thoroughly corrupted.

And one day, the girls went even further ahead and moved from frivolous spending and mindless frolicking. Baiyi had returned home earlier than scheduled, and when he realized the girls were absent, he had summoned the maids.

And that was when a young dragon landed on the Command Unit's courtyard. Then the Soul Armature saw the kids, who all had dirtied faces, helping Little Mia down from the back of the dragon slowly.

Baiyi had to see it to believe it! The girls were as dirty as monkeys that had fallen into a puddle of mud, but Little Mia even had blue-black spots on her elbow and legs—as well as a bloody cut on her left thigh! Her face was pale, and her legs could barely support her weight, so she could only be upright with the help of Tisdale and Laeticia. Even the tears in her eyes were fresh!

Watching Mia in that dire state had really enraged the man. His legs strode almost without control towards Mia, fueled by his anger; Then, his arm was raised high—the overture of a hard wallop.

Little Mia's eyes were squeezed shut. Her neck contracted, and not a peep came out from her mouth as she waited for the punishment.

The arm fell back limply. He couldn't do it.

"M-mister H-Hope…" Mia's eyes were teary again, and she quietly cried out to her surrogate father. She looked so pitiful.

The Soul Armature sighed. He knelt on one leg before her face and started checking her wounds. It was fortunate that the wounds were only skin-deep, and none of them too grievous. He gently wiped away the girl's tears, then produced a healing potion for the girl.

The two older girls in the group stood at a side, as silent as a cat that knew it had gotten into trouble. They hung their heads as they waited for Baiyi's judgment.

Baiyi turned to a hurried Aya, "Please, take them to the showers, first." Then, after a pause, he added, "Do you have a feather duster? I would like to borrow it…"

Sounds of young girls sobbing echoed through the Command Unit in that evening. The maids who passed by all had their eyes glued to the tightly-closed door of Baiyi's room, and their minds wondered if the ever so reserved Master Hope had finally let loose his demons…

Well, the full incident had very much been revealed: the girls enjoyed themselves without adult supervision. The girls got bored. The girls decided to go out adventuring. Dragon-girl abused her status and summoned a young dragon as a mount. The girls went to a deserted floating island with a barren mountain. Mia slipped. Mia rolled down the hill over a large distance. Mia ended up in her current state.

The story ended, and the punishment began: Baiyi raised the feather duster high and spanked the girls on their butts.

The two older girls were due for five spanks, while the younger ones were due for three. Meanwhile, the leader of this rebellious band was locked in Aya's room where large sobs could be heard; she was probably not having it easy, either.

"Oww! Oww! I'm sorry! Owww… I'm never doing it anymore, sir!" Tisdale was the first. Her tears were almost rolling out…

Baiyi didn't wanna hit that hard at first. When Tisdale had laid with her torso on his thigh, he noticed that the girl was wearing a very, very short skirt that had breached his rule way too much. Then, when the first three spankings came, Baiyi noticed that the girl didn't give much of a response except her head was hung low.

Did he go too light on her? No, he saw that the shape of the skirt was quite… peculiar. Tisdale's figure was definitely not like this. Baiyi paused, then his hand went into the skirt and with a yank.

Tisdale screamed as a bath towel came tumbling out from under her skirt.

Oh, you have really done it this time, young lady. Cushioning your butt knowing that you're about to be spanked?!

The rest of the two spankings were fueled with parental fury and immediately, Tisdale gave out the appropriate response.

After he was done, he let go of the girl and tossed the towel aside. Then he looked up steely at the remaining three.

Their faces were red and from underneath their skirts, they also pulled out a towel.

"Whose idea was this?" Baiyi asked coldly.

No one answered as the girls silently and simultaneously decided to protect each other. It still didn't take much time to figure it out, though, as the face of the devil herself became redder and redder until she confessed it.

"And you learned this from?" Baiyi asked again, cold as steel.

"F-f-friends… From… The C-C-Church…" Laeticia replied in a voice so small, only a mosquito could hear her. She didn't wait for any command as she obediently leaned on his thigh, waiting for her punishment.

Another piercing scream rang from the room.

"Ooh… Mr. Hope…. Hit… So… hard…" Laeticia rubbed on her bottom as she wept in sorrow.

Attie was better at withstanding pain, and she didn't cry out.

Little Mia was the last. Her wound was already healing fast after ingesting that potion. She still teared up after her three hits, though. It's just that after her punishment, she hugged Baiyi tightly and rubbed her face on his brigandine as she sobbed, "Mr. Hope, it was a-a-all my fault! It was all m-m-my bad! Please don't be a-angry anym-m-more!"

Well, that really soothed some of the Soul Armature's anger. He summoned the girls to his side and gave each of them a healing potion.

"Play as you like, girls. I don't forbid that. You can even spend your money however you like—but haven't I told you?! Never. Ever. Play in places that are dangerous! I told all of you to take care of your own safety, many times over! Did any of you even listen?!" Here came the obligatory parental nag after a physical punishment.

The girls were released only when dinner was ready. As they arrived at the dining hall, they met a very tearful Mordred who eyes were still red.

"I'm so, so, sorry, Mia…" She said in shame.

"It's okay…" Mia grabbed Modred's hand gently, drew her lips close to Modred's ears and whispered, "We were also spanked by Mr. Hope…"

Mordred felt a lump forming at her throat, but she didn't say anything.

When she was eating, one could see a very thick cushion pad underneath her bottom.

'Whoa. Looks like the dragon-lady had been even harsher than I was!' Baiyi could only think that in his mind.Effectively, he's their wild card, is it? Ooh, I don't know if I used the term wild card correctly. But I really like this word. Wild card. Wiiiiilllddd caaarrrd.(This TL winced at own flashback.)The youngest one is always so confident that they could pull this 'being sweet' thing off, huh? And for some ungodly reasons, they are almost always right!

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218 All Manner of Preparations are Complete

Rebellious kids always ended up grounded. Ergo, the girls were grounded on the next day. To make the decision even clearer, Baiyi confiscated their allowance, along with Tisdale's own "private funds".

He also delayed his own expedition just so he could rent a conference room from the General and restart his long-forgotten lesson on Elementary Formations!

"Hmph! Mr. Hope is mean! Why do we still have to have classes during vacations? I'm never liking you again!" Little Mia mumbled under her breath.

Baiyi ignored her complaint, using the feather duster as his pointer on the chalkboard and said, "Mia, please answer this question."

The girl stood up, went to the chalkboard and scribbled for a good dozen minutes— and she still got it completely wrong.

The Soul Armature corrected her workings, showed her the correct answer, then coldly remarked, "Didn't I teach you the solution multiple times before we left? This is a key foundation! Tell me, do you want to get a wallop in your palm, or do you want to stand in a corner?"

Little Mia replied coyly, "How about we braid my hair and call it a day?" She stuffed her twin tails into Baiyi's hand.

She was sentenced to stand in a corner for ten minutes.

While Mia and Tisdale were taking their magic lessons, Attie and Laeticia—both with different affinities—didn't get to escape class, either. Each of them was presented with a copy of The Complete History of Isythre and made to read it in a corner because Baiyi believed that "those who know history are less likely to repeat them".

"These… letters are so…. difficult," Laeticia murmured quietly in Attie's ears, causing an itch. "They look quite different from what Tisdale taught me…"

Attie cocked her head to her side and glanced at Laeticia's book. She hesitated and finally said, "Laeticia, your book is upside down."

"Oh."

Her face reddened as she swiftly turned the book upright, but at least, she was finally able to read the passage slowly but surely.

It had passed midday—and close to lunchtime—when Baiyi concluded the class. He handed out a few papers to the girls and said, "This is your homework for today. I'll check them when I return home tonight. If you don't finish them, or if there were too many mistakes… well."

He waved his feather duster, and colors were drained from the girls' faces.

During lunch, the girls reunited with Mordred. Her actions and behaviors were jarringly unnatural and mechanical, which was very different from how she acted normally. One could guess that she may have just finished some aristocratic ethics class.

"Huh…" All the girls were dispirited throughout lunch, their chins resting on the table. Maybe they were reflecting on their previous day's antics.

When the meal was over, and Baiyi once again whisked Aya away on a trip, Mordred visibly heaved a huge sigh of relief. However, when she turned to face her friends, she found them all wallowing in their unmotivated state.

"Mia, what's wrong?" She shook Mia's shoulders in concern.

"These handouts are so tough, and I don't know how to do them…" Mia showed her the paper Baiyi had given to them. She looked at Tisdale and asked, "What do you think, Big Sister Dale?"

Disheartened, Tisdale appeared just as upset as Mia was. "Not good either. Sir's homework for today is so much harder than usual. I think I'm gonna get another spanking…"

She rubbed her bottom as she trailed off traumatically.

"Is it about magic?" Mordred scanned their papers. She then rapped on her flat chest confidently, "Never fear, I'll help you!"

When dinner time came, Baiyi returned with Aya. He patiently waited for the girl to finish their meals, then had them submitted their work. As he read, the girls stood in a line before him as if they had all committed a crime and was waiting for their time.

It's no wonder they made such a guilty formation. After reading Mia and Tisdale's answer, he almost wanted to rip the papers into confetti. 'These two had completely forgotten everything I'd ever taught them after just a few days of games!'

In anger, his hand gripped the cheek of each girl, and he yanked mercilessly.

"Ah-oowww!" cried the girls as tears welled up.

He looked at Laeticia's paper—and indeed, it was her paper, for there were hardly words on them, and the lines that had actually been written on contained writings that resembled small and wiggly like worms.

Obviously, the answers were all wrong. "Mr. Hope, I'm sorry," She said, her hand automatically extended towards him for a beating.

"Huh. Never mind. You don't have the necessary foundation." he shook his hand in dismissal and grabbed Attie's paper.

'Not bad at all.' The answers were almost correct in every part, and that was why Baiyi furiously crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it at a side, and his voice thundered afterward, "Who wrote the answers for you?!"

"M-Mr. Lecturer guy from the m-museum—"Attie was frightened out of her wits at Baiyi's display of rage, so she stammered out the truth.

"Hahaha. Meaning, you didn't learn anything, except how to get someone else to do your homework for you, hmph?" Baiyi snapped, grabbing Attie like a mother cat, placed her on his thigh and again spanked her with the feather duster five times.

Attie didn't manage to swallow the pain this time. She immediately burst into tears.

When Aya heard Attie's cry, she came over to find out what had happened. After learning of what transpired, Aya quickly went upstairs and into her room, and not very long after, Mordred's teary howl rang out from that same room.

Mia and Tisdale comforted Attie, but in their own minds, they were happy for their fortune. The sorcerer who Mordred had summoned using her prestige as the High Counsel's daughter couldn't answer questions about formations, so they had to do it on own in the end. In another reality, it may have been them whose butts were "unraveled".

Only Laeticia had been honest with her homework. She wouldn't cheat because she couldn't bear crossing her faith, so although she was the only one who submitted an almost empty paper, she was also the only one who didn't get punished in any way.

So after a few days wherein the feather duster reigned supreme, the girls finally settled down and improved. They even managed to recall their past knowledge, so they didn't really waste away throughout their holiday.

It had been a week. The girls were back to being docile, but the progress of the investigation seemed to have reached a bottleneck. Half a month worth of massive investigation had turned up fruitless, except for the confirmation that only the temperature had experienced some anomaly, leaving other aspects of nature to be largely stable.

In fact, even the wild beasts appeared to be accustomed to the change in environment, and their activities had slowly ceased.

Their conclusion was that although no one had any idea what caused the anomaly, its effect on the realm appeared to be largely controlled, with minimal consequence to those who lived within the thermal barriers. They concluded that the problem was probably never too serious to begin with.

The experts and elites were feeling quite awkward, however. The Armageddon scare turning out to be nothing was all good and well, but they had made a big fuss about it when they recruited everyone into their team, as well as delaying the much-anticipated Harvest Festival celebration. This had stirred up a major unrest among the consensus, and with this anticlimax… well, it just felt bad.

A lukewarm conclusion for such an epic buildup was partially due to Special Consultant Baiyi's suggestion. He was the one who first suggested that it could be an Armageddon, yet he was also the one who, in later meetings, who suggested that it probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, to the point of admitting that he may have been wrong in his judgment to hype up a small matter. For what it was worth, the people began to slowly settle down again.

Not a lot of people criticized Baiyi. Maybe some would mumble about him being a tad bit paranoid, or being too hung up on small details, but these little talks didn't do much to tarnish his name. It was always better to be cautious about something strange.

All in all, Baiyi felt that all preparations had been completed. He had gained a position due to this anomaly, and he had acted confident and dependent throughout the Crisis. Even if anything were to occur later, he wouldn't think anyone would relate it to him.

At the same time, using the data collected from the research, he had significant reason to eliminate the possibility of finding the source of the anomaly through normal means. The final prize—was truly difficult to get a hold of.

He tried using the War God's Sword, but it yielded no results. In the end, all he was left with was one final method—and if that didn't work, he would have to admit it was all a practical joke from the War God and return without any gain.

…Well, not exactly without gains. For one, he had obtained something in the semblance of genuine companionship from the dragon-lady Aya.

The youthful dragon had been taking care of her appearance every day as she groomed herself into a dazzling presence. Every day she would wait outside the makeshift classroom demurely, like a devoted wife waiting for her husband.

But that was all there was. Close friends. Neither wanted to do more. Baiyi didn't, and Aya didn't seem to want to either; they were both single parents with kids. Their statuses were different, and their species very even farther apart. How would a relationship escalate from pure friendship?

'That's all there is to it,' Baiyi thought.

And as if to prove that, he stopped taking her out for the rest of the week. The research team had disbanded, the focus shifted to the preparations for the Harvest Festival, so it no longer mattered if Baiyi kept conducting his own expeditions.

He had used "on site learning" as his excuse to take turns bringing the girls to go out. Meanwhile, Aya was busy with her own duties and affairs as the High Council.

They both needed the space.

Too bad that sometimes Baiyi still found Aya standing by the entrance of the Command Unit, awaiting his return. This habit caused the rumors not to disperse completely, which slightly disappointed the Soul Armature.

Today was Attie's turn to go on a trip with him. The other girls were free again, but they were all conditioned to be obedient enough to only frolic in the dragon knights' plain.

Just as they were tired enough after playing and were about to go home, Mordred, who sat on the back of a lindworm, leaning her back on Mia's, her hand wrapping around her own knees, and her head slumped slightly sideways as he suddenly asked Mia,

"Hey, Mia. Do you think we'll be sisters?"…Er, one of them seems to be very disproportionate compared to the other.Lucky him! In our world people would start lambasting him or even make memes about this! In fact, I don't know which country's netizens would be most excited to lambast this--China would jump in joy, I would guess, but that's only because I'm not too familiar with how the rest of the world treat things like these… My own country would certainly be very subversive and passive-aggressive, methinks!

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219 What About Me?

"Mia, are we gonna be sisters?"

Mia was startled at the question that had come seemingly out of nowhere. She turned towards Mordred and tackle the latter into an embrace and rubbed her cheeks against Mordred's.

"Why would Mor-Mor ask something like this? Are we not sisters already?"

Mordred may be close to 30 years old in human age, but to a dragon, she was considered even younger than Mia was. Plus, she had the smallest frame of all of the girls, so they usually called her Mor-Mor out of affection.

Mordred purred out in satisfaction, and her eyes squinted into a line from Mia's rubbing. She continued, "Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival, and there's a legend about it, you know? On its night, those who couple up during the Flame Night would be blessed by the gods to live happily ever after…"

Mia did not expect the conversation to steer into the domain of relationships. Her flushed face belied the fact that she was not very experienced at it, either. "Where did you even hear that from, Mor-Mor?" She whispered.

"Mom told me about it! She also said if she ever found a boy she likes, she would confess to him during the Harvest Festival!" Mordred recalled what Aya had told her before.

"Oh, um… Big Sister Aya would actually say things like these to you?" Mia muttered. Her Mr. Hope would never do that. The only thing she could expect from him when it came to love would be the petrifying stares he gifted all the guys who made the mistake of meeting her.

"Well, what does the Harvest Festival have to do with us being sisters, Mor-Mor?" Mia followed up.

"In the two days, I've seen my mom wearing really beautiful, fancy dresses!" Mordred whispered excitedly as if she found her mother's biggest secret. "They were all really amazing, including! Including the jewels she put on! She only wears them on really important occasions. I just thought… I just thought that they must be for Harvest Festival!"

Mia was silent as she waited.

"The thing is, Mom never attends any of Harvest Festival nightly celebrations, because she said she had never found anyone to go with… I've always attended it with Grandpa, but now I think... I think Mom wants to go out with Mr. Hope!" Mordred finished.

"Huh?! With… Mr.Hope?" Mia cried out incredulously.

"Yea! Ever since you guys came here, they have been together, right? Always going out together, then returning together, and everyone says, they're gonna get married! And Mr. Hope is gonna be my dad, and..." Mordred started, "They are always together; you know, side-by-side? Maybe they've already kissed! Will I have a new baby sister? But Mr.Hope looks so serious; I'm kinda scared of him… Are you alright, Mia?"

She had been talking on her own rapidly that she didn't even realize that Mia was frozen like a statue.

Mordred shook her companion's shoulders and pinched her cheeks, trying to break her out of her trance.

"O-oh, uh, i-I-it was nothing… Just… In a daze." Mia made a face that hopefully passed off as a smile — if not a little awkward — then lowered her gaze as her mind replayed the words Mordred had said:

They are going to get married.

Her heart felt it had been pounded by a sledgehammer, and her entire body was frozen at that moment. In her head, all that was left was a tiny whisper:

But what about me?

At that moment Baiyi had no inkling that two girls were talking about him. He was bringing Attie away with him for his most critical, and also his last, trial. Yes, bringing the other girls out a few days before was all a cover-up for what was truly important.

"Hmm, the world seemed busy today. Is it because of the Harvest Festival?" Baiyi brought along Attie and they flew, watching many skycruising rays and griffins pass by them with cargos strapped to their backs. Everyone was beaming in happiness and anticipation.

'I better leave soon.' Baiyi didn't share their sentiments; in fact, he somehow felt threatened.

Subconsciously, he increased the flight speed until they reached another deserted island.

He handed the War God's Sword over to his Kitty-cat Maid.

Attie looked visibly aghast. Her head tilted to a side, with a questioning gaze.

"Go on, see if you can sense anything," Baiyi prompted.

"Um?" Attie scratched her head and took gripped the sword. She looked to her left and right. She raised her head side-way as if she was listening, then shook her head.

"Not like that!" Baiyi ruffled her hair, amused. "Do it the way you did when you found me. Oh, yes! This sword can create a sensing range, right?"

"Ohhh." Attie nodded. She placed the hilt on her palm, and the hilt stood on it upright without any support. Then, like a growing mushroom, its tip suddenly burst open and fanned out into an umbrella. Then, the umbrella-like structure started spinning on its own with an unmistakable rhythm of beeps.

'What? Is that… a radar?' Baiyi watched the umbrella-looking War God's Sword, perplexed.

"That direction… There's something weird over there." Attie pointed to the northeast — a place even farther than the safe zone.

'That's it!' Baiyi's was inwardly overjoyed, and in his eagerness, which didn't let him patiently cast a levitation spell, he scooped Attie up by her lean waist and darted in that direction.

"Aah!" Attie cried out at the sudden bodily contact, but she seemed to have gotten used to it. With her one hand still holding onto the sword, her free hand wrapped around his waist, and she buried her head into Baiyi's chest as her cheeks firmly pressed against his brigandine.

Her eyes were slightly closed, and an expression of contentment rose.

With Attie's guidance, Baiyi quickly reached a space with nothing close by. Everywhere he looked was just white space, without even a single island in sight.

Yet, with Attie's further guidance, Baiyi finally found a very small anomaly with his naked eye.

"So this is…?" Baiyi cast a levitation spell on Attie, then he proceeded to examine the small twisted space. The area of this anomaly was about the size of a bottle cap, and its distortion very minute. If Baiyi hadn't been standing close to it, he might have missed out this great find.

That was not all. The area was emitting an unmistakable micro-vibration which Baiyi had trouble recognizing. This meant that no one, including the other Voidwalkers, had ever sensed it before.

He released a little of his psychic energy to see if it could make contact with the area.

But just as it approached the anomaly, it passed directly through it, as if the area did not exist and it was just air.

"I knew it. I can't sense you this way," Baiyi muttered. He lifted his finger and released a little mana, aiming it at the anomaly.

Again, it was to no avail.

"Surely this is the Law: Omnipresent, yet non-existent. Observable, verifiable, yet intangible," The Scholar's voice rang in the Void, "Or rather, a much more intellectually-honest description is that this is a fragment of the Law, which has not yet been specialized."

The Law was a concept — a sort of understanding, and by that definition, it remained a theory that may or may not exist. The only way to tell for sure that the Laws existed was to see witness its manifestation or experience its effects, or else it would be completely unobservable.

The thing before them — was visible, no doubt about it. However, nothing seemed to be able to touch it. That was why the Scholar made that remark.

"I knew that the War God wasn't just some bored old man. This is it — his ultimate prize for me. But, how do I…?"

His eyes lit up as a thought crossed his mind.

He turned to Attie. "Give me the War God's Sword."

The always-so-obedient Attie shook her head. She grabbed the hilt by her two hands and hid it behind her.

"H-hey, what's wrong?" Baiyi asked. She wasn't going rogue; she was just throwing a tantrum.

"Nuh-uh." Came the quiet mumble. "You were so mean to me and then you spanked me."

She turned her face to a side and pouted, as if she was waiting to be pacified.

'She is throwing a tantrum! Now she's even coquettish…' Maybe it was because Attie rarely acted this way that made Baiyi find her quite adorable. He couldn't even get mad.

He playfully pulled the girl to his side and patted her head. "Come on, we all know Attie is the loveliest. May I have your sword, please? It's very important now."

Attie's head bumped on his patting palm as if pushing him away, still holding onto the sword stubbornly. She replied in a low voice, "Unless you promise to never, ever, ever bully me…O-Or spank me..."

"But what if you don't listen to what I say?"

"No way! I will listen to you!" Attie raised her head in confidence.

"Alright, alright.. If you keep being this lovely and listen, then I'll never punish you or bully you again. How's that sound?" Baiyi said gently.

Attie's face flushed and added, "A-a-and! Unless you promise me to… To… T-to not restrict the sort of clothes I wear…"

"Uh… F-fine." This particular promise was much harder to agree.

"And... One. More. Thing!" Attie took the sword from her back and hugged it before her chest, yet she was still clutching at the hilt.

She was going for the last part of her deal. "I want… I want rub-rub. L-like how Mia and the rest…"

"Oh my, you mischievous little girl, that's quite a lot you're asking for," Baiyi said with jest. He hugged the girl and with his face armor and rubbed his cheek on hers until it started turning red. Then, he tapped his face armor lightly on her forehead, like a kiss. "Is this good enough?"

"Mmm!" Attie gave one of the happiest smiles she had ever had.

From that moment on, Attie had completely turned into Baiyi's little Kitty-Cat Maid.

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220 Good Things Rarely Come Without A Price

With the War God's Sword in hand, Baiyi held the hilt and drew it closer and closer to the anomaly in the air, until the two came into contact.

The anomaly disappeared, but the air around it was still.

And at the bottom of the hilt, a brand-new carving — which looked oddly like a rune of some sort — surfaced.

"Is this… a sigil?" Baiyi's eyes traced the pattern carefully, then he blurted out.

Sigils — runes that were formed naturally, which stored mana or some form of basic magical properties. One could say that sigils were the origin of human's first step into sorcery because it was when humans sensed the vibrations emitted from sigils and mimicked their drawings into the very first sets of formations that men had learned to perform magic. Only after millennia of improvement and progress had formations be simplified into runes again.

Sigils were not uncommon in nature — a storm, a flood, a volcanic eruption, and even a bolt of lightning could create a new sigil. Primitive humans had thought that sigils were gifts from gods, so they had called them "The Divine Letters". After the advance of Magecraft, however, this theory was discarded. Now, the academic consensus was that sigils were left behind by the impact of natural mana after a natural phenomenon.

Baiyi and the Voidwalkers also believed that to be the truth. However, something new had been added to their understanding today.

"Are sigils just special manifestations of Laws?" Baiyi asked in the Void as he looked around in alert. After making sure that the surrounding would not crumble, blow up, or deteriorate turned into a scene from the apocalypse, Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and took Attie up into the air to fly home.

"I beg to differ slightly, as your description evinced too little of the truth, Sir Hope," The Scholar corrected. "To be precise, only this particular sigil in your hand exhibits properties which are completely similar to that of Laws. Other types or forms of sigils are as unremarkable as they are common."

"I agree with Sir Scholar here," The youngest Voidwalker, the Apprentice, added. "Everything is a sort of expression of Laws. If we are to figure this one from here, I would guess that this sigil is a partially-expressed Law fragment. Taking the War God's peculiar actions, I would say that he is trying to use this fragment to tell us something."

"This thing," Baiyi asked, "If it's fully expressed — what do you suppose it is?"

"Purely inconceivable. From the stretch of my mundane, uninspired imagination — perhaps a wisp of air? Perhaps another sigil? Perhaps the catalyst for the eradication of all lives?" The Scholar replied half-jokingly.

"Ah, Laws. The origin of the universe. Are we getting closer to being able to make contact with it? Do you know what I find incredibly crucial in all this? The Third Magic. Let's rediscover the Third Magic, and once again rediscover the Holy Grail War*! Or maybe we should look for someone who possesses eyes that can see inherent mortality in the form of lines, and mmmmffff mfff —"

The Archmage was muted for ten minutes.

"Do you always have to insert characters from other fictions even when we're having a serious discussion?" Baiyi remarked flatly at his teacher's sudden contribution. It had muddied the solemness of the discussion!

"Man, he didn't even give any leeway to his own master. What a cruel, heartless bastard we're dealing with," the Paladin muttered.

Baiyi ignored his comment and continued the discussion with the Voidwalkers. Back in reality, he sent off Attie back to the Commander Unit, and with an excuse that he had a serious meditation to make on an issue, he locked himself up in a room for the discussion.

Following the Scholar's suggestion, he decided to reach out to this sigil with his own consciousness to see what lies within it.

That action carried a hefty risk: first, this was something no one had any concrete knowledge of. If the use of psychic energy to make contact with a mysterious object like this is akin to touching it with one's hand, then using one's own consciousness to probe it is akin to sticking their face right at it. Despite that, there really was no other way to make any sense of it, so Baiyi decided to take the risk.

He segregated a small part of his consciousness, and with utmost care, the Fifth Walker extended that small piece of consciousness towards the sigil at the bottom of the hilt.

He was visibly nervous. If it posed any sort of harm — maybe a spell that erases a person's mind, or a kind of mind corruption — what he was doing would be leaving a gigantic opening for it to infect him; or at least, infect this small part of him that he had decided to use as a probe. To say it like a Taoist would: his spirit would be in jeopardy.

Fortunately, the worst did not happen. Just as that part of consciousness reached the sigil, disjointed images flashed within his mind, and a voice not belonging to any Voidwalker or himself boomed, "Congratulations!"

Then seconds later, "Be careful!"

And then it all ended. The process only took a second.

It was like a very swift hallucination.

Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and retracted his consciousness quickly, then immediately scrutinized his memories. This time, he took the extra effort to compare his beliefs, values, and thoughts with other Voidwalkers to make sure that he was no longer being subliminal messaged, or anything similar.

When it became apparent that it did not happen, he relaxed a little and slowly recalled the images that had flashed in his head in order to pass them on to the Voidwalkers.

"Looked pretty meaningless to me," Baiyi remarked. "There was a mountain, the sky, a plain, a land of fire and heat — what are they all supposed to mean? Locations of other similar sigils?"

"I don't think the War God would pull such an unflattering prank," the Archmage, whose punishment had ended, joined in the conversation in a more serious tone, "Places like these could be found in millions and millions of realms. How would you ever be able to locate all of them?"

"You mean, he was hinting at something?"

"I call for a reshuffling of priorities. The images are irrelevant at this point in time, but do you recall his regards and warning?" The Scholar interjected. "It does not take much to infer that his 'congratulations' was on your success of possessing the fragment, but what level of caution is assigned to 'be careful'? What is the subject of his warning?"

"I have no idea," Baiyi admitted. His body moved in real time, crossing the room slowly to his windows until his gaze was fixed on the setting sun.

He continued, "But anything that made him think that I should be careful of — coupled the fact that he had used such a method to warn me — must be pretty dangerous."

"Other gods?" The Archmage spoke the words lingering in Baiyi's mouth. "That makes sense, but only barely. The War God is also one of them, so why would he chose to warn you — an enemy of the gods?"

"Hard to tell, I'm only an enemy to that particular god," Baiyi raised his chin haughtily at the setting sun. "Meanwhile, this War God seems mighty alright. He didn't even react much when I'd snatched his little servant girl."

"Oh, you are now sure that you snatched the girl, instead of him letting you do it? Look at that! He even managed to choose a girl that you like!" The Lich suddenly cut in slyly.

"Hmm? Well, that makes sense. Attie may be quite cute, but she's not really my type of girl, you know," Baiyi said as he looked down on the War God's Sword in his hand.

Again, risking part of his mind, he extended his consciousness into the hilt.

Suddenly, the always-so-unresponsive hilt sprouted a blade of red and blue, each taking one half. The size and shape did not change, so it looked like a dual-colored popsicle.

"Whoaaa! You can use the blade now?!" From the Void came the cries of surprises.

"Uh-huh. And it looks like it's gotten even more powerful." Baiyi pointed at the multi-colored blade. "There's another color now. I'll bet it's the power of the Law fragment."

"So what did you see in that fragment? Felt anything?" The Archmage asked.

"It seemed to be a shrapnel from the Law of Space. A small unit of an entire block of the Law — like a unit of glucose in a block of sugar," Baiyi replied. "Take care to note that I don't have any evidence to back up my claim. I just thought it that way — or rather, it made me think that way."

"Then it truly is a Law fragment. A Law is a concept, and a concept informs us of itself," the Scholar commented. "Such a complex simplicity!"

"But it's so small. All it did was to add this new color to the sword. I haven't even found any other use for it. It's just so small… so insignificant," Baiyi said.

"Oh no, my apprentice, you're incorrect," the Archmage replied. "Being able to make contact with it, to understand it, and to have an inkling of how it exists — that is the greatest significance. I think that's what the War God is trying to tell you."

"Very wisely spoken. Most of our endeavors had revolved around the subject of Laws — even at the cost of eternal damnation for our souls, in a prison of unyielding darkness. Yet, it is you who can study it in more detail, Sir Hope. Your reward is very much enlightening," the Scholar added, with a little hint of jealousy.

"Really? Well, okay, I'll give you that. But for all that good he has offered me — this fragment and this brand-new weapon — what does he want? Previously, I believed that I would have to fight him or his servant, but now it seems like it was all just one big, generous gift," Baiyi replied.

"There isn't any free lunch, is there? I had reaped so many benefits from him. It almost felt like I'm using a credit card. So what's the price? What will the price be?" Baiyi asked more directly.

The War God's warning seemed to echo again in his mind. At that moment, he felt like his hand was being scalded by the War God's Sword.

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221 Going With the Flow

The War God's sudden generosity caused the Voidwalkers to be a little on the edge. Baiyi was still faring pretty well though. Although it was a risk to gain this advantage, he was not afraid of failing. Additionally, he was just not about to be someone's soft punching bag to be toyed around with. No matter what the War God had in store for him, he would decline immediately if he does not like it; even if it had been a bomb hidden within a piece of candy, Baiyi was determined to eat up all the candy and return the bomb.

The Void was nothing to be scared about. With double the amount of power he possessed now, even if the War God himself made an appearance, he would not gain any benefits out of it — yes, Baiyi was that reassured. Furthermore, his body was still located at the forbidden fringes of the Void, untouchable by the gods, further boosting his level of confidence.

However, in the midst of leisure banter between the Voidwalkers, fervently discussing the War God's intentions, the Oracle — who was usually as quiet as a corpse — shared four pieces of memories with him out of the blue. It was one more than what was given previously. Baiyi stopped short and opened the first piece. It only contained one simple sentence:

"Just go with the flow."

'What a psycho?' What's with this random message at a time like this? Baiyi grumbled. He was very annoyed with this cryptic way of communication and could not help but feel irritated.

It was not surprising that the second piece of memory said:

"You're the psycho!"

'This whole over-the-Void way of bickering is kinda bizarre…' Baiyi mulled, as he opened the third memory.

"If you thought that was bizarre, then just believe in me! I'll lead you all in the right direction!"

'Hmph, once he talks, he just wouldn't stop, eh? Isn't this pretentious bastard afraid of being struck by lightning?' Baiyi thought as he opened the last memory.

"Lighting will not strike me."

Baiyi was completely at a lost for words. Although this was the second time it happened, this whole predicting-what-one-is-going-to-say way of communication was getting a little spooky, so he decided to consult the other Voidwalkers on this matter.

The Second Walker, also known as the Swordsman, was usually a man of few words, but he still spoke in support of the Oracle. "If he advised you to just go with your heart, it wouldn't hurt you to just do whatever he says, would it? He wouldn't harm you. Wasn't that little village girl sufficient evidence?"

"The Fourth Walker? To be honest, I always thought he was the most mysterious one amongst us," recalled the Third Walker. "When I first met him in the Void, I could barely feel any energy left in him, but yet he defeated all odds and managed to live on. His mind was even more composed than the three of us like he already expected to encounter you… come to think of it, it's pretty incredible."

"I know that his abilities are fairly exceptional, which was also precisely what I was annoyed that — if he is so capable, then why doesn't he show himself and take one for the team? What's with all the hiding?" Baiyi was still irritated about the Fourth Walker's attitude.

"Predictions wouldn't work as effectively without a pinch of ambiguity, no?" explained the Sorcerer, defending the Fourth Walker. "He asked you to go with the flow, instead of constantly being on your guard; maybe the situation wasn't as complicated and disastrous as we thought. Well, putting it in another way... the everchanging future is still within your capabilities. Honestly speaking, it does sound a little bit more assuring that way."

Having an Oracle like the Fourth Walker to do the War God's bidding, Baiyi could let it go for the moment. With that, the trip to Gouve drew its curtains. Baiyi began to ponder on the right method to part ways with the Brotherhood as he prepared to leave, for the harvest festival was to take place the next day.

As he opened the door, he saw Aya standing just before it. She looked extremely frustrated, and her brows furrowed deeply as her thin lips pressed into a tight line. Both her arms were folded in front of her chest, as though she was weighing out her options before making a big decision.

"What's wrong? Is something going on?" asked Baiyi.

"— OH...! Since when were you here?" gasped Aya, shocked at his sudden appearance. She was so absorbed with her thoughts, she did not even notice Baiyi's presence.

"Ah... uhm... I..." Aya stared longingly at Baiyi. She might be someone's mother, yet at the moment, she looked like a little girl, wearing an expression full of hope. "Mister Hope, I was wondering... would you care to attend the harvest festival with me tomorrow?"

This invitation used up all of her courage. As soon as the words left her lips, she did not dare to look into Baiyi's eyes. She bowed her head low instead, not wanting Baiyi to notice how quickly her cheeks had gotten red. She stared at the tip of her toes, which were shyly peeking from the bottom of her skirt, as she awaited Baiyi's answer.

'Haven't you noticed how this little girl had begun to address him as Mister Hope, rather than Sir Hope?' Baiyi mentally shook his head, with the idea of rejection churning within his heart. However, at that exact moment, Mia and the rest of the girls entered the room, talking about the harvest festival with much enthusiasm. They seemed like they were truly looking forward to it and were completely unaware that Baiyi was already prepared to leave Gouve.

Baiyi hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed, "Alright, I got it."

A girl's expectations must always be reciprocated. Furthermore, he had already resolved the anomaly. Gouve was a calm realm once more, and there was no sign of the cult's minions wreaking havoc. The harvest festival should be able to carry on without any accidents — what could go wrong, right?

"That's great." Aya lifted her head once more with a sweet smile, and her face glowed with radiance. She scurried away quickly like a happy little bird.

"Why was she so happy? It was just a celebration, right?" Seeing how elated Aya was, Baiyi wondered peculiarly. Clearly, he was not aware of the romantic legend behind the harvest festival, or Aya's romantic intent behind her invitation.

And with that, the harvest festival began. Although it was postponed for a few days later than its original date, this did not stop the people of Gouve from celebrating in full swing. By dawn, a variety of creatures were released like flocks of pigeons into the skies from the neighboring sky islands, hovering at different heights in the fresh morning air. They were all flying towards the same destination — the sky island in which the Citadel was situated in. Almost all of Gouve's population had already left their houses to attend the grand celebration, including the young men of the Brotherhood who were not on duty. Dressed handsomely, they all gathered in a carriage of a knight who was on duty and headed straight for the Citadel.

The higher ranks of the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns were also quick to participate in this festive event. Both Yosef and Kandor were both required to attend the royal dinner. Hence, Aya brought Mordred and the rest of the girls to hitch a ride on Lancelot — the gigantic dragon who had shared a fated encounter with Baiyi not too long ago. Upon seeing Baiyi, it bowed its head in fear, being a good, well-behaved form of commute.

The girls did not seem all too surprised when they were on the dragon's back. It seemed like they had gotten their fair share of rides secretly when Baiyi was not around... with an extraordinary girl like Mordred, getting to ride a dragon was not too hard of an opportunity to enjoy.

The most noticeable of all was Aya. Her long, golden mane was swept into an elaborate hairdo, and she had deviated out of her usual style of luxurious, modest garbs. Instead, she wore a plain black slip dress — an off-shoulder design paired with a deep V at the front — making her fair skin even more contrasting against the dark fabric; the hem of her skirt was impossibly short, complemented with a pair of black silk stockings snugly hugging against her thighs, the shy of her skin an intimate territory between them. She was a such a sight to savour — and one to remember.

Aya did not look like a young mother today. In fact, she looked like an adventurous maiden bravely seeking for her own happiness.

"D-do I… look good?" asked Aya nervously. She was wearing black silk gloves which extended up to her elbows; her arms dangled before her chest as she waited for Baiyi's reply.

Before Baiyi had a chance to reply, Mordred interrupted. "Mama is so good-looking today! This is the first time I've seen Mama dressed up so beautifully!"

"Yes! Sister Aya looks so young; she doesn't even look like Mordred's mother. They looked more like sisters now!" said Tisdale helpfully.

"You look beautiful," admitted Baiyi.

"Then that's great!" Aya smiled in satisfaction. "I don't always wear such short dresses because they're too bold for my taste, honestly speaking..." She lowered her gaze as she pulled against the hem of the dress, giving herself a moment for the blush on her face to subside.

"But... seeing that Mia and the girls are always wearing them, I just thought that perhaps... you might like it too?"

'Hmph, so now I'm a 'you' instead of 'Sir Hope', huh?' Deep down, Baiyi felt like laughing. Personally, he still preferred modest, long skirts…

Baiyi and the rest of his party were greeted with a vibrant, bustling scene as they entered the Citadel. Shoulders rubbed against shoulders in the streets, giving Baiyi a festive vibe like that on Earth. Above their heads, skycruiser rays were descending like pieces of falling paper, each carrying a happy family upon them.

Gouve had more land than people – the population of the Rohserlian kingdom was pretty low, barely passing the hundred million mark. Only during festive seasons did the country seemed more populous and vibrant, as all had gathered at the Citadel's sky island.

Baiyi and the girls strolled along the streets and explored the city during the day. Accompanied by a troupe of young maidens — each exuding their own standards of ground-breaking beauty — it was only natural that their little party received a lot of attention and many wishful looks.

Baiyi did not join in the girls' shopping and squandering. He spent most of the time silently accompanying them, appreciating the beautiful scenery before him. All this time, Aya stood by him obediently like a loyal little wife.

Overhearing comments from a few passer-bys wasn't something that could be helped…

"What a blessed and beautiful family. The daughters are so attractive. Enviable indeed."

"The missus is also very young, and so good-looking! But why is the mister wearing such heavy armor on this occasion?"

"Perhaps it's some kind of weird obsession? But wait — that lady in the black dress... she's a missus already?!"

"But of course — didn't you notice her hairdo? That style had always been used by affluent ladies with children..."

Such were the gossips that trailed behind them wherever they went. Baiyi, naturally, chose to ignore them; Aya, who was walking alongside him, thought that she would be annoyed or disgruntled at such gossips, but her reaction was only that of calmness. Turning her back against Baiyi, she hid her smile, amused.

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222 Unrequited Love

By nightfall, the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns had already made arrangements for Baiyi and his party to settle down at a grand mansion for dignitaries, which an ongoing party was in full swing. Aya, looking like a total bombshell, was naturally the center of attention. She could barely find the chance to excuse herself; the little rascals, under Mordred's lead, immediately went to explore the incredible spread of food in this extravagant feast. Baiyi, who was clad in an unassuming suit of armor, was cast aside as though he was a ward to someone important; he was not at all associated with the pensive, prestigious Sir Hope.

He felt contented, in a relaxing manner. Alone, he slipped away from the crowd and settled by the corridor outside the ballroom. It was situated on the third floor and had an ample height for a wide field of vision, promising a clear view of the skies. Baiyi was in a good mood. As he looked down at the bustling street filled with bobbing heads, he took out his little plants from within his armor and watered them on the spot.

Soon, the most important part of the harvest festival — the fireworks show — commenced. It was organized by the royal sorcerer's association; their combat abilities were unknown, but at least their performance was very impressive. Merely the opening ceremony was enough to arouse cheers of awe from the entire city.

Hence, the ball was put on hold momentarily, as dignitaries made their way to the corridor gracefully with their glasses of wine. They leaned against the white marble balcony, resuming their interrupted conversations as they enjoyed the fireworks.

"Sir Hope!" Mia's voice suddenly appeared behind Baiyi. As he glanced back, the little girl was rushing towards him with a slight smile on her lips.

Mia was wearing a light-sensitive, color-changing dress that he had given her a while ago. Under the light of the fireworks, her dress was transformed into a magical, holographic spectacle. Mia looked so enchanting, and so ethereal — like an elfling from the night sky itself.

"Mmm... my Mia is even prettier than the fireworks." Baiyi nodded in satisfaction. He waved at her, beckoning her to come over. She did and stood next to him, with her head against his hip as she enjoyed the fireworks in the air with him.

"How beautiful..." said Mia in awe.

"It is... Rarely have we had the chance to properly enjoy certain festivities; this is indeed one of the rare occasions we had to go to," said Baiyi. Seeing that Mia was relaxed, he extended his arm and slung it around her slender shoulders.

Mia did not flinch from his touch; in fact, she leaned deeper against him, diverting the focus of her attention from the fireworks to Baiyi. Recalling the legend behind the harvest festival, she balled her hands into fists and mustered up her courage.

"Sir Hope, I like you," she confessed, finally.

"I know, I know," replied Baiyi nonchalantly, as he nodded and caressed her head. "I like you too, Mia."

Although she had gotten a response from Baiyi, it was clearly not the answer that Mia had in mind; it was simply not the kind of like she was looking for! She lowered her head slightly, and her cheeks tinted red from her confession, as a low whine escaped her lips.

Thank heavens — during that awkward moment, Mordred appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed Mia's wrist and said enthusiastically, "Mia, Mia! Come here quickly — this position has a better view of the fireworks!"

"Eh? Eh? W-wait..." Mia wanted to refuse initially, but Mordred was much stronger than her. She was forcefully dragged away by Mordred, so Baiyi was unaccompanied momentarily.

As if on cue, Aya, dressed bewitchingly young for the night, appeared by Baiyi's side.

"Mister Hope," Aya acknowledge Baiyi with a smile and a gentle nod. Her face was enveloped with a sheer layer of crimson — probably from the wine — making her look extra alluring. At that moment, she was cloaked by the million colors of the sky; she was truly a sight to behold

"Oh? Did you manage to excuse yourself? You seemed very popular, the last I saw..." said Baiyi half-jokingly, as he took time to savor the sight of her beauty.

"Just my father's friends, all of them," replied Aya. To Baiyi's surprised, she stuck her tongue out like a little girl. "It took me quite some effort to escape to somewhere quiet."

"Ah, this must be the price of beauty..." said Baiyi, looking up into the night sky once more to enjoy the extravagant fireworks performance. To him, the chance to celebrate a festival did not come often enough. It was unknown when will he be able to experience it again in the future.

As Baiyi diverted his gaze to focus once more on the fireworks, Aya took this opportunity to make her move. Her gloved hand balled into a rounded fist before her chest — like she had come to a decision and was determined to do something — and she walked a few steps towards Baiyi.

Intentionally or not, the distance between the two of them was much shorter now, but Aya was not satisfied just yet. She made an even bolder move by circling her hand around Baiyi's wrist.

Baiyi tilted his head slightly and saw Aya's enchantingly beautiful face closing in the distance between them — her emerald green eyes filled with desire, staring into his.

This distance was... too close. Baiyi could even smell the faint scent of sweetness from her body. He felt momentarily awkward and protested gruffly, "About that... I..."

But it was Aya who spoke first, interrupting his sentence.

"Mister Hope, can I be Mia's mother?"

As soon as she finished, she averted her gaze from his, abashed to witness the impossible expression on Baiyi's face.

"How can this be possible?" said Baiyi in a serious manner, as he pulled his arm away from Aya's grip. "Little Mia is a very important student of mine; no one can take her away from me!"

In just a quick few seconds, tears gushed out from Aya's eyes, like water from a broken dam. The sides of her lips trembled slightly as she took two steps back. "Idiot! You big idiot!" she choked. She turned her back and left the scene, leaving Baiyi only with her beautiful silhouette and a trail of tears. The water droplets merged with the light from the colorful sky, bursting into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors.

"Did you have to do that?" demanded the Assassin in the Void. "Look at her! She looks so hurt."

"I was thinking that this would make her feel better, but... she still cried eventually," said Baiyi helplessly.

"You did the right thing. She was not suitable for you," said the Warrior, who gave the second reply unexpectedly, as she was not one with many words. Her response justified Baiyi's actions.

"Sigh... I was hoping I'd be able to spend a good time with these few beautiful ladies today, but here am I alone, watching the fireworks by myself." Baiyi reflected curiously and raised his head once more towards the sky.

"I'm still here," the Warrior murmured softly. No matter how hard Baiyi tried to ask her what she meant by that, there was not a single reply from her again.

'Such a queer fellow indeed…' Baiyi pondered internally. In no time, he reorganized his emotions and continued to enjoy the amazing spectacle in the sky. The fireworks display had coincidentally entered the climax of its performance, and the night sky was so bright, it was as though it was lit on fire.

"This performance is extraordinary!" exclaimed Baiyi in awe. "Look at those meteors, they looked incredibly real, wow! And they actually crashed onto the sky island? This explosion effect is so realistic, I wonder how they managed to pull this off?!"

"Eh? Wait a second..." Baiyi further scrutinized the incredibly intense commotion. "Isn't this a little too realistic...?"

A huge crack could be heard across the sky the moment his voice faltered. The noise was so loud, it was as though the realm itself had cracked apart; following that, pieces of ignited meteorites appeared across the dark horizon, crashing on to the land and the sea mercilessly.

"C-could this be... the realm collapsing?" the Bard in the Void shouted in panic.

The Void burst into pandemonium.

"Calm down, it's only a technical glitch!" commanded Baiyi in the Void. "How can the realm collapse without prior warning?"

"Warning? What would you call the thing you're looking at, then?" said the Third Walker coldly. "This clearly isn't the collapse of a realm; how did meteorites even exist in a world like ours?"

Considered one of the more experienced Walkers in the Void, the Third Walker was much more composed than the Bard.

"This couldn't be my fault, right?" asked Baiyi.

"And you could still think about these now? Think of a way to help!" the Paladin exclaimed in frustration and panic.

As his words left his lips, Baiyi felt emptiness beneath his feet, as though someone had taken away the ground beneath them. He started plunging downwards, enveloped with shrill screams and turmoil around him.

"The islands! They're falling!" realized Baiyi as he analyzed the commotion before his eyes. Looking at the sky, he realized that the islands that were originally floating amidst the sky were plunging one by one to the ground quickly; the highest islands were falling at such a high speed, the friction had caused them to ignite with fire. That was the so-called meteorite observed by Baiyi earlier.

"Seems like the Voidwalker was not fated for a simple celebration, after all!" Baiyi smiled ruefully. He quickly cast a levitation spell and started to hover in the air, searching for the girls and the mother-and-daughter who were panicking within the crowds and bringing them to safety by his side.

Before the traumatized girls could start asking questions, a huge noise was heard, sounding as if a large object had fallen into the water. It was followed by another that sounded like the roar of a thunder from all directions.

As the girls looked on in horror, a wave even taller than the altitude they were hovering at headed towards their direction, encompassing the surrounding darkness like a massive black wall.

Undoubtedly, the huge wave could not be stopped even by the waterproofing enchantment surrounding the realm.

The girls let out a fearful scream so filled with terror, they almost disrupted Baiyi's chants.

At that moment, the Saint Quartz Staff was already in Baiyi's palm. He had begun the chants calmly the moment the waves appeared; three azure rays emerged from his chest, his feet and the tip of his head simultaneously.

"May the essence of the element be captured. May the mystery be revealed; bestow it to me, the three touches of frost; freeze — with an endless shudder!"

This was an ice-based forbidden curse — a curse with an instant freezing effect.

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223 So, the Apocalypse Happened. Are You Free Enough To Save the Day?

As soon as Baiyi's chant ended, the tidal waves that had been surging towards the city began to shatter like crumbling walls.

Outside the city, petals of white frosts soared up towards the sky from the sea, tracing the outline of the tidal waves until most of the waves turned into icy pillars. The capital city looked as though it was covered in brambles made of ice crystals.

The speed at which the waves were getting frozen did not match the speed with which the waves rushed towards the city. The top of the waves, which was saved by its slower, lower halves, which were getting frozen, managed to stay liquid and struck on the water resisting barrier surrounding the city.

Fortunately, from the sound of the impact, one could tell that they, too, had lost much of their momentum.

"Hmph. We're lucky there was still some distance between these waves and the island, or else…" Baiyi did not even have to finish his own monologue.

Laeticia's presence as the second Elect had greatly increased his power output — else he would not be able to perform ice magic on such a massive scale or release it in such a timely fashion. Had his speed been slower by even a fraction — and the waves had reached the city sky or even the waterproof barrier undeterred — freezing the water would have changed no one's fate.

His voice had barely faded when the frozen waves succumbed to gravity and started crumbling down into a gigantic avalanche — towards the island he was on.

"Hmph. Looks like I gotta try harder," Baiyi chided himself in a low voice.

He descended to the crust of the island and crouched down so that his hands touched the earth.

He started feeding the island his mana.

When island that had the capital city began to fall, the empire's own band of protectors were just as alert as the Fifth Walker had been, and they had all, without haste, engaged with the sudden crisis. They all knew the price that would be paid if the island sank deep into the ocean.

The Principal Sorcerer of the empire threw himself into the rescue of his beloved city.

Every orifice on his head was bleeding out of tension, and his mana circuit began to crack from the pressure. He persevered, dismissing the signs that made evident his body's suffering. At that moment, a huge burst of mana erupted out of the man, and it was able to lift the island a bit; It had managed to slow down the frightening fall — in the nick of time.

He died on the spot.

However, at the cost of his life, he bought time. Thus, the other sorcerers had the time to organize, and most importantly, repeat his action. In the dark, glowing runes of levitation spells blinked like fireflies trying to save their home.

The strength of a levitation spell was never intended to support the astronomical size of the capital city island. However, the speed at which the island fell had reduced by a little, and a little time had been bought. As the massive combination of levitation spells fired up at once, the cumulative forces of mana allowed the combined formations to work; however, it was a struggle.

The speed of the fall had reached a safer level. When the floating island had almost reached the sea level, it shuddered to a stop — but it did not crack and shatter.

It was at that moment that Baiyi finished his Forbidden Spell, freezing the tidal waves that were on course for the city. In retrospect, that was a pretty amazing team-up, right?

However, misfortune still had plans for the city, and at that moment — it was the avalanche.

"Fuck. You gotta fly higher…" Baiyi muttered in a low breath.

He had already injected in his best output into the combined formation. Without the time to use his Specialized Encasement Spell to form a durable body — as well as himself being wary of using the other two deadlier powers — his sorcerer armor was starting to fall apart as it had approached its limit.

Sounds of metals cracking rang out all around his body.

"Mr. Hope!"

A cry of anguish shredded through the the air behind him.

He did not need to turn his head. With a loud thud, Aya landed next to him in a readied stance. She poured her mana into the formation just as she had seen the man do.

Baiyi stole a glance at her. Trails of tears were still visible under her reddened eyes; even then, the sorrow of being rejected had not left her. The complicated bun that she had spent her effort in making had already unraveled into a single horsetail. Her hair flowed like a ribbon in the gale brought by the avalanche.

For some reasons — Baiyi thought she was even more beautiful now than ever.

"Whoa, I did not expect them to really craft this formation!" Baiyi said casually.

This planetary formation was Baiyi's idea back at their very first meeting when an Armageddon was being expected. Back then, everyone feared for the worst that nature could offer, so many contingency plans had been made. As Baiyi suggested the possibility of the island losing its levitation, the formation to give it a manual lift was suggested as a solution.

No one expected the power of the formation to be perfectly capable of lifting the island — unlike the Sorcerer Associations' very own formations that they had used for their own cities hovering within the clouds — but the setup was much less complicated, much more convenient, and faster. When the worst hit, and there was not enough time, humans could even serve as the battery, displacing mana crystals.

After Baiyi made the suggestion back then — he did not really put any more thought into it. He had not expected the situation to ever be dire enough to need it. Plus, after everyone believed that Baiyi's suspicions were all just cases of paranoia, most of the contingency plans were abandoned.

Baiyi himself had forgotten about the formation. He would not have guessed that an idea aimed to ingratiate on public opinion would be so essential right now.

From the looks of it, the ruling class of the Empire must have realized the danger of a floating island losing its levitation, so this particular plan was singled out and put in place as a nominal contingency plan. It was fortunate that they had prepared something like that and had conducted a drill on it quite recently.

Without that, there would not have been any organized help, and a lot would have died.

"If I knew that this was gonna happen, I would have designed it better," Baiyi said, feeling quite guilty.

"Clang!" Came the metallic sound of something fallen to the ground. Baiyi saw that his left arm had come off from the pressure of a sudden output.

"Nooooo!" Aya howled in agony when she saw what happened.

"What 'nooo'?" Baiyi retorted in annoyance. "I'm a goddamned Soul Armature!"

A Soul Armature could always have their limbs stitched back up again…

Realizing that, Aya stopped screaming. She eventually turned back to her task, concentrating on outputting mana to the formation.

Meanwhile, as the city was trembling, cacophony struck out across every corner. The buildings and towers that marked the urban landscape were suddenly, forcefully broken off from their base by gusts of relentless combat chi.

What used to be buildings had been reduced to rubble and tumbled off into the ocean below. The city looked like it had been slapped by a giant, as the buildings had collapsed completely.

The physical fighters found their callings in this battle. They knew that the island needed to retain a certain level of height, so they helped in the only ungraceful way they knew to reduce the collective weight the island had to withstand.

The truth was — their air had only been minimal. It had only managed to help the island move slightly higher.

It was enough to decide if the entire island lived or died.

What they had to deal with was the avalanche that was rushing down from the frozen tidal frame. The icy surface of the frozen tidal waves had long since cracked under the force, and the debris sank to the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile, as the island regained its upward force, the frozen waves — which were now more like icebergs — were crumbling on their own below the island. The top of the taller mountains crashed down into the city, eliciting screams of horror from its populace.

"Phew, should be over… for now." Baiyi let out a sigh of relief.

When they chose an island as the location for their new capital city, one of their main concerns was the superstition that no habitable locations should exist above the king's home, so when they were seeking for a location to build the capital city, they had deliberately chosen an island that had no islands floating above it; and at moment, however, this superstition had saved the island from being hit by other falling islands.

Baiyi picked up his left arm and stood up again. He reattached the arm back to his joint, freezing close the seams. It could still be used — sort of.

He checked all over his body for any other new damage, repairing them all with quick ice magic fixes. In a matter of seconds, he looked like someone who had just emerged from the bottom of the avalanche.

Beside him, Aya also stood up from her crouching position.

She had intended to use this opportunity — of people surviving what they did not expect to — to run into Baiyi's embrace, but just as she was approaching him, she saw that the man had been glued with pieces of ice cubes.

Her little wish fluttered away, and she stood there, gawking at him.

The girls, who had just been released from Baiyi's levitation spell, descended from the sky — and none of them had looked very good, either. After all, as Baiyi's last spell lowered the temperature around the island quickly, followed closely by the avalanche, the air became too cold for the girls. Without Baiyi's thermal spells, they were pale, and their arms hugged their bodies as they curled into a fetal position.

Only Aya and Mordred were in better states. Dragons could tolerate the cold much better than humans could.

"Ha! Look at all the good those short skirts had done for all of you. I wonder if you girls learned anything important about them?" Baiyi remarked a bit sarcastically. He encased the girls in his thermal barriers after that.

The warmth was welcoming, and soon, colors returned to their faces.

"Bring me to your father and the rest," Baiyi turned to Aya and said.

She nodded, leading them in the direction of the palace.

On their way back, they were forced to watch the desolation of caused by the chaos. Everywhere they looked, they saw devastated houses, collapsed buildings and debris, and people running around aimlessly, disoriented and lost.

Some were diving deep into the rubbles, and their hands scooped and scrapped, digging into the pile of rubble as if whatever was buried inside mattered to them. Some were kneeling, as they blankly watched other islands higher in the sky at the sky tear through the air and crumble into the sea.

It was the Apocalypse. Or at least, it looked like one — no one could tell the difference.

Laeticia had, in multiple times, attempted to throw herself at the suffering people. However, Baiyi crassly stopped her each time.

Outside the palace, the royal square was in a snafu. Aristocrats were still garbed in their opulent outfit for the party; the commoners were drowning fear and desperation; the soldiers were gripping their weapons hard; the sorcerers were still spewing mana into the earth, and some men crisscrossed the square carrying supplies and supplies of mana crystals within their wagons.

Every element was thrown into a singular scene. Every note, every sound, every scream, cry, and curse — garishly scarred the air to form a suffocating cacophony.

Not a single trait of civilization seemed to have lingered at that moment: it was a mess, chaotic, and a naked dissection on the violence and terror that the city had been thrown into.

Baiyi led the girls and waved the royal guards away, striding towards the palace.

His travel was unopposed. Perhaps they were intimidated by his cobbled-by-ice-cubes appearance…Dragons are not poikilothermic — now confirmed! Or would they be hibernating…?

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224 The Silver Lining Amidst the Thunderstorm

Unlike the chaos outside, the palace itself was quiet — quieter than usual, even.

Right from the corridor, Baiyi could hear a few whispers emanating from the banquet hall, but the noise was so much more controlled than what was going on outside.

Even the emcee, who was standing by the side of the banquet door, was calm. At that moment, he turned into the hall and declared loudly, "The Special Advisor, Master Hope, and his family, has arrived!"

Let's ignore the fact that he somehow managed to include Aya into "Master Hope's family". The man was responsible to a fault. His head was bandaged unskillfully, and blood still oozed from the wound that had been covered, yet the man was still ardent about his duty.

Hearing the emcee's announcement, the crowd shifted their attention to the Master and saw Baiyi and his avalanche-inspired outfit.

"Master Hope has arrived!" someone in the hall called out in joy, acting as if he had just seen their savior. He was probably one of those who knew that the gigantic levitation formation was Baiyi's idea.

"Hey, Master Hope? Are you alright? Were you caught in the avalanche?" Some of them were more concerned with his appearance.

"Master Hope! Was that Ice-styled Forbidden Technique your doing? I humbly thank you for your beautiful rescue, as without you..." some were even babbling unimportant drivels.

Baiyi had no time for them. He walked straight towards a middle-aged, chubby man in the most extravagant outfit, who was also the most central to the entire banquet — the King of Rodrithelia, Rowan Rodrithelia the 233rd*.

The King was looking at his direction expectantly as well.

The two had met in a few research meetings. They had good impressions of each other, as the King did not have the annoying habit of micromanagement.

"Master Hope." King Rowan nodded slightly. His gesture was humble. "Most fortunate that we had constructed the Levitation Formation as you suggested. Thanks to it, we survived."

"How much longer will it take?" Baiyi dismissed all forms of normal courtesies and went straight to the point.

"Um, that… Well, our Prime Coordinator, the Principal Sorcerer, Master Juan…" King Rowan hesitated.

"Ah, how's Master Juan?" Baiyi asked hurriedly.

He and Master Juan had interacted with each other before. The sorcerer was a very, very aged elderly who had been the vassal for all eight kings. He even possessed the power of a Holy-level fighter!

Aside from his slight tendency to be stubborn, and his old-fashioned ways of looking at things, the man was pretty much on good terms with Baiyi.

"Master Juan, ah… He… sacrificed himself to save all of us," someone spoke for the King.

"I'm sorry. This truly is a loss." Baiyi shook his head pitifully.

When he had felt that sudden jolt of mana vibration back then, he had guessed who that was. It seemed that the worn-out flesh of the great sorcerer had long exceeded its capacity in sustaining such an unbridled surge of mana. Thus, what if one was a

Holy-level fighter? The body would still be a victim of age and time.

If the great sorcerer had used his mana in a conventional way, he would still be alive, and his strength as the creme of all fighters in Gouve would have been pivotal in the aftermath of the crisis. Nevertheless, he had chosen to sacrifice himself in a very desperate moment. If it wasn't for his sacrifice, the others would not have that extra time to set up what was needed to save the city, and the ending may have been different.

"We'll never forget the action of Master Juan, but if we wish to make sure that his sacrifice was not in vain, we must act now. Master Hope! We sincerely request for your assistance," King Rowan said. He ignored the chilliness emanating from the Soul Armarture's body and held onto his arm, with a pleading look in his eyes.

At that very moment, a young lad in a servant's uniform dashed into the banquet hall. He panted heavily as he strode towards the King's side and whispered in his ear.

"With the number of mana crystals that we have in our reservoir — as well as those contributed by the organizations in our society and business associations — we estimate that we can keep the island afloat for about ten hours or so," the King spoke to Baiyi in a low voice. It seemed that the young lad had been sent to gather reports on their remaining time. "Even if we called in all sorcerers to provide that additional mana, we could still only hold it off for two more hours caps."

"We've got only half a day, huh…" Baiyi rapped his ice-encased hands together lightly. He continued, "How about that trans-realm transporter portal that I mentioned? Is it completed?"

If the Armageddon ever comes, that one existing transporter portal would not be enough to save as many lives as possible. That was why Baiyi had suggested building new, additional portals for emergency purposes. The problem was that building one portal itself was a costly project, so only the existing portal — the one made by The Association of Sorcerers, which was also the very same one Baiyi had crossed — had to be made due with. Hence, he wasn't sure if the idea was even taken seriously.

The messenger helped answer the question, "We were building one close to the capital city, Sir, but it wasn't completed. Now that it has suffered some damage, we've ordered every man we have to help repair it…"

This really was bad news!

A pan-realm transportal portal was no common formation spell. It was more complicated, requiring even more materials, and it consisted of just one formation. A portal was actually a series of connected formations arranged in a specific manner.

To make matter worse, the method of constructing a portal was still the antiquated way that had been passed down since the time of the Ancient Rohserlian Empire. No one had ever simplified it into runes yet. In other words, constructing it would need someone who was handy with the actual formations.

And those sort of sorcerers would be very difficult to find. Let alone finding one with enough skill to build a portal — preferably one that would be able to instantly transport a hundred million people to another realm altogether — in a short amount of time.

It sounded like an impossible mission. However, to a Voidwalker, there was still hope.

"You're familiar with this particular formation, yes?" Baiyi asked the Scholar inside the Void. In reality, he turned to Little Mia and said, "Pass me Sharkie."

Little Mia was bemused, but she obediently took out her hammerhead shark plushie and held it out to him.

Baiyi did not wait for the Scholar to come up with a loquacious answer. He shoved the woman's consciousness into the plushie crassly.

"Please, surely you are less odious than this?!" The Scholar's last word was her protest at his action, but she did not say she couldn't do it.

"Follow it — and help out with the repair. The knowledge you obtained from your Elementary Formation class now finally has a chance to shine," the Soul Armature said to his students. He grabbed the plushie, who was fanning itself with its fin, and shoved it to Little Mia's embrace.

"Go, take them to the portal quickly!" Baiyi turned to the messenger.

The lad looked at Little Mia and Tisdale doubtfully. Sure, they were pretty, but their eyes belied how young they were. One of them even carried a plushie with her; something only little girls would do. 'Can these people really help in fixing the uber-complicated portal?'

"Y-your Highness…?" The lad waited for the King's approval hesitantly. Even Little Mia did not seem to agree, "Mr. Hope, how can we possibly... "

"It's going to be alright. Sharkie will teach you. Just listen and do as she says," Baiyi replied, rapping at the plushie with his frozen-into-rod-like hands.

"I…" The King was just as perplexed at the command. To have ordered two little girls to be responsible for the construction of the life-saving pan-realm transporter portal was weird enough, and now Master Hope was saying that a furry stuffed animal could save the world?

The Fifth Walker had no time to explain at length. He could only use his spherical snowball of a hand to grip the King's shoulder, before he said, "Please, believe in me."

He turned to the lad and added, "Go. Now!"

The King nodded his head in approval — albeit hesitantly.

That was how Little Mia and her merry band began their own adventure of saving the world…

The reason why Baiyi did not personally handle was because he knew he was still needed elsewhere. After watching Little Mia and the band lave, he asked, "How about the floating islands at higher altitudes? Can they possibly fall down on us somehow? Is it possible to solve this?"

"We, dragon knights, will take care of this," General Kandor, who had been listening nearby, spoke, "As you have known, there are no large islands above this one. Fragments of other islands may come hurtling towards us, but we will be able to knock them away."

Baiyi nodded. He wanted to flash the general a thumbs-up, but his hands had now been frozen into two white gigantic spheres — like a certain earless robot cat, so he raised his hand instead.

"I hope no one is still on those islands." Baiyi sighed.

"The silver lining in all of this is that almost person of our nation gathered in the Capital City because of the Harvest Festival — even those who stay far from here. Those islands are most likely empty," a vassal who took care of social affairs answered.

A man who looked like a sorcerer also joined in the conversation, "Your attention, please. I have contacted our headquarter regarding the portal. They're going to help us build it from the other side, too. Our Emperor has gotten wind of your nation's plight. The Empire has begun her preparations for the refugees."

The speed of their response had been very satisfactory. It seemed that after Baiyi's unsettling prediction, their preparations for the Armageddon, while discarded, were still effective enough to help them right at this moment.

This made Baiyi feel quite happy.

"It was truly our luck to have you with us! You warned us about this. If you hadn't…" King Rowan said, pain evident in his voice. "It's just too bad that we didn't believe it to the end. Had we continued our preparations…"

"Your Highness, this wasn't something we could predict," Baiyi tried to comfort him. To have this level of control despite this unprecedented disaster was already good enough.

All they could do now was to protect this island until the portal was built. Then the entire populace of this kingdom could finally be sent to Isythre.

"How about the other nations…?" Baiyi asked.

The King could only answer, "All we have now, for them, is our prayers."Oh, excuse you, side-character! I'll have you know that I bring my dolls around, and treat them as humans! Or better than some humans, too. Y'all don't know!From where I come from, Doraemon was the shit when I was in nursery school!... And Pokemon too.

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225 Heed Me

"Is that so... I hope they found their way, too," Baiyi could only say that in reply, with his own form of lamentation. Although the empire had shared the necessary knowledge and news to other kingdoms and nations, Baiyi had no way of confirming if they too, had made any preparations after they were notified.

Baiyi understood that being able to salvage what was currently left of this country was good enough already.

As for the other nations — just as King Rowan had said, all this country could do was pray for them.

As soon as the general direction was decided, the discussions quickly moved on to other issues. Who should be prioritized to use the portal first? How should the Rodrithelian rulers and other upper classes mingle with the rulers and governors in Isythre? How much of the nation's funds can still be taken? There were issues for the politicians, which had no bearings for Baiyi, so he took the chance to leave with Laeticia and Attie.

"Laeticia, go and help those who would need you," Baiyi said to the kind girl who had been itching to do just that, even without his order. "Please take care of yourself though. Travel together with those from the Church. In this moment of chaos, anything can happen."

He lowered his gaze and scanned Attie's reddened eyes. His Kitty Cat Maid had been shell-shocked from what had happened, and she did not seem to have fully recovered.

"Protect Laeticia for me," he said and handed the War God's Sword over to her.

"B-b-but what about you, Master?" Attie replied in concern.

"Oh, you need not worry about me. Go." He nodded at the two girls.

Aya, who had been walking by his side in silence throughout the whole journey, finally found a chance to talk after the two girls left.

She drew closer to him. An expression of pain was evident on her face as her gaze rested on his body. "You alright… Master Hope?"

'Huh. Going back to the formalities, huh?' Baiyi thought. He replied casually, "I'm fine. You?"

He turned to look at the dragon-lady, but his eyes couldn't help but linger on the long, lean legs extending from under her short skirt. The black silky socks had been torn in a few places during the chaos, and her snowy, supple skin had barren. Combined with her pitiable countenance, her entire state seemed to be very suggestive…

"I'm fine," Aya replied candidly. Then, as her eyes caught Baiyi's gaze, she sheepishly covered her thighs, flushed red, and muttered, "D-don't you look there!"

The situation quickly dropped into a state of awkwardness. Baiyi turned his gaze away just as Mordred popped up between the two. When she appeared, Modred proceeded to grip her mom's elbow excitedly. She pointed at the flying silhouettes in the sky and said, "Mom! Mom! I wanna help Grandpa!"

"No! It's too dangerous!" Aya didn't even take a second to react.

"I'm not afraid! Have you seen me do Draconic breath! Super coooool!" Mordred replied loudly, unperturbed, barring her two cute fangs.

Hmph. Not afraid — and eager to help? This kid is not too bad! Baiyi thought to himself.

Helping Aya, he turned to the child and said, "Mordred is such a strong, heroic, good girl! But a good girl always listens to her mother, right?"

He reached out his hand in a bid to pat on Mordred's head, but only when his outstretched arm entered his field of view did he notice that his hand was still a chunk of ice.

The girl didn't shy away from it, though. She hugged the clump and rubbed it with her cheeks. Finally, with the tone of a young, affectionate child, she said, "Papa's hand is so cool… So soft…"

Baiyi felt like his heart was about to melt right there and then.

Aya, however, reddened at her words. She savagely yanked the girl behind her back as she apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry, Master Hope. S-she's still young; she knows nothing. Please don't take her words into heart."

"It's cool. It's cool. Um, kids say the darndest things, right?" Baiyi replied quickly.

He needed to change the focus, so he looked up into the sky.

As he watched the action up there more closely, he concluded that the dragon knights needed some help.

Dragons were not nocturnal animals. In fact, their lifestyle could be quite systematic. A trained dragon may be able to fight at night over a certain period of time, but everything that had occurred till now was way out of what they could tolerate.

The knights were doing the best to steer their mounts, but the dragons were not listening. They rebelled and seemed to be contemplating throwing off their riders and combat units so that they could escape on their own.

They were afraid.

And their fear had already started jeopardizing the dragon knights' missions to destroy all falling debris. Without support from their mounts, the dragon knights missed out a few, and these huge chunks of debris broke through their perimeter. The hazards plummeted towards the Capital, and they would have hit someone if not for the second line of defense, which consisted of the more knights, successfully destroying them.

However, this could not go on for much longer. Gouve was filled with all sorts of islands, and each island had a distinct size and density. This meant that the speed of their descent was also different. The islands that were filled with complicated cave structures were the most dangerous among them; because of their hollow structure, they easily broke off into hundreds of fragments during their fall.

And when these fragments changed their course because of air current or collision, they may head towards the Capital — and fragments were currently heading towards them way at that moment.

The particular crisis that the dragon knights were engaged in was far from over. In fact, it was going to continue for an even longer time. Due to the current chaos, they were not able to fully perform their roles.

The elderly dragon, Yosef — who had turned back into his dragon form — was carrying General Kandor on his back. He screamed hoarsely, trying to calm his men, but the dragons' restlessness had gone out of control.

This defense line was breaking up, completely!

To make matter worse, many other flying beasts had taken to the sky as well. Completely overwhelmed by primal fear, they had lost every sense of self, effectively going berserk. They attacked anything and everything on sight, threatening the dragon knights and robbing away what little control they had left.

"Tsk! And you dragons always boast of being afraid of nothing. This won't do at all!" Baiyi mumbled under his breath. "Alright. I know I'm gonna be adding a pile onto my plate, but hey… I'm supposed to be a force of good and compassion, right?"

He turned to look at Aya and her daughter. He whispered, "Take care of yourselves."

With that, he took off, soaring into the sky using a Levitation Spell, passing through the defense lines and reached an altitude even higher than that of the struggling Dragon Knights.

Then he freely released a large wave of an unknown mien to all sides. From his throat, a majestic roar of a dragon erupted out.

As soon as the roar pierced through the air, the dragons and the other beasts halted immediately — almost hurting their own wings, and as if they had seen the immaculate divine that demanded their unwavering respect and attention, they calmed down.

Even the mother-daughter pair, who had been staying on the ground this whole time, couldn't fight their instinct and kneeled on one knee, lowering their prideful heads.

These actions had bypassed any rational or conscious control. The body acted involuntarily because this level of respect had been directly written into their ancestral memory — their inherited memory.

"This… This is Lord Divine Dragon's…!" Aya muttered softly.

"This is Papa's smell!" Mordred kneeled beside her mother and said cheerfully.

Baiyi used that majestic, yet ancient voice to speak a type of Dovahzul that Aya had never heard before.

However, she just knew. She just knew what the words meant; what the command within it was. It felt like the words had bypassed her normal language-processing faculty just to reach her mind so that the message remained unadulterated:

"My people. Listen to the voice that compels you! Submit, subject yourself to me and heed me!"

The dragons bowed their haughty heads. The beasts remained still, feeling as much reverence as they possibly could.

The situation was immediately under control.

Under Baiyi's command, the dragon knights returned under control, and now, the dragons were even more passionate and eager at their tasks, surprising even their long-time companions at their sudden surge of excellence. In turn, this motivated the companions who rode hard, right into the falling chunks of debris.

They were not alone in their battle; the wild beasts had also allied themselves with the dragon knights.

Elderly dragon Yosef, whose fins had started to turn ashen grey, wept as he poured every ounce of his soul into the Draconic Breath that he fired at the falling piles of rock debris. When he finally had the chance to take a breather, he discarded the opportunity and shouted in a shaky voice at the tops of his lungs, "The Divine Dragon had not forgotten us! He had not forsaken us!"

The kneeling Aya finally mustered enough courage to gaze up at the sky, looking up at that chunk of ice hovering in the middle of the night sky.

The mystery of the Divine Dragon's blessing — the mystery that had puzzled her; the mystery that she had forgotten after a while — slowly unraveled in her mind.

It was him. It was from his silhouette that demanded her to revere and bow to…

Accompanying that realization was another realization even more personal. Aya now understood why he had to reject her. The difference between them was more than the physical distance between them at that very moment.

The flame in her heart had been completely extinguished.

Aya was a demure girl. She could not bring herself to stick to the man if he so vehemently rejected her. The pain of that rejection had already robbed her of whatever mettle she had.

But Mordred thought differently. The daughter seemed to have sensed her mother's feelings, so she quietly, but surely, shook her shoulders, cheering childishly, "Don't lose heart, Mom! Don't give up!"

Aya turned to look at Mordred. Her smile was bitter and silent.

"Mom already has Papa's smell, right?"

Aya's heart skipped a beat at Mordred's word.

She was stunned. 'Yes, he had blessed her. He had blessed her — why?'

'Could it be…? That he had already…?'

She looked up again, staring at the source of the majestic voice that had ignited the night sky; the voice that had ignited the tiny ember in her ashen heart until a flame rekindled.

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226 The Kind of Ideas Some People would Harbor

After Baiyi's timely performance, the situation had quickly regained control. Before anyone else could cast a glance his way, he quietly returned to the ground. He didn't go back to Aya, but instead, he went to the location sent by the Hammerhead Shark Plushie — the location of the transporter portal.

Everything was going more smoothly than he had expected here. He had no idea how the Hammerhead Shark Plushie — which had The Scholar in it — managed to command every sorcerer to work according to her plans. He could see her zipping across the site, drawing out images and images of plans using mana. The sorcerers, for their part, studied the plans and worked them out.

Some of the plans were difficult because they required knowledge in formations. These were then assigned to Mia and Tisdale as a part of their responsibilities. When Baiyi arrived, both girls were laying on the floor with their belly. Their faces strained in concentration as if they were taking the hardest test ever. They didn't even notice the Soul Armature's arrival.

'Oh please, at least remember how short your skirt is!' It was fortunate that every sorcerer was too preoccupied to enjoy the scenery within their slightly opened skirts.

"How's the situation? Is it a tough one to crack?" Baiyi asked in the Void.

The Scholar released her grip on the part of consciousness imbued in the plushie — which caused it to hang in midair, limply — and answered, "Objectivity compels me to conclude that it is satisfactory. The variables for my assessment are as follows: previous completion — propitious. Materials — meet current requirements but alas, our manpower is woefully inadequate. Those who carry not the knowledge of formations are of minimal purpose, ergo much had been delegated to Little Mia. Acceleration of the project demands more capable men."

Baiyi processed the report, then he turned his head to a sorcerer who was just looking up at him doubtfully, "The previous project engineers and workers of this formation — where are they?"

"Some have returned to the headquarter, while some went missing," a sorcerer who had a Sorcerer Association Badge pinned onto his garb replied without raising his gaze from his task. His forehead was already drenched with his own sweat. It seemed that even basic work required a lot from him.

"Don't worry, keep it up. I'll go around and look for more help." With the Scholar directing their progress, Baiyi believed that the construction itself would be alright. However, for the efficiency… It would require a huge boost. There were only around 12 hours left. The sooner the portal was completed, the better the chance of sending everyone to safety.

"Quickly!" The Scholar replied.

She was about to return to controlling the hammerhead shark plushie when a steely demand rang from the Void, "If we downsize the number of people that the portal could take, say — a dozen people, it would get done very quickly, right?"

"Lich, I demand clarification," The Scholar was quick in her response.

"I meant, first, we can finish a portal that allows a dozen people to retreat to Isythre."

"Are… Are you proposing that we… we desert hundred millions of innocents?" Anger started bubbling in the Scholar's voice.

"Obviously! That's the only intelligent move," The Lich replied slyly. "Look at the speed used to do all this! How many would be able to use it to escape once in the end? Will the process of building this actually remain safe and stable? Will there suddenly be changes? Oh, I really doubt that you don't know that, at this very moment, anything can happen to turn the table on us! Deserting these pathetic people is the only safe option!"

"Apologies, but proposal sorely declined! " The Scholar shot down the Lich's idea within a second. "I will never stoop to such an opprobrious level!"

"Hmph! You stupid hypocrite! We have waited for fucking millennia for this one, precious chance to escape, and you would rather bury that hope altogether with these people? Who do you think you are?! You're just a stuffed animal!" The Lich retorted in anger.

"How dare you scorn me, you rebarbative, sorry excuse of a bag of noxious bones! Who do you think I am? You dare think me incapable? I shall educate you right in your face!"

Baiyi had known the Scholar for a long time, but he had never heard her speak in such a furious, icy-cold tone. He had always thought of the woman as a perpetual, homebound virgin otaku to the point that he had almost forgotten who she really was — The Great Unbending Sage, Noire-Jane, a demigod-level powerhouse who Baiyi earnestly trusted!

She would not cower in fear of the demigod-level Lich, even if she wasn't very good at actual combat.

Hence, just as the Lich was about to make a threat, Baiyi interrupted him.

"That's enough. Didn't I say it before? I can't stand seeing innocents suffer. You can just treat me as a disgusting hypocrite. After all, aren't I supposed to be a force of good and compassion?"

A statement that undeniably lent its support to the Scholar's side.

The Lich was just about to throw in even more complains, but Baiyi had had enough. He declared loudly, "Look, we all pursued powers and we got them in the end. We got them now, and yet at this critical time when we want to do something according to our own will, we have to cave to reality? Then what do these powers even bring me?"

The Lich no longer had anything to say. The most important Walker in the Void had spoken, so he had no way to object it. There were very few evil forces in the Void, so it was obvious that most would support Baiyi's decision to save the world.

Baiyi rushed to the King's place. As he arrived, he saw that the monarch was being surrounded by the aristocrats and politicians, still engrossed in their trivial issues.

Baiyi swallowed his urge to insult their sense of priorities and shoved them to a side. He hurried on to relay to the king the need to summon sorcerers for the construction of the portals.

"There are people on it already," King Rowan replied.

"Not enough." Baiyi shook his head. "I need Your Highness to use that thing you had used before to give a speech for the entire day. With it, we can summon every sorcerer and everyone else who has knowledge of the formations in this city."

Back then, during Flame Night, the King used an odd tool to give an opening speech during so that everyone in every corner of the city could hear him, and whatever that tool was, it was still what Baiyi need.

The King pondered, and just as he was about to nod, a vassal beside him jumped in frantically, "No! Your Highness! You cannot do that!"

He turned to Baiyi, furiously bellowed, "Are you mad?! If you ever mentioned the portal to the public, the people would lose their mind! They will rush to the palace and create even more chaos!"

His intention was simple: before they could make sure that these aristocrats, nobles, and politicians' families could really escape this, they absolutely cannot let the public know there was still such a chance to live.

It would be problematic, so they wanted the news to remain classified.

Baiyi could see through that elementary desire easily, but he didn't want to use his mouth to answer him.

Before anyone could react, Baiyi had lifted his ice-clad fist and smacked it right in the middle of his face.

The man flew so far backward, like a kite that just had its line severed.

"Master Hope! Y-you…!" King Rowan's face shown anger in his uncivilized manner. He just punched my vassal right in front of me!

The King only managed to keep his composure because of his upbringing and his cling to civility,

"Look, about those trivial things between you nobles? I'm not interested," Baiyi said to the King and the aristocrats who were gritting their teeth. "Well, without my help, you will never get the portal done, right? I think you know what that means — so, please, let us be rational and calm."

"You're threatening us!" Someone from the crowd screamed.

"Mmhmm, of course I'm threatening you. I can always just make a transporter portal for a dozen people to escape and flee, so why am I still here, wasting my time with you people? I guess it's because I'm feeling pretty fine, so I thought I should probably save more lives, you know?" Baiyi's voice dipped into a dangerously threatening tone. "However, if I suddenly my mood tanks, I might not feel like saving some of these lives anymore."

Upon hearing that Baiyi could actually create his own portal, the crowd quieted down. No one dared make another sound, nevermind a rebuttal..

At the time of unrest, a more savage approach usually worked better.

Baiyi looked around him, satisfied with their submissiveness, then he clapped on the King's shoulder without a care about their difference in status and said, "Your Highness, can I believe that you are a benevolent ruler who loves his people?"

The Fifth Walker left under the furious gazes and dirty looks thrown to him from the nobles. Ironically, the first time he had walked out of the palace, the very same people here had looked at him with utmost respect and gratitude.

"Your Highness, what should we do? Must we be subjected to that rogue's threat? Do you need…" A politician said, drawing a horizontal line on his own neck using his index finger. "Two of the people who are repairing the portal now are his students. They are both just ignorant little girls and they'll be easy to be led away."

The King shook his head helplessly. He replied in a low voice, "Don't seek any more trouble at this time."

The politician was persistent. "Are you afraid of his power, Your Highness?"

He moved closer and whispered into the King's ears.

"At this time, you still retain such forces?" the King was aghast.

"Certainly! They are our last card to protect our family and property. With an approval from you, Your Highness, I will order them to finish off that savage. I have already investigated his power. he's only a master-level fighter."

The King still shook his head sideways in an act of rationality. "No. Direct your men to aid the dragon knights. Then, command your personal army to the palace to help maintain order when the incoming refugees surge in."

He took out a magical tool that looked like a conch shell from his inner pocket. It was the very same tool he had used to speak to the entire city. It was a priceless item.

"Your Highness! Please reconsider. If you let them know, and the window of time for escape isn't enough —" a few people from the crowd began to shout frantically. It seemed that even with Baiyi's threat, these people still refused to give up their despicable politicking.

"Let's believe in Master Hope, shall we? Don't even try to use insignificant tricks and ploys to fool him," The King replied.

He sighed. "Looks like the Church wasn't lying… about him being a hero."This is so ironic, considering that the Void is where common people banish those they deemed "evil" to! Do bad guys have less willpower? ..That's quite at odds with what I learnt from mah comic books and movies…Um. If you do something to Mia and Tisdale, you're, well, unleashing a personal Armageddon onto yourself, guys. Though it would free some space for the portal!

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227 How Is This Fair?

Using the connection that he shared with the War God's Sword, Baiyi found Laeticia and Attie in no time. The two had been following his orders; they had joined the clerics and the riders to help out those in need. Just as Baiyi himself was about to descend, a herd of griffin riders came from a certain direction.

They sped through the air and rejoined the dragon riders. At that same time, many private soldiers, who were owned by aristocrats and nobles, rushed out from the high-end living areas, heading towards the palace.

"Heh! Looks like there's still someone smart in there," Baiyi muttered to himself. It didn't matter if the members of parliament or the nobles were stupid — the primary ruler himself, the King, should not be doing anything that could get himself into trouble!

Baiyi landed next to Laeticia and used his finger to poke her cheeks. "Where's the bishop?"

"Hmm? Mr. Hope?" Laeticia looked at him, and then she pointed at a body covered with a white linen.

"...was hit by a huge piece of falling rock…" Her voice sounded sorrowful.

"So who's the leader of the Church's teams? A Saintess? A Paladin?"

"I don't know," Laeticia replied helplessly. "We're all moving on our own…"

"Pfft!" Baiyi tried to a pout. 'How can the Church be so ineffective at this critical moment? Did all of the higher-ups run away on their own?'

It took a while for the implications to cross Baiyi's mind, though. During the Harvest Festival, the Church's higher-ups had probably gathered on a smaller floating island, which had been specially set aside for them, next to the Capital City's floating island. They had been preparing for a large mass…

When the disaster struck, none of them had survived.

However, this was not the time to lament their demise. It was the time for leadership. They needed someone who would maintain order; if not, the news of the death of the Church's higher-ups would create a massive disarray that may result in unwanted consequences.

Baiyi dragged Laeticia away from the side of an injured commoner; his two ice-chunked hands gripped her shoulders. He fixed his gaze on hers and said, emphatically, "This is it; this is the time for a saintess, you, to carry the flag. Did you bring your armor with you?"

Laeticia nodded. That kinky costume from the Church was a prized possession that she never once left without taking.

Baiyi took her to an empty hut. He closed the door and turned his back to her. "Change into your armor quickly, and then listen to what I say."

"Um, okay." Although Laeticia still had no idea what he was planning, she agreed that her saintess armor would be more suited for the occasion than a short skirt would.

Very soon, Baiyi heard sounds of clothes being taken off. 'Is she not worried that I might just turn around right now to see her'

"These things… Can you really depend on me to do these things on my own?" Laeticia said nervously as she pulled her black stocking up to her thighs.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine' you're Saint Noel's apprentice, after all!" Baiyi assured her.

By the time Laeticia was all suited up, Baiyi had finished laying out his plan to the girl. At that same moment, the King was ready for his role in the mission; he had just finished drafting his speech.

Using the conch shell tool, the King made an announcement to the public, stating that the empire needed someone with knowledge of formations to help and that there was a trans-realm transporting portal being built.

The inhabitants of the city roared in excitement. A ray of hope when all seemed forsaken; it ignited the madness within the public.

At that moment, a beam of light broke through the night sky. A beautiful maiden was hovering in midair, and a pair of beautiful wings were spread out behind her. Her voice was jaunty and angelic, which soothed the restless hearts of the people. Under the help of magic, her voice traveled into everyone's ears.

"... Everyone, calm yourselves. There is no need for haste. Let us remain in order as we head to the palace for protection. Have faith — for each and every one of you will be saved," Laeticia said as she hovered in midair.

The combination of her angelic beauty, angelic wings, and angelic voice was even more effective than the commands of a king. The restlessness was soon pacified, and the city became much calmer.

"Alright, that's it; the next thing to do —" Baiyi said, instructing Laeticia through a temporary, and small-scale Audio Transfer Spell.

"Alright, that's it; the next thing to do…" Laeticia said, repeating what Baiyi had said in a loud voice.

"No, clumsy girl! This wasn't for them! It was for you! Don't repeat what I'm about to say now!" Baiyi stomped his feet frantically.

Truthfully, all the words that Laeticia had uttered had been told to her by Baiyi, who had to teach in a syllable-by-syllable basis; or else, with the girl's level of knowledge and vocabulary, she would have screwed it up…

"Oh, oh! So sorry, Mr. Hope! I'm just so clumsy…" Laeticia replied crossly, with a low voice, across the spell.

"Alright, that's about it. You remember what you have to say after this, right?" Baiyi asked. "I'll pass the role of maintaining order to you. I've got things to do."

"Huh?! Bu—but this… This sort of thing… I…" Laeticia was unsettled. She was still objecting to his idea when he sent her off into the sky. 'How can I, a saintess candidate, even fulfill such a feat?'

To all that, Baiyi chose to reply with an encouraging declaration: "Laeticia, I choose you!"

"It's fine. You're doing really great; do you know that? Just do as I said, and you'll be alright!" Baiyi praised the little village girl. "Look at you! You're a real saintess now. Come on, wave that flag!"

Laeticia had a flag with her. This was a flag that Baiyi made with a random stick and part of a white bedsheet.

"You can do it! Remember to never leave the Boosting Territory — that way you will not faint from fatigue. I'll come over and take you with me later!"

Baiyi went ahead to continue on his plan, leaving Laeticia behind to hover in midair as she raised the bedsheet flag to guide the refugees into retreating orderly.

"You used my theurgical technique to make a light show? Bravo! Bravo!" The Cleric exclaimed from the Void. He wasn't displeased; he was genuinely impressed.

"Well, at this moment, all the people need is a flag and a direction. All theurgy needs to provide is the correct visual effects."

Baiyi followed his link with the War God's Sword to locate his Kitty Cat Maid. After patting her head, he said to her, "Hand the sword over to me and go look for Aya or her companions. I think they are guiding the refugees to the palace."

"Right!" Attie nodded obediently and passed the sword to him. Before she left, she turned around and said, with concern, "Master! Please be careful."

'This girl who has a cat-like countenance is getting more and more docile.' Baiyi felt warmed by her progress. He turned his back to her, and with a quick wave from his icy-chunk of an arm, he once again took off into the air, heading towards the night sky.

In his grip, the War God's Sword turned back into its umbrella shape, just like how it did in Attie's grip. After a light investigation, Baiyi successfully discovered locations that had reactions of a few more Law Fragments.

Holding the sword in his hand, he teleported to an empty white space.

A single piece of Law Fragment was before him. He pulled the sword back and jabbed at the fragment with a quick extension of his arm.

The sword did not absorb this law, making Baiyi furrow his brow.

He hesitated. Then, knowing the risk, he wrapped a part of his consciousness with psychic energy and pushed it towards the fragment.

Baiyi understood the perils perfectly, but he had to do it. If he did not read this particular Law, he wouldn't be able to estimate the status of other similar Laws, and that would be problematic in the very near future.

His consciousness made contact with the Law fragment, and a torrent of chaos, delirium, and disorder perforated into his mind savagely. A will as resolute as his still shook mildly at the revelation. In fact, he even started to experience a migraine — something he hadn't had for a long time.

The process was fast. A second later, peace ensued, and the fragment vanished into nothingness right at that moment as well.

"Ah… so is this — the true sensation of one who reads the Law?" Baiyi shook his head hard to wake himself from the aftermath of the images.

He recalled the images in order to examine them better. After a while, under the Voidwalkers' concerned gaze, he declared, "That was a Corrupted Law. It has been completely dismantled into primeval chaos. It's useless already."

That wasn't the only information he had realized. After his contact with the Corrupted Law, he also understood the origin of the Armageddon.

That Corrupted Law was probably the Law that was lifting the floating islands. It had broken down a long, long time ago, losing its original function. The exact time that happened was unknown to Baiyi, but he could see that it had happened.

The reason why the islands had not fallen until today, was because another Law had been added into this realm at the very last moment, like a safeguard that had delayed the onset of the Armageddon.

But that was never meant to last long. Just as the safeguard itself was starting to break down, Baiyi had entered the game. After he touched that lone, functioning Law Fragment, the disaster began.

The Fifth Walker could easily guess that the very Law Fragment that he had come into contact with was the safeguard the War God had added in.

Even that safeguard was already at a pitifully pathetic size when he had arrived, if Baiyi had not touched it, it would still break down eventually.

If everything was orchestrated by the War God alone, Baiyi had to acknowledge the god's intellect and power, or even give him a round of applause after giving him a "like". The War God had helped him, given him his weapon and a Kitty Cat Maid, let him experience the Law first hand, given him a chance to learn a way to read the Law, and in the end, rounded it all up into a package — as a thank-you reward for Baiyi's effort to save these lives.

How is this even a fair trade?

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228 Success

The War God really did have the qualities of a War God.

Even the timing of the catastrophe was planned; it had been scheduled for the Harvest Festival when everyone would pretty much be gathered at a single place. It was only when the meek and the weak gathered together with those who had the capabilities, or resources, to fend for themselves that their chances for survival improve drastically.

The War God even struck true to Baiyi's character. He knew that the Fifth Walker would definitely not just watch the innocent suffer without doing anything about it.

The War God didn't even shirk his diligence when it came to the details. The Kitty Cat Maid that had been chosen for Baiyi was cute and docile, which was exactly the sort that Baiyi loved. The small Law Fragment which Baiyi had been led to read was almost empty, so Baiyi was able to grasp the concept of the Law, gain experience from reading it, without knowing too much of the secrets that hid within it.

Baiyi suspected that even if he could see through the War God's plans, he would still play the game willingly, exactly as the god planned. He couldn't possibly give up the lucrative rewards, neither could he give up the chance to save the people.

This was a conspiracy, but it was not a conspiracy against anyone; it was a conspiracy to save lives. The War God was truly a God for the Good, who did not consider the lives which were beneath his maggots and ants for him to play around with. In a universe where gods did not require belief to exist, this was invigoratingly welcome.

However, why was such a force for good working together with a heretic like Baiyi?

'I get a feeling that this will be a part of another plan of his…'

This wasn't the time to ponder on this question, however. Baiyi needed to act fast. He found another two Law Fragments which had appeared during the disaster, and then he discovered that their contents were no different from the first Corrupted Law Fragment that he had read. The only thing he gained was a worsening migraine. It seemed that the War God had ceased giving him chances to meet more Laws.

No new gains, but no new losses, either. He did not find any more sources of danger. This should be counted as good news, then?

Baiyi teleported himself back to the sky above the Capital City using the War God's Sword.

Most of the rocks hurtling down from high above had completed their descent. The people on the ground, with Laeticia's guidance, managed to form tidy lines and trudge forward to the palace. At the palace, a lot of the nobles' own mercenaries and royal guards were helping to maintain order. Those who came earlier were sorted into lines first, and those found injured were singled out for theurgical treatment.

Baiyi watched, realizing that his forceful confrontation had helped. While many family members of those nobles, with the advantage of knowing about the portal first, got to stand in the very first few lines, there were also many at the back, too. Even the posh carriages that they had arrived were parked outside, in an empty space, so that they would not obstruct the path. These noble families certainly did not dare cut through the line.

If Baiyi had not been aggressive in his approach, he was sure that the situation would have been very different. The carriages ridden by the rich would definitely form long lines, and they would hog the limited time, bringing their own people and property so that they may be transported; it was after this would they give the common people a chance for survival. That would be the only reason why these nobels were seriously against his idea of telling the public this piece of vital news.

Not on the Fifth Walker's watch, though! He was not going to let his rescue efforts go to waste because of some rich kid's money.

Of course, down there, there were a few rich families — who had arrived with all kinds of coin, jewelry, and expensive, fancy items — shouting complaints and curses at him. Most of their criticism was levied against him forcing them to wait with the "lowly, uncivilized commoners". Some women who resembled harpies were crying loudly, howling that they would definitely teach Baiyi a good lesson so that he pays for their losses…

Nah. Baiyi had zero interest in engaging with these troglodytes. Instead, he headed towards the transporter portal.

There were now more people working on the construction — which was as a result of the King's announcement earlier. The Hammerhead Shark Plushie — which had the Scholar in it — was in a frenzy as she crisscrossed the site, having no time to spare for her friend, Baiyi, who had just arrived.

Not that Baiyi needed her to pay him any attention. They both knew what the other was thinking. Little Mia looked up from her work, flashed Baiyi a grin, and then turned back to her task.

Judging from the current state of the formation, their efficiency seemed to have improved a lot. Everything else was going well, so Baiyi was then able to join in the repair. With the addition of the Fifth Walker in the mix, the efficiency would improve even more.

Just as he was about to start working out the knots that Mia and Tisdale were not skillful enough to tackle, King Rowan arrived from the banquet hall.

Seeing Baiyi, he came forward on his own. His face held a combination of gratitude and reverence. "Master Hope was just as they had said! Even your students are outstanding!"

King Rowan's speech and actions were natural, making it seem as if what happened in the palace earlier had not occurred at all.

The Fifth Walker crouched at the side of the transporter formation, cracking the ice chunk on his right arm open to expose a wriggling gauntlet.

After disposing of the ice chunk, one of Baiyi's unfrozen fingers emitted a burst of mana, and he started working on the formation. Baiyi did not even lift his head when he replied the King, "You flatter me, Your Highness."

The manner by which he had brushed off the King of the Rodrithelian Empire stirred the vassals behind him. They were just about to say something about his action when the King put up his hand.

He continued, "We thank you for your effort. Our nation would forever be indebted to you and your student."

At first, the King was displeased with Baiyi's action.

However, when that beautiful angel had descended, King Rowan was informed that the helpful angel was none other than the mousy village girl who as always by Baiyi's side; that alone had curbed any disrespect which King Rowan may have had towards the man. At the same time, a furry plushie was working hard on the repair on the life-saving machine, and it seemed to be in charge. Furthermore, Baiyi's two adorable, childlike students were working hard, making themselves the central force in the repair.

King Rowan's sentiment was understandably complex.

'This grey, nondescript Master Hope is nothing short of a messiah. Even his students…! Perhaps this was the only kind of character who could save Isythre from the hands of the Lord of the Abyss,' King Rowan thought.

Of course, the King may have thought differently if he had known Baiyi's real identity: the enemy of many…

"I cannot iterate how grateful we are for your help. The entire empire owes you a big favor. If we ever escape this, we will —" The King was still babbling when Baiyi, who was now feeling frustrated, raised the ice chunk he had for a left hand. "Save it for next time, please. I need to concentrate."

The King did not seem to be offended by Baiyi's attitude. He politely excused himself and led his vassals to leave the site, while starting to strategize how to recruit Baiyi to his side for the rest of his reign. After all, after migrating to Isythre, King Rowan would surely need someone as capable as Baiyi.

'Give him my daughter's, or my niece's, hand in marriage? But he's a Soul Armature. I have no idea what he thinks about marriage. Oh! Maybe one of my sons could marry one of his students? Oh, yes. This is a good one! The students may not come from a noble family, but the eldest two are beaus, while the youngest one was just so adorable. My son would not complain about it!'

The King had begun to formulate a plan in his mind, not knowing that if he did put his plan into motion, his kingdom would be suffering wrath far worse than their current situation…

Three hours had passed. The core part of the formation had been completed. All that was left was to complete some of the connecting parts.

Little Mia and Tisdale finally had the chance to take a breather. Both girls were so tired, their faces had paled, and their clothes and dresses were drenched in sweat.

A few observant servants had carried a large couch. Baiyi lovingly wrapped his arms around both girls as they sat on the couch, and he said, "You two did great! In fact, you two did really great! I'm just so proud of you, my outstanding students; you've saved hundreds of millions of lives!"

"Oh, my head is soooooo groggy… S-Sharkie? Sharkie where are you?" Little Mia, who was still engrossed in her work mood, cried out for her plushie. She looked dazed, completely oblivious to her own achievement.

The older of the two, Tisdale, was similar. She pushed Baiyi away from her and said with a hint of dismay, "Sir, your body is so chilly! That was so cold!"

The situation immediately turned awkward. Forget about his commanding presence and his authority over even the royals — at that moment, he was just a commoner and a very conservative father. He quickly let go of the girls and let them rest comfortably on the couch.

Fearing that they might catch a cold, Baiyi grabbed some comforters from the storage pouch and covered the girls with them.

Afterward, he dashed outside, taking Laeticia, who was still hovering in the chilly air, and Attie, who was busying herself with the rescue effort outside the palace. He brought the two girls back to the site, too.

It was at that moment that the last part of the transporter portal was finished.

The adorable hammerhead shark nodded at the sorcerers — who were all drenched in sweat — and then flew into Mia's embrace.

Then the Scholar's consciousness left the plushie.

"I dare everyone to assess my achievement! Was it not completed within the stipulated time?" The Scholar exclaimed in pride, and cheers and applause erupted in the Void.

"Bah. I didn't expect those humans to listen to a mere toy. Besides, who knew that the Fifth Walker would be so good at this saving-the-world business, with everything all planned out…" The Lich muttered unhappily at his own misjudgment. If the work was handed to someone else, perhaps it would be different; in that case, even if the transporter portal was completed, the people would succumb to their primal desire to survive and erupted into chaos.

The Lich had not expected the team-up between Baiyi and the Scholar to be so effective.

"Our success is undeniable. There is no height the Voidwalkers cannot reach!" The Scholar exclaimed again in joy and pride.

"Alright, alright. Let's talk about something else. We're gonna start the transporter. Is the fuel enough?" Baiyi cut in.

"Affirmative. I had scrutinized the numbers," the Scholar replied confidently.

"Great! Let us begin!" Baiyi cried, and King Rowan, who had hurried to the site upon receiving news of the portal's completion, nodded.Hmm. Odd. I feel a little bit heart-warmed…

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229 Thank You

Thus, the largest exodus ever recorded in mankind's history began.

The King blew his conch shell horn again, and a thick, black, mass of people marched, from different directions, into the royal garden where the transporter portal was located.

If the people were only able to travel on land, then a hundred million people would not be able to escape together, making the scene resemble the one which the Lich had predicted. It would not matter how fast the Scholar worked; 12 hours alone would still not be enough to save everyone.

However, Gouve had the sky.

At the King's command, the sky suddenly darkened as a blanket of skycruising rays hovered above the formation. Each ray had at least a dozen passengers on its back, and they fell into orderly line columns according to their individual heights, leaving the air above the transporter became completely packed with skycruising rays.

Due to the Gouvian ecosystem, a skycruising ray was very prolific in every household in the society. Almost everyone owned a ray of their own, which they rode to join the Harvest Festival. Even if the rays were terrified, they would not flee too far from their masters. Hence, when the disaster struck, the beasts took to hovering in the sky above the capital city.

Baiyi had noticed the rays earlier. This tied into his plan to use the airspace to travel. Land travel would not be enough to save everyone, so there had to be a way to place some of them in the sky.

That was another one of Laeticia's missions. When she had calmed the public down, she had helped them find their rays.

The transporter portal was designed specifically for emergency purposes. Its width was the size of two basketball courts, and after activation, the transporter portal formed a gigantic cube with a height so tall, it went way into the sky. Anything that was caught within the cube would be included into its massive trans-realm transportation spell. Hence, using the air above the transporter was reasonable because everyone would be able to fit in.

The skycruising rays were not the only beasts for humans to ride on. The dragon knights and griffin riders could only carry some extra passengers on their back, but their most important purpose, at that very moment, was to fasten lassos over the rays that were too slow so that they could drag them into the transporter formation territory.

The sorcerers and mages who were on the ground also helped by releasing wind magic, drawing the wind to propel the rays in the direction of the dragon knights and griffin riders. The physical fighters, who were not able to help as much as they had hoped, mimicked the dragon knights' actions. They lassoed the rays and sprinted, dragging them quickly, improving the efficiency of their escape.

These were all Baiyi's plans. He had made sure that every part of the plan was accounted for, and at this moment, all they had to do was watch it work. This was the reason why the Lich had to begrudgingly admit defeat. The King had also lost every reason to doubt or disrespect Baiyi's capabilities.

With a foolproof plan like this, how could this mass evacuation not be successful?

"Okay, this plan is crazy!" The King blurted out, upon watching one of the strongest commanders of his royal guards drag five rays towards the transporter formation, making the guard's face and neck redden from the effort.

"What about the authorities in Isythre…?" The King furrowed his brow as his mind wandered.

The last time they contacted Isythre to request for help, their ally had not expected the number of people coming in to be this massive. Ten million refugees would have been acceptable, but when they heard that the number of refugees to be saved could reach hundreds of millions, Isythre was thrown into a daze.

The Sorcerer Association had hastily dispatched three almost-hermit-like Holy-level sorcerers to move the Isytherian side of the transporter portal to the Great Gobi Desert, which was located in the west of the Southern Land. Meanwhile, the military and the Church of Isythre rushed to the receiving portal, without rest. Even the Emperor of Walthart had not slept a wink; he summoned all of his trusted advisors, politicians, and vassals for an emergency conference for their impending refugee influx.

"They're saved, of course. But, what about us?" King Rowan muttered as he stared at the commoners on top of the rays, watching their faces beam with joy. Then, he turned his gaze to down to his vassals, and seconds later, he took off his own crown and examined it intently.

He had a feeling that he will soon not be king anymore.

The King's melancholy did little to hinder the migration. Excluding a few unplanned mishaps, most of the process was very smooth, to the point that they were ahead of their schedule. After the very last batch of refugees were safely sent off, there was still an hour left before the total collapse of the capital city island. The feat was already very outstanding.

"Alright. Let's go."

The Soul Armature took the girls with him and walked towards the transportation portal.

Rays of light tore through the collapsing sky. Little Mia, who was still in a daze, looked up and watched the Gouvian sunrise from the horizon. It was so dazzling. It was the last time she could ever see a sunrise in Gouve.

Baiyi was not the last to leave, however.

Behind them, a few men — who all belonged to the noble families — were still grabbing every valuable and treasure they possessed. They even snatched up possessions that had been left by those who had already escaped!

The treasure boxes were too taxing to bring along, but these people just could not let them go.

Of course, Baiyi did not give a damn about the misers of the world. If they wanted to die with their money, that would suit him just fine.

"Ho ho ho! The location has been changed to the Great Gobi already? Gosh, gotta praise that speed, man!" Baiyi exclaimed quite cheerfully after exiting the transporter portal.

However, the situation was out of control. The refugees were running riot everywhere; screams and cries reverberated across the desert, and countless skycrusing rays filled the Southern Land's sky, completely blocking out the sun. It was worse than before they had left Gouve.

The pitiful Walthart soldiers, who were garbed in their military armors, were already nursing migraines from trying to keep things under control.

'Nah. I don't care.' These after-credit issues were not Baiyi's to handle anyway. He led the girls through the chaos, determined to give them a good night's rest. The poor children had stayed up all night! Whatever needed to be discussed could be done after a good rest.

He whistled, and a griffin zipped down, flapping its powerful wings. The girls who felt so tired that they almost fall asleep while standing were lifted up onto the griffin.

They fell asleep as soon as they got to sit on something.

Just as Baiyi was about to climb aboard the griffin, he heard a very soft cry behind him:

"Master Hope?"

He turned. Aya was standing bashfully before him; her face was bathed in a sort of girlish sheepishness. However, her eyes were different; they were brimming with determination. It was as if she had made up her mind about something.

"Ha! Looks like everyone's in one piece, after all. Not bad, huh?" Baiyi replied, grinning slyly as he waved his ice-chunk of a left arm in greeting.

Aya took a large, courageous step forward towards the Soul Armature. "Thank you, Master Hope. Thank you for saving us all."

She gently placed a hand on her chest and the other behind her back. Her watery eyes gazed deep into Baiyi's…

He felt her fiery passion, and it was starting to embarrass him a little again. "Oh! Er, glad to help. Yea, glad to help."'Didn't you switch back to formalities already? …What's with this now?'

"Mr. Hope, I know you're probably worn out, but I… There are some things in my chest that I must let out." Aya tilted her head downwards slightly, attempting to slow down the speed at which her face was reddening.

Then just as quickly, she raised her head. Her eyes contained emotions so strong, anyone could tell exactly what they were. "May I express my feelings?"

What could the Fifth Walker do at this point? He only nodded.

"Mr. Hope, I really like you."

Aya looked up at him and brought her palms together before her chest. Her face held an earnest expression and was fresh with candor.

Chaos continued to ensue around them, yet as the sun rose and shone, brightening up a side of their faces, the stiff confession was suddenly filled with a hazy air of affection.

"Aya… you know, don't you? I —" Baiyi was just starting to explain himself when the girl gently placed her hand on his mask, cutting his sentence off.

"I know." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

"I know you can't feel the same for me, but it's alright," she added, softly, allowing herself to be pushed forward by the sudden momentum of courage, and she pressed herself into his embrace until her forehead was resting on his chest plate.

"I like you, and that's all that matters."

Baiyi sighed. What else could he say?

"If you could, would you hug me? Jus—just think of this as a request from a despicable flirt who has no knowledge of boundaries…" Aya said very quietly after she summoned another bit of courage.

Baiyi nodded and hugged her gently.

Her ears were still teary, but her lips curled into a contented smile. She closed her eyes tight and placed her hands on his chest.

Wearing a pair of black heels, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his mask.

"Thank you, Mr. Hope."

The girl turned and ran, leaving a trail of tears behind her, until she became a silhouette in the distance.

Baiyi wanted to stop her from leaving, but he was equally lost on how to do that. When he had extended his hand to grab her, all he saw was a long chunk of ice, which her tears had dripped on.

The Voidwalkers understood that he was having a complicated moment and supported him with their silence; each feeling sad for the dragon girl on their own.

Only one voice, like a whisper, remained in Baiyi's ears. It was the oft-taciturn Warrior.

"Did she smell good?"

"Mm."

"Was she soft?"

"Mm."

"...Hmph!"

"Hey now! It's nothing… like what you are thinking! I can explain!" Baiyi tried to clarify, but the Warrior went quiet. He tried to poke her with his consciousness, but she slapped the poke away instead.

'What can I even do?' Baiyi had no idea.

After a while, the Warrior spoke again.

"What is it that you like about her? Soft and cute? Docile?"

"No, nothing like that —"

"Is it the golden-blond hair? Is it the horsetail? Is it the black half-transparent long dress?"

"Don't fixate on the details! And… as I said, it's nothing like what you're thinking!"

"Hmph!"

This time, the Warrior stayed quiet.

'The mind of this sprite-like lady is truly unfathomable…'So they are all gonna be beamed up!Gosh. This… This sounded so familiar. I wonder…? Will the aftermath be a mirror of our world…?]

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230 The Old Geezer Cheats Again!

Just like that, under Baiyi's care, the girls headed to the closest city atop the back of a slow griffin, whose owner was unknown. On their way, they met some of the patrolling mages, who halted them and questioned them. They let pass them through when they learned of Baiyi's title.

After an unimportant but eventful journey, Baiyi brought the sleeping girls out of the Mage Tower in Arfin city, then returned to the Aegis Mansion with a hired carriage.

The place was clean because they had hired someone to clean the house before they left.

The girl themselves could not care less about hygiene, though. They were so tired that they skipped bathtime and went to their own rooms. After a slip and a fall, they fell asleep — literally.

It could not be helped; Baiyi had to sit at the side of their bed with a warm towel and scrub off the dirt from their face, hands, and legs. He spent more time on their face because he was poking their cheeks and playing around with their faces. When he was done, he covered them with their blanket.

Then he went to the yard, and from his stomach, he took out his potted plants and placed them back in their own place.

After all of these important chores, he crossed the mansion and went to his lab, where dust had mercilessly accumulated because he had banned every servant from going there.

He melted the ice chunks on his body, then he washed the lab.

However, as soon as he melted the ice, the parts of his body that it was holding together immediately clanged down onto the floor like a metallic shower. He had to clean the lab while picking up his own mask, gauntlets, tassets, and such that had fallen onto the floor.

The scene did look a bit like something straight out from a horror movie.

In the end, the almost-all-parts-missing Fifth Walker had to sit on a chair and repair his body. He placed the scattered metals back into place as though they were puzzle pieces — but somehow, for whatever reason, it seemed like there were far more bolts and nails than he had expected, and he had no idea where they had fallen off from. It was awkward just to place all of them there.

Of course, in his storage pouch there was another set of armor — the obsidian one, and honestly, the worth of that set was much more valuable than the set of mithril armor that Baiyi had been wearing. For example, it was so much sturdier.

The thing was that Baiyi had very little interest in changing into a body made of that material. He was so placid about it that he had procrastinated fixing it for a long period of time, and it was still not completed.

He was certain that he would always be a sorcerer, so obsidian — with their stellar magic-absorbing property—would affect his spell or magic. He really had no desire to put that on, so he began to consider just selling off the set.

'Uh, I remember that it is hard to sell it, too. Let's just keep it for any Walker I release in the future.'

"Alright, alright! Quit being such a bore, Sir Hope! We just saved 100s of millions of people! It is our time to kick back and have fun, right? Come on, let's celebrate!" the Blacksmith said. "Time for another MMORPG, right?"

'Well, he's not wrong. Time to relax a little.'

Baiyi reclined on the chair, placing his legs on top of the lab table — assuming the universal pose attributed to "relax". In the Void, he had started building the world where their next game was gonna be hosted in…

Since that they had just gone through an exciting and nerve-edging real life exodus, most of the Voidwalkers were looking to recreate that sense of tension and unrest over one's own life, so they decided on a battle royale game. More specifically, Baiyi created a game similar to Playerunknown's Battlegrounds; the Voidwalkers were tossed out of a plane and into an empty ghost city. To survive, they had to collect all sorts of weapons, bullets, and supplements in order to fight other Walkers.

To restrict the participants choice of movement and survival strategies, Baiyi even created an endemic lethal gas attack that spread every once in a while, so there were less safe zones in the game, forcing the Walkers to fight each other even more frequently.

About 20 or so Walkers had joined in the game — except those who were sleeping and those who never had any interest in playing, almost everyone had joined in. It seemed that everyone was really enjoying themselves.

Of course, as the game was designed to be a sandbox, the number of players were too few for the game to be more exciting. So Baiyi had created some NPC to join in the fray as well.

The game had not gone on for long when the system sent out a notification that the Archmage had been crushed to death under a truck driven by an NPC. Behold, the first to be kicked out of the game!

This is one embarrassing teacher I have here.

After a while, Baiyi saw that the Caveman had a gigantic saber in his arm as he courageously leaped onto the Scholar, who in turn was holding a shotgun. This battle should have had a foregone conclusion, but after a few seconds — the Scholar had died.

'Hey Scholar, were you holding a fire poker that just happened to look like a gun?'

Later on, a few more Voidwalkers were eliminated. Some Voidwalkers were like the Caveman; they had no liking towards guns and similar machinery, and from this group, some were just, well, idiots who had no idea how guns work.

For instance, the Shadow and the Cleric, who both eventually met each other. These two Church-based Walkers immediately prepped to launch into a gunfight to the death; however, neither had any ammo in their guns, so after they had pointed their guns at each other's chest and pulled the trigger, firing off literally nothing, the Paladin, who wore the most durable bulletproof vest and helmet, zipped into the scene, riding on a heavy motorbike, and —

He killed two birds with one vehicle.

"Ahahaha! My awesome presence has me reminiscing my old, glorious days!" Biker Paladin bellowed as he visualized the bulletproof vest and the helmet as his old armor set, and the bike as his old faithful horse. He was jubilant as he plowed through the plains with his bike, remembering his good old days.

Then his bike suddenly hit a bump, flew into the air and flipped 360 degrees, causing the Paladin to fall off from the bike — to his death.

The winners of the game were, without a doubt, the NPCs. The Voidwalkers were terrible in their performance. Only a few of them performed slightly better: the Blacksmith and the Engineer, who both already had interests and knowledge in human inventions, and the Assassin herself, who had an advantage because of her skill in ambush and hiding. At least these three had actually managed to defeat a few NPCs before dying, unlike the others who had all been massacred.

Faced with their pathetic report card, the Voidwalkers refused the result, stating that they were just testing the water. They were gonna show their true power in the second round!

And still, the first to get booted off in the next round was the person who the world had recognized as the Most Powerful Emperor in History, Sir "Sage-Emperor of the Magi"; he did not die because of a car crash this time, but something even less dignifying…

As the Archmage was searching for items, he did not notice the Hitman who had approached him. The Hitman had no weapon to kill his prey with, so he… well — he hit his target with his bare fist, many, many times.

All the Archmage did at that time was ask, "Hey! Is my character bleeding or something? Am I being attacked?"

Then, he died. He became the first and only person that the Hitman had killed in an attempt that almost resembled an actual assassination rather than direct confrontation.

To be killed by the Hitman who had never even succeeded in killing anyone covertly was one of the least dignifying things anyone could think of.

After finally completing his first ever kill without anyone realizing it was him, the Hitman laughed hard into the sky, "I did it, Ma! Did you see? Hahahahhahah!"

Fueled by the fact that the one he had just killed was none other than the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, he procured a lot of weapons and hid in one of the tall bushes, waiting for his second prey.

Very soon, the Soul Armature Practitioner, who wore a stuffed backpack and had an auto rifle in hand, appeared in proximity.

He suddenly fired off a barrage of bullets into the bushes in front of him and ran away. As he fled, the Soul Armature Practitioner was muttering to himself, "Why the hell did I even do that? I just… I just felt like someone was hiding in the bushes…?"

With a dozen bullets lodged in his body, the Hitman died bitterly with regrets.

Aside from little mishaps like these, the Voidwalkers did show much more promise this time around. At least, they now knew how to avoid and retaliate against the low-level AIs of NPCs. Even the book smart-and-not-street smart representative, the Scholar, managed to retaliate against an NPC for a while.

Very soon, it was obvious that a few Walkers were meant to play games like these—such as the Blacksmith and the Assassin. In the end, the Assassin beat the Engineer with a very slight margin.

The Archmage was restless as he watched. He poked Baiyi secretly and whispered, "My beloved student! Are you really contented with seeing your beloved master get destroyed like this?"

'Who would have thought you're such a noob?' Baiyi thought.

"I'm just bad at single combats, okay! Why, as you know, back when I—"

'I know I know, okay? Gods, let's just continue,' Baiyi replied in his mind helplessly.

He did understand that the Archmage was never used to fighting alone. He had never had a Mano A Mano with anyone in his life. The Archmage had always been surrounded by all kinds of powerhouses, so if anything went south, the Archmage and his powerhouse allies would just gang-banged the shit out of the opponents.

Baiyi didn't consider that a problem or anything; it was just something that would be more advantageous in real life. Why would anyone even consider a one-on-one duel of honor or whatever? Plus, he was an emperor. What kind of people would want to fight the emperor?

With that, Baiyi decided to help his teacher. He secretly rigged the NPCs' actions so that they would secretly protect the Archmage, and allow him to obtain as much resources as possible. Hence, with the help of the NPCs, the Archmage was finally faring much better in the game…

'What else can I do? He's my teacher.'

And then the Archmage and the NPCs met the Warrior.

'Now what am I gonna do — ?!' Baiyi was thrown into a dilemma. 'Who do I help?'

All it took was that one second of hesitation, wherein the NPCs stood idle, for the Warrior to fire off one lone, far-ranged shot at the Archmage. Boom, headshot, Archmage died, and she left.

'Dude? Can you play this game in a stealthier way? Must you prance about on the streets?'

Then, the Archmage, who was fresh out of the game — again, bitterly complained to Baiyi, "No! This woman is a no!"

'What no?! I was even helping you in secret, yet you still sucked. Now it's someone else's fault because they're good?'

"You! Are! My! Heir to the throne! But this woman—she's too wicked; she's too sly, and she cannot be the empress!"

'W-what empress? Is this old geezer finally having dementia or something? His sentences don't even make sense! First, what heir? You don't even your country anymore!'

'And also, how was the Warrior wicked and sly? You're not being fair here, old man!'

Baiyi was obviously messed up by the Archmage's rant, which made him remember the Warrior's previous exchange with him. With these thoughts in his head, he did not even pay attention to the winner of the third round.Speeding, or because of race? Drunk driving? Hahaha.…. see the section 'TL musings'.

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231 Give Up That Unrealistic Dream Of Yours

The girls were only able to get up lazily from their beds late that night. Without a care for how inappropriately they were dressed, the girls picked up some underwear and headed to the bathroom in giggles, completely ignoring Baiyi, who had just come out from the laboratory when he heard the noise.

Moments later, more bursts of girlish giggles could be heard from the bathroom. The ongoing conversation could be faintly heard:

"Speaking of which, when I was sleeping, I felt someone poking my face..."

"Me too, it felt like someone was rubbing my leg... was it just an illusion? Maybe we were too exhausted, so our minds played tricks on us..."

Baiyi immediately left the house to get dinner for the girls…

When he returned, the girls were done with their bath. Their faces had been stained red by the steam from their bath, and they lazily slung themselves over the sofa in the living hall. Fresh out of the shower, the blush had stretched across their bare, fair skin; it had been brought to the surface of their skin by the heated water from earlier. Feeling very comfortable at home, without many clothes on, this alluring spectacle was boldly displayed before Baiyi.

"Cough, cough... someone from the restaurant will be delivering dinner in a while; perhaps, you should put on more clothes..." said Baiyi awkwardly as he swiftly pulled his gaze away from Mia's body. He had no idea what was wrong with the little rascal; she had wrapped her entire body around Attie. With their limbs intertwined, Mia was rubbing against her face against Attie's. The two girls — the scent and charm of ebony and ivory — were entangled and intertwined in such a way that the scene was too... indecent to look at.

Thank heavens that only Baiyi alone was allowed to savor this side — or sight… of them. Upon hearing that someone would be coming over, they quickly scurried upstairs to put on proper clothing. A while later, a marvelous spread was served on the dining table in the hall.

Baiyi sat next to Mia as the girls happily dug into the feast, and he helped to cut up the lamb chop — which was an absolute favorite of the girls — into smaller pieces and placed a piece into everyone's plate. As he busied himself, he took the opportunity to give an overall compliment. "Everyone performed very well this time! You have all worked hard; I am incredibly proud of you."

"Although Master said we saved the lives of a hundred million people, but... why don't I feel...anything?I only remembered that I was just following Sharky's guidance, focusing on weaving the spell..." Tisdale confessed in a humble manner.

"I also think that... I didn't do much," echoed Mia. 'Why does it feel like... there was nothing deserving of this praise?'

"It's impossible for one person to pull off such a feat, so everyone's effort is significant. This victory belongs to everyone — so, of course, the glory belongs to everyone, as well!" Baiyi said positively towards the Mia and Tisdale.

"Is that so? The fact that I helped everyone... that's something worth being happy about, I suppose, especially being able to do so with Sir Hope!" cried Mia happily.

'Such a well-behaved girl!' Listening to Mia's joyful ramblings, Baiyi warmly caressed her head, causing Tisdale who was standing beside her to put on hopeful expression as well. Hence, Baiyi stood between them and caressed their heads at the same time –

smiles of satisfaction and joy broke out on their faces simultaneously.

Sometimes all it took was one or two compliments or a heart-warming action for one to experience the little pleasures in life. Thus, the banquet which held after a week in celebration of the realm's victory paled in comparison to this warm family dinner.

Baiyi and his family had no choice but to attend the banquet, not because it was a special invite not from mere aristocrats, but because the invite had come from Rowan himself, so they had to show some form of courtesy by showing up. The girls seemed very worked up over the event — except Attie — because they had never had the opportunity to attend a royal affair like this.

However, their nervousness did not stop them from dressing magnificently. They were easily the center of attention during the banquet.

King Rowan was the first person Baiyi encountered during the banquet. Technically speaking, he should be addressed as 'Prince Rowan' instead... The fact that the Walthart Emperor had acknowledged him as a prince of a different surname, it was not hard to guess what kind of political deals were going on behind the scenes. A hundred million lives in exchange for a title of prince; it seemed a little feudal, but this deal was a bloody loss no matter how it was perceived.

In this world, the population was a highly important capital. In a society void of professions — and one where magic was not used in production — manpower was a highly sought-after resource. Furthermore, this band of refugees were not just humans that merely reproduce and collapse, most of them consisted of sturdy, young men. Hence, excluding the ones recruited into the infantry, the remaining refugees were eyed hungrily by every single aristocrat as extremely prized possessions.

If it was not for negotiation successfully bargained between the Emperor and the kingdom, the refugees could have been treated as slaves instantly, loaded up the carts like cattle and be readied to be auctioned. Instead, they were given proper identification as recognized citizens of the land.

Meeting Rowan for the second time, the scene got a little awkward. To be honest, a prince-titled, marquis-ranked noble like him was nothing compared to Baiyi — a hero who had saved the world twice. Baiyi might be a commoner without any flashy titles and ranks, but he was someone admired and respected by the dignitaries. Hence, during this encounter, Prince Rowan initiated the pleasantries as a form of respect.

"No matter what it was, you still protected your people, Your Highness. That was an unexpected tragedy, it was no one's fault." Baiyi was totally uninterested in power. He did not put on the arrogance of a savior; instead, he offered his condolences and patted the Prince Rowan's shoulder in an amicable manner

Baiyi's congeniality stemmed unrealistic ideas in the Prince's heart. After exchanging more pleasantries, he steered the topic of discussion towards the direction of marriage.

"Over there — that's my youngest son, Jerincho Rowan." With a glass of wine in hand, Prince Rowan pointed towards a handsome boy who was in the middle of entertaining other dignitaries. "He is quite outstanding... being able to blend in the circle of nobles so quickly," said the Prince, with a hint of cockiness.

'What's this trash up to? He wouldn't mean to have me take that lad under my wing, would it? No offense, boys are not welcomed... no, not even lads dressed as girls!' Baiyi mulled as he listened on.

Prince Rowan babbled on and on, and his gaze never ceased to linger on Baiyi's girls from time to time. Furthermore, he emphasized greatly on how his 'Prince' title was hereditary; how it might not render unlimited power like Gouve's, but it was still considered the most influential amongst the aristocrats. He went on to hint not-so-subtly that he still held significant influence over the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns, and last but not least, he mentioned how his loyal guards had managed to salvage most of the treasure during the evacuation, obviously flaunting his wealth.

At the end of the end — finally — he proposed the idea of marriage. "Just think about it, Sir Hope, we should allow the youngsters from both sides to mingle around more, eh? This would definitely bring us both..."

After Prince Rowan revealed his true intentions, Baiyi was no longer interested in listening further. Placing both his palms on each side of the Prince's shoulders, Baiyi stared directly into his eyes as he made his message loud and clear, uttering each word intelligibly.

"Listen up, give up this unrealistic dream of yours — do NOT come and disrupt my students, or else, be prepared to witness an apocalypse even worse than the last..."

After delivering his message, he turned on his heels and left the scene with the girls.

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232 Not Really A Position For Me

"Father? Father!"

The youngest son, the pride of Prince Rowan, shook his father's shoulders hard.

The newly-titled Prince finally roused from his fear-induced trance and trembled. He used to palm to rub his forehead, then he stared at the palm. The skin was soaked in glistening cold sweat.

"Father, what happened?" The young prince asked.

The Prince shook his head. The terror was still lingering within his heart. He thought he had seen everything under the sun, including an Armageddon, so he was logically immune to every sort of mortal terror — but that was not the case at all.

When Baiyi had made his rejection clear, Prince Rowan felt like an ant facing an ancient, towering mountain.

He gulped even more wine, letting it slush and whirl within his belly in order to ease himself. As his color returned to his face, he fell into a deep contemplation, 'Just who is Master Hope? Why does he emit a mien far more lethal than death?'

"F-father! What really happened? I saw you talking to Master Hope merrily, and suddenly, I found you like this. Are you feeling unwell?"

"Rest your head; I'm well," The Prince tapped the back of his son's hand, feigning his composure.

"So, how did the talk go? About my marriage," The young prince asked.

As one of the best the royal family, Young Prince Jerincho Rowan had invested extensive and long thoughts into the matter of his own marriage. He never chose his partner on any basis that was not about benefits. He believed that in order to have a strong standing among the Walthart ruling court, his father would use him through some sort of political marriage, or even have him marry into the wife's family.

When he had heard that his partner was to be one of Master Hope's students, he was relieved. In fact, he was a little excited.

The young prince Jerincho knew that he ever had a connection with a powerhouse like Master Hope, the other nobles and politicians would then mean nothing. A connection like this would add merits directly to the family base power, acting as a key factor to the family's ability to stand out from others. This would be more dependable than mere political marriage.

Plus, look at the students under Master Hope's tutelage! They were all beauties in their own rights, and each of them brought a special brand of countenance with them. If he could, he would not mind starting a harem with all four of them!

However, if the Young Prince Jerincho was compelled to only choose one, he would choose the maiden who could sprout wings behind her back; she must be deeply connected with the Church, so if he could get her, he would be on good terms with the Church. If it was not for his father's specific warning not to act recklessly, he would have stuck out his tongue and done everything he could to court her!

Too bad, reality had shown that the Young Prince had been dreaming too much. There was no longer a talk. Since Prince Rowan and Baiyi both understood their own positions, none of them decided to pursue the matter any more than they already had.

Prince Rowan had already decided that even if he could not make a close friend, he would not make a new enemy, either. Thus, he looked at the young Prince Jerincho and commanded, "Never ever talk to those girls, understand? Don't even look at them longer than you are allowed!"

"F-father…?" The Young Prince looked at his father in confusion. He had no idea why the man had done a great 180 on this issue.

Then it hit him; he said it out loud, "So… So that Hope rejected us? A civilian like him rejected an offer of marriage from a Prince?"

"If it was just a clean rejection it would have been much better," Prince Rowan smiled mirthlessly. Baiyi had not just rejected him — he had threatened Prince Rowan! Of course, not that it was something he could not do; after all, the same man threatened the entire country right in front of him and his vassals. Therefore, threatening a Prince alone would have been easy for him.

"Just remember: never treat him as another mere civilian. You must remember! Or else, I fear something worse than death may await you," Prince Rowan gave a foreboding warning to his son.

This royal family seemed to have placed Baiyi on a pedestal, but the sentiment was hardly returned. Baiyi could not even care less about an emperor, so what's a prince to him? He never had seen the values in authorities like these.

Most of the Voidwalkers seemed to approve of the Prince, though.

"Hey, that guy's pretty good! I mean, look at him — he did not wet his pants when faced with your true mien, so I gotta commend his bravery," the Thane commented. "Looks like he has seen some shits before."

"Hee hee. I count him lucky that Hope's in a good mood today, or a royal head would have rolled for daring to plan a political marriage with Baiyi's girls," the Shadow added teasingly.

"Hey, that's what a king does," Baiyi replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I'm very good at deals…"

Just as the Fifth Walker was engaged in some quarrel with the other Walkers, the crier had started announcing the arrival of Emperor Walthart the Third.

The entire room fell silent, and all eyes were strained respectfully towards the young man striding in.

This was also the first time Baiyi had seen the Emperor. He did not expect the Emperor to be this young. Upon hearing his name, especially "the Third" attached to the title, Baiyi realized that this young empire had already outlived two emperors.

The average life expectancy of this universe was lower than Earth's, but for those who are powerful — or those aided by powerful fighters — they could easily survive and reach one to two hundred years. The Walthart empire had only been established for about two centuries, yet this Emperor was already the third one. That was even more frequent than the change of chief in a normal noble family!

According to formal history and other apocryphal, Walthart the First died not long after he was crowned the emperor, with the injuries and diseased sustained during his long years of conquest being cited as the cause of his death. Meanwhile, the Second was not a fighter on his own, as his hobbies were poems and arts. He died young by indulging in too many vices, and so the throne was passed to this man seen today.

Fortunately, many of the vassals who had helped establish the empire, except for Vidomina's father The Duke of Wright, was still alive and kicking — some were even capable of exchanging meaningful glances with a few of the noble ladies in the banquet today — so the empire was still strong.

Additionally, with the recent rise in the population due to the migrants, including the trades and talents the migrants brought along with them, any analyst would predict a new wave of propitious growth for the nation.

Hence, the young emperor was in an exceptionally great mood at this moment. He didn't even care that his presence had stiffened some of the liveliness of the banquet because when one is happy and they knew it, they could do whatever they wanted.

He even took it as his role to thank everyone who had participated in the refugees' rescue effort, making it seem as if he was already their ruler, and there was nothing inappropriate in his speech.

"Alright, now where's the hero who saved a realm yet again? Show yourself, Master Hope!" The emperor heartily bellowed as he stood in the middle of the banquet.

Baiyi thought the man was quite the imbecile. However, he responded out of courtesy anyway, leading his students to move from their corner towards the center stage.

The crowd roared in amazement. They were shocked at the shabby armor he was wearing and awed at how beautiful his students were.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hope!" The emperor took a glass from his servant and raised it high. "To our great hero!"

Other nobles imitated him, and everyone drained their glasses in one gulp. At the emperor's lead, the banquet erupted into thunderous applause.

Three of the girls were visibly uncomfortable with the occasion. They were flustered and anxious, but Attie was calmer. She stood by Baiyi's side in silence, gently rubbing her side on him.

After the applause died, the Emperor again took over the spotlight by lavishing praises on Baiyi, crowning him with so many titles, names and extolments, including: "very great man—very talented man; you're so talented, it's hard for one to believe" and such.

The Archmage could not resist dropping a remark about his fellow emperor's orating skill. With a serious tone, the Archmage said out loud, "Gosh, he can really make stories sound more charming, huh? I don't even think he is talking about you anymore!"

There was a hint of jealousy in his comment, of course. When he was emperor, the Archmage was not really known for his speeches and gab.

After the barrage of overexaggerated extolments, Baiyi felt his neck cracking under the weight of so many titles. Then, he heard the Emperor say, "So, Master Hope, what do you hope to achieve next? I'm very sure everyone here would love to know, too."

The room fell into silence upon his question. They looked alerted, even Prince Rowan, as they waited for his response.

Baiyi shrugged. "Nothing much. Teaching and spending time with the kids, I guess."

The Emperor thought he had heard Baiyi wrong. That answer had left the Emperor stunned. Furrowing his eyebrow, he analyzed Baiyi's reply, checking to see if that would bring any hidden implications to light. After a while, admitting there really was none, the young Emperor smiled in embarrassment and replied, "I have once heard that Master Hope was a man with little desire for fame and fortune. Today, I see the rumors are true."

"Yet, Master Hope," The Emperor said after a pause. "For a man with a power like yours, do you not think that you should serve larger causes? I respect your wishes, but Arfin city is quickly proving herself to be too small a stage for your greatness. So, tell me, what do you think about being the vice principal of the Royal Academy?"

The Emperor had ceased being flowery with his words and cut straight to the chase. As the word "Royal Academy" was uttered, the crowd exploded into a cry of awe.

It was obvious what this Academy was; Its students were either from the royal main and branch families or the very elite of all nobles. Being the vice principal would mean being the mentor for these future rulers of the empire—a connection even stronger than mere political marriages.

The emperor's intention was clear: he wanted to introduce Baiyi straight into the heart of the ruling class. A position like this was akin to the position of a duke — plus the countless benefits one could reap. Perhaps, even Prince Rowan himself would rather have that position.

Baiyi did not expect such a gift. He could bet that no one else in the room could offer something so remotely formidable. He initially thought he would just be gifted materially, and perhaps be bestowed with some title.

His heart was moved a little.

Using the position as a vice principal, he could easily charm the students in the academy with his charm and wits, turning them into his personal fan club. Furthermore, when these mindless fans grew up to become governors of the country, he could control them until he got close to the nucleus of the empire. And in the end, with all of the resources in his hand, he could finally free the Walkers out from the Void!

He really felt like giving it a shot.

However, it was just a passing thought. This idealistic path would never be as smooth when applied in reality. There were too many uncertainties, too many variables to account for, and if he made a slip, he would lose everything. The time and effort that would be spent was not worth the reward.

Plus, he might have to make decisions that would go against his will and belief — hell, accepting the offer would already be against his character.

Thus, after much thought, he shook his head sideways — to the shock of the attendants.

"Much gratitude for your offer, Your Highness, but I'm content with my current life."

The Emperor's face fell. He had not expected a no at all. "Master Hope, do you even comprehend the meaning of that position?"

"I can assure you that I do, Your Highness." Baiyi nodded. "However, I truly do not have the slightest interest in such matters. I hope Your Highness would understand that as everyone else has convictions that they cannot abandon, I have mine — and that's taking care of these kids."

He wrapped his arms around Mia and Tisdale's shoulders as if he was showing off his ownership of these four girls.

The Emperor furrowed his brows as if lost in thought. The other nobles were just as curious as they discussed quietly among themselves on Baiyi's choice.

After a long while, the Emperor nodded. "Alright. I respect your decision. Master Hope truly is Saint Noel's true friend. The two of you have no desire for material and fame."

'Fuck no! Who's this "true friend" of that gentleman? !— Not me! How the hell did my stupid fib spread all over the universe?!'

At this moment, almost everyone present felt pity for Baiyi's loss because he gave up such a prestigious position, except for a few pairs of eyes that were shining brightly at this revelation. The Church's people were beaming with admiration at Baiyi's character—just as the noble Saint Noel was imagined to be.

'He truly is the Apostle's kindred spirit. They even have the same personality!'

If Baiyi had read their minds, he would have jumped up and strangled them till the words died at their throats, probably. He would always deny having anything similar to that gentleman!

The Emperor cut off the gradually increasing noise stemming from the nobles' discussion. "It is understandable for Master Hope to reject my offer of position, but I sincerely hope that you would not do the same for my next gift, for it would give me a very difficult standing, you see…"Er, Ye Facebooke?

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233 Exquisite Taste in Women

After the Emperor had said those words, he snapped his finger, and a soft "hoy!" echoed from the crowd. Close to the entrance, people moved to a side, opening a path for a staff of servants carrying a long box draped in canvas.

The procession stopped in front of Baiyi, and the box was unloaded. The Emperor said nothing; he only mirthfully gestured at it.

Baiyi lifted the canvas, and somehow, triggered a mechanism in the box. The box's four sides fell one by one, revealing its content.

It was a set of silver-grey armor. Its craftsmanship was a paragon of aesthetic; graceful carvings were etched on its dazzling surface. A pair of small wings were carved on the shoulder plates, and even the gauntlets were not exempted from the dexterity of its maker as every finger boasted its own elegant marking.

These carvings were not only there to serve as decorations. They served a practical purpose because they followed a certain type of magical circuit, with certain crucial parts blank so that the user could make their own adjustment and calibration to personalize it with any specific magical enchantment.

If one carefully stared at the silvery-grey metal for long enough, they would notice a bright glow emanating out from the armor — for it was imbued with mana. If Baiyi was to highlight a flaw in this armor, it would be the mask. First, the mask was chiseled to look like a human's — or more specifically, a noble's — face; then the helm was quite edgy with its two long antlers stuck on either side, making it seem as if one could ram someone to death when wearing this. These parts combined with the tiny wings made the armor looked…. animesque.

Of course, these were such small bones to pick! Baiyi would not be stupid enough to let these little details disparage the value of this beauty. He stepped closer, and after a close examination, he said, "Augustril?"

Augustril was a special alchemical material, invented by one incredible pious alchemist on one incredibly pious day, out of a divine accident. The alchemist wanted to experiment on mixing all kinds of normal alchemical materials and those found in the church — holy water, holy ashes, votive candlewax, etc. — in a quest to create the most sacred of all materials. He realized that mithril had the best compatibility with these materials, and after combining them, the original magical property within mithril became greatly enhanced.

Feeling overjoyed, the man christened this composite material "Augustril", a name that annotates to the "sacred silver"— and then earned some earthly moolah from this.

The formula had since been reviewed and perfected throughout centuries, to the point that it no longer had its original holiness or religious undertone. The original Church materials used in the combination had since been replaced by better materials, and when they were combined with highly-concentrated mithril, an even more exceptional Augustril was created. The reason why the name stuck despite the absence of the "holiness" was out of respect for its originator.

Hence, the Augustril armor before Baiyi's eyes was the best armor for sorcerers. It was second only to the weapons and armors of fables and legends. If Obsidian armors were the best for physical fighters, then one could say that this very one is the most perfect for all sorcerers.

"Do you like it?" The Emperor popped up beside Baiyi. The Emperor believed, from Baiyi's attitude, that although Baiyi had no attachment to high-ranking positions or ruling power, he may still have a normal person's material leaning. This had greatly relieved the Emperor's stress, frankly, because the hardest gift to get is the to gift to a man with absolutely no desires.

"Truly magnificent," Baiyi replied earnestly.

"She's called 'The Sanctus'. She was made by the master of the dwarves in Marle, combined with our Isythrian alchemy—making it a product of the geniuses of two realms. A priceless item from my collection," the Emperor explained.

Baiyi had no reason to doubt him. Augustril may not be very expensive inherently, but crafting with the materials it contained required extreme skills. Besides, Augustril production was scarce because its production was completely monopolized by the empire. The common man or even the common noble would not be able to get it even if they had the money. It was hard to estimate its value.

Owning a set of armor made out of Augustril may not showcase one's financial capabilities, but it could easily lend its wearer prestige that could only be revealed to the trained eyes. That was the true value of the armor.

Of course, frankly, compared to the position of vice principal of the Royal Academy, the armor was still a little less valuable.

Baiyi had no care for those sorts of things. He just thought the Sanctus as an incredible boon for his role as a sorcerer. Prestige and names? He could gain those from other avenues.

"Now, she's yours." The Emperor clapped on his shoulder. "I know it's so insignificant, compared to the achievements you had made — and the lives you saved — when you'd saved two realms, but this is my sincere gift to show my gratitude — and, perhaps, a token of our mutual affection…"

'Why does this sound a little gay?'

Baiyi hurriedly thanked the Emperor. A gift like this was just the sort he would gladly accept.

A few royal sorcerers were summoned, and with Little Mia's cooperation, Baiyi managed to change into his new armor.

It was just as perfect as it looked. The Sanctus was even adjusted to the needs and characteristics of a Soul Armature, with additional parts being added into the internal structure. The flexibility of every ball and every joint was impeccable, and Baiyi did not even have to make any adjustments of his own.

Interestingly, the mask was made out of leathery silver. With the right magic imbued into it, the features of the face could actually change according to his expression!

The biggest show on the banquet was thus concluded. The Emperor then lavished the group with so much money and jewelry that even the girls had their own. The amount gifted to them was enormous. It was possible that the gifts were to compensate for the fact that they could not be bestowed with titles like duchess and ladies. In this empire, women could not be knighted as their titles are inherited, so the women who made contributions would usually have their family members bestowed with a title, or they could choose to be compensated materialistically.

It was a good thing the Emperor had not offered his sons' hands to the girls. He may have heard something about how badly that would go with Baiyi, and so he acted more wisely than Prince Rowan.

Afterward, the banquet went into the most boring and torturous part: chitchats among the aristocrats. These fat cows surrounded Baiyi and his students, greeting them or trying their hardest to come up with small talks. Some of them were even Dukes in their own rights, who all sought to hire Baiyi as their children's personal mentor, or their family advisor—but none was accepted.

He forced himself to brave the flood of nobles and gently let down their plans for him, while simultaneously watching those young nobles and their actions towards the four girls like a hawk. The Fifth Walker felt like he may have found one battle he had no firm chance of winning.

And it worsened.

A little girl, who looked even younger than Mia, donned a red dress and had her golden hair plaited. Her face brimmed with excitement and joy as she suddenly popped up from the crowd and hugged his thigh, crying, "Papa!"

It echoed through the hall, and everyone went quiet.

Baiyi was just as taken aback. He thought that some aristocrat might have plotted against him by sending a random kid to do this in front of the Emperor, but when he looked down — it was none other than Mordred.

"Papa, you look even more handsome-er!" Mordred grinned widely, baring her cute two fangs.

'So, anyone who's named Mordred would always be daddy-adhesive? You're latching yourself onto me because Aya's your mom instead of dad, right? I mean, look at me! I'd even changed my looks, so why the hell do I still look like your actual father?'

The crowd gave a collective sigh of shock. Little Mia, who remembered their conversation back then in the dragon knights' plain, was frantic. She hugged Baiyi tightly from the side and glared at Mordred vigilantly, without a shred of the sisterly closeness they used to exhibit — as if they were both fighting for something.

'Is she fighting for daddy, or fighting or something else entirely…?'

Just as everyone was starting to discuss the implications — such as the idea that maybe someone had invented magic for Soul Armatures to "plant seeds everywhere, and then abandon the wild flowers they had created; or, that someone had pulled out a dirty prank to insult the great hero—a very scarlet-faced Aya popped out from the crowd and yanked Mordred back behind her.

She looked at Baiyi with a pitiful expression, as if she was about to burst into tears right there and then.

"Mr. Hope I'm s-s-so, so sorry! Th-this kid refused to l-l-listen to me…" She stammered. She was so ashamed and frenetic that it was even more painful to see. She was even wearing that same, eventful black dress…

She had been invited to the banquet as well, it seemed. Perhaps she chose this dress again because Baiyi had stared at her longer than usual when she had put it on back then?

After the confession, the dragon-lady was so ashamed after she calmed down from her 'hormonal tide', she wished she could just run into a wall and die from of the concussion. Yet, she just had to see him again — a silhouette in the distance at the banquet.

She could not bring herself to greet him, even if Mordred obviously wanted that. She had held the girl tautly into place.

Until, she accidentally let go, and the kid went and did the unthinkable.

"I'm sorry, everyone. My child is young; she knows not what she says. I'm so sorry if she offended everyone," Aya apologized profusely to everyone in the hall, even dragging Mordred along and knelt before the Emperor.

"Bwahahahha! Oh, I've heard that kids love Master Hope, but I never knew that it was to this extent! Miss Aya, please rise. That was just a misunderstanding, wasn't it?" the Emperor replied heartily, helping the poor girl's case by standing on her side.

With the Emperor's words, the crowd was relieved. A few, however, could read into Aya's expression towards Baiyi, so they gave a very knowing glance instead.

When most of them discovered that Aya was a dragon, they were even more amazed. Master Hope, who seemed celibate, actually had such an exquisite taste in women…Whoaaaa! It's a Spider-Man mask! With the eyes actually enlarging or squinting at will!

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234 234. I Knew This Elder…

After the insolent brat Mordred threw a tantrum of that magnitude, Aya spent the remaining time in the banquet, hot-faced with embarrassment, next to Baiyi. To the rest of the people, this dragon lady still seemed pretty happy-go-lucky, although she had handled the previous situation quite poorly.

Aya actually thought of initiating a conversation with Baiyi, but the hesitation in her heart kept her back, and the few brave steps she took came to a stop almost immediately. It was Mordred who made her wish came true; by utilizing the opportunity provided by their crowded environment, Aya and Mordred were able to inch them closer to Baiyi, to the point where they look like his lady companions.

Mordred had a delighted look on her face as she happily embraced Mia. "Mia, we haven't met in a long time. I've missed you so much..." she whispered into Mia's ear.

Faced with Mordred's fondness, Mia could no longer maintain her anger and she caressed Mordred's face softly in return. "I missed you too..."

The little girls were so easy-going towards each other that it looked like they were related by blood. This made Baiyi feel even worse and conflicted. For some reason, Baiyi always thought he felt an intense gaze boring into him, causing him some discomfort... Furthermore, not forgetting the fact that he had to deal with these troublesome aristocrats, Baiyi was truly exhausted from this little adventure; it was so tiring to see this through till the end. He could barely wait any longer to teleport back to Aspen City.

Baiyi turned around after placing the extremely tired girls into the carriage, and he saw Aya gazing at him from the back, holding Mordred's hand in hers. Like a couple who had been together for a long time but had not spoken to each other for an equally long interval, he pondered for a while, finding barely anything to say, before he turned around once again.

Earlier, he had received news that the Brotherhood of the Fire Wyverns had been officially incorporated by Prince Rowan. They had even set up a base just at the perimeter of a medium-sized city located very close to the Eol Mountains. With the mountain range just directly behind them, they were located very close to the Dragon summit. It was a base for training the new recruits and trying our new combat strategies. The kingdom would possess an extremely powerful army in no time. Judging by the rank given to her within the Brotherhood, Aya would certainly be able to live a good life.

"How have you been after all this time? How did you find your new place?" asked Baiyi.

"It's alright..." Aya smiled in lightly in response.

"Just thinking and missing you a lot..." added Mordred at one corner, triggering a pinch on her cheek by an enraged Aya, who then shooed her into the carriage.

When she returned, Aya felt a little more embarrassed. With both hands behind her back, she tried her best to explain. "Sir Hope, please do not misunderstand... I did not teach her such things! Somehow, she believed that you're her father due to that pleasant scent you have on you..."

"Oh?" Baiyi was stunned. 'What kind of scent do I have? The scent of lubricant? That should not be it... why would Mordred find that scent pleasant? Unless she was a lock piece, but obviously she wasn't one. A scent that would entice a dragon... perhaps it might be some sort of aura emitted by the summoning of dragons during the Armageddon?'

He roused the Third Walker who was not asleep yet. "Your daughter?" asked Baiyi.

"Now where did that come from! Look how old she is! How old am I! Can't you put two and two together to figure that out?" retorted the Third Walker.

"Well, it's hard to tell, knowing that you had countless offspring out of wedlock," accused Baiyi.

Most of the Voidwalkers were quite private about their personal affairs. Like the Scholar, many were single for life; the Soul Armature Practitioner, Bard, and the Third Walker were exceptions, and among the three of them, the Third Walker led the most notorious, indecent lifestyle. He had acted as though he took the role of a breeding stallion. Oh no, the correct term should be — a breeding dragon.

"Well, it's not like you're not aware that I was quite the Casanova back in those days, but really, she's just too young to be my daughter. Perhaps, she might be a descendant from god-knows whichever bloodline of mine?

This just made the situation worse. If those years of sexual philandering was to be accounted into this discussion, it would just be equivalent to counting the many branches of a huge tree; the results would be futile, for it would be impossible to obtain an accurate number.

"You could start by asking what breed of dragon she is, perhaps?" The Third Walker suggested.

Baiyi inquired, and Aya pondered for a moment before saying, "She is of the white dragon breed, I think? However, she's a little different, though. Maybe, she's a mix-breed? But she doesn't have any special abilities..."

This issue just got even more muddled. To put the outcomes from cross-breeding simply, it was possible for the offspring to inherit both the parents' abilities, or inherit the ability of just one parent; or they could turn out to be useless, low-tiered crossbreeds with no abilities at all. According to the Third Walker's knowledge on the dragonkin, the higher-tiered dragons were the result of mixed-breeding between common dragons. They were the offspring with high-quality genetics after many years of intensive cross reproduction.

At least, offspring could not be produced between man and dragon, or even between man and goat; at least this law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would be filled with confusing, cross-bred creatures

This law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would have been plagued by a genetic calamity.

Well, the mystery behind Mordred's life simply could not be investigated further. Honestly, there was no real priority or significance behind the issue that begged to be resolved. Possessing or not possessing the Divine Dragon's blood did not make much of a difference, however, for there was only one vacancy for that.

"Well, no matter what it is, she's a descendant of mine; the only one I've seen so far. Take care of her for me, would you?" the Third Walker added, nonetheless.

'She is already under the care of an excellent mother, so why should I worry about this? Hell knows if I'll end up looking after the mother, too! Speaking of which, did you ever think of looking after your descendants, when you were busy spreading your seed all those years ago?'

"Aye, back in those days, I was young and carefree. I could hardly control my darkest desires, and all these were mistakes of my youth. Now that I am at such an old age, there is so much I regret," said the Third Walker, in an increasingly soft volume as he sank into the depths of his distant memories, never to bring up the nonsensical commitment — taking care of his descendants — again.

In the present world, Aya captured this golden opportunity to bring up her million dollar question — her true agenda which had fueled her decision to come over tonight.

"Sir Hope, w-who... are you, really?"

Aya was actually quite afraid to ask this question, but she and her father were too curious for the truth. That night, the fact that Baiyi, an outsider, had commanded the dragons might have gone unnoticed by the other Dragon Knights, but they had witnessed the scene entirely. It was a question that surfaced quite a while ago, but it was never presented to Baiyi because they did not dare to, considering his identity and position in the current situation.

To the Dragonkind, questioning the Divine Dragon was equivalent to humans interrogating their king; most people would not dare to do such a thing. In the beginning, Aya thought Baiyi was the Divine Dragon himself, but after conducting some research during a visit to Isythre — which possessed the most advanced soul armature technology — only then did she find out that Dragonkind could not exist as Soul Armatures. This was the confirmation she needed before voicing her curiosities.

The fact that this dragon-lady had dared to inquire about this was truly out of Baiyi's expectations. He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to respond aggressively in the hopes that she abandon the thought, but he would feel bad if he bullied the poor girl who he had already rejected. After some consideration, he began to speak:

"To put it short, I've been to many places, and I've seen many things in the world, including mysterious beings and presences. However, there was one such being that left such an impressionable memory on me." Baiyi spouted out blatant lies as he rambled, complemented with an incredibly convincing expression of pondering etched on his faceplate. He spoke of how he met the Divine Dragon on a fated journey, and how they had exchanged drinks and ideas till dusk broke. Before he left, the Divine One had even taught him a few things.

"Y-you... encountered the Divine Dragon?!" Aya was beyond shocked at this point, after listening to the fantasies created by Baiyi. She never doubted an inch on its authenticity, so she was only completely blown away.

"Was he the legendary Divine Dragon? I don't know for sure. I only thought he was an incredibly strong and wise elder. Come to think of it, it was quite an honor," feigned Baiyi, feeding Aya with more lies.

"But, why would the Divine Dragon teach you Dragonverse, and the method of summoning dragons?" asked Aya curiously. She did not quite understand most of it.

Baiyi used it in a moment of panic. He was not even well prepared when he cast the spell. Now, he had been caught in an awkward situation where his actions were hard to explain. "I must say, I dare not doubt the views of such a magnificent being; he might have his own reasons..."

Aya tilted her head in an angle, wearing an expression like she was thinking very hard, but she came to no conclusion in the end. Just like what Baiyi had mentioned, and perhaps stemming from fear and respect, she did not dare to doubt the views of the Divine One himself, too. There were many holes in Baiyi's story, but she chose to believe them due to her feelings for him.

"You are amazing indeed, Sir Hope! You knew the Saints, and even the Divine Dragon! Your past life must be pretty exciting, huh?" Aya asked within her next breath.

"I was just loitering around. Just happened to meet a lot of people with the right stroke of luck," said Baiyi dismissively.

Actually, he felt a little wary whenever his past was brought up by others, out of curiosity, in most cases. "If you're so impressive, then you must be pretty famous in the past, huh? Then why haven't I heard of you?" These impossible-to-answer questions were never-ending. Baiyi could fool them by saying it was a misrecord of history, but this trick could only be used effectively two to three times at most, and he could not evade these questions forever.

He had considered this when he rejected the glamorous offer from the Royal Academy. How could they not look into his background if he were to apply for the important departmental roles? Thank heavens, now that he had a stable position, all he needed to do was to remain low-key to avoids these types of people, who loved to entertain themselves by asking these personal questions.

At this point, they were quite done with catching up, so both Baiyi and Aya bid their goodbyes and prepared to return home. As they separated from each other, Aya, who was standing by the carriage, turned around for the last time, and her gaze lingered on Baiyi's silhouette for a bit, before she called out softly, "Ah, Sir Hope, you look so handsome and good-looking right now..."

"Thank you," Baiyi replied without turning around. 'Does she possess a fetish for the antlers on the helmet?'

"Umm, about that... I am very glad that we got to catch up today, honestly. If there is a chance in near future, can we still meet each other? Mordred has also taken quite a liking to you..."

Baiyi still did not turn around, but he could picture the hopeful expression on Aya's face. He only nodded in reply.

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235 Baiyi’s Professional Accomplishmen

As soon as they got home, the little ones rushed to their beds impatiently and fell asleep almost instantly, while Baiyi returned to his laboratory alone to conduct a quick inventory count on the rewards given by the Emperor. Earlier, he had distributed some of the jewelry among the girls, so most of the leftover rewards were magical ingredients. The gold coins, however, was packed into a huge sack because he knew that if the little rascals got their hands on it, they would simply spend it on short skirts or cheap shoes, neither of which they would wear more than twice. How wasteful was that?

For the next few days, after rejecting countless offers and invitations from dignitaries around the world, Baiyi finally reverted to the calm routine he once had. One fine morning, as he was carefully watering the plants with a cat-shaped moneybox, he lamented to himself, "The flowers have blossomed, and the seedlings have already sprouted, but why hasn't the Academy reopened? The girls can't spend their time playing forever."

He was home alone today. The girls had left the house even before the sun is up. Although he had given them a limited amount of pocket money, he could not control Tisdale's finances. Her alchemy workshop was bustling with business as always, and a day's earnings were enough to guarantee a few days of entertainment for the girls.

"I hope they don't forget their evening lessons," said Baiyi, resuming his monologue. He placed the animal-shaped moneybox down, facing it towards the sun's direction, and returned to his laboratory to touch up his newly acquired armor. Although the workmanship on this set of armor was impeccable, they were still not up to his standards of inspection. Take the set of antlers for example; he had them fixed to the helmet with a retractable mechanism, and by imitating the anatomy of certain demons, he added on two energy-focusing enhancement spells to it.

With that, he could now retract the antlers with ease, so he would not have to destroy the arch of the doors whenever he passed through them; during combat, he could protrude them equally as fast in order to improve his sensory abilities.

This design concept was quite logical and reasonable, but why did he get the feeling like he resembled a cricket in it...

Regarding the rest of the upgrade, the chest plate was enhanced with a mana boost; the finger joints were solidified with everyday magic, and some shield enhancement plagiarised from Godsfall were secured onto his back. It would be hidden from sight by the hood weaved personally by Mia and the girls. Whenever it was required, the spell could be activated by a flip of the hood and proceed into the special formation. Whenever he is in this state, all hell would break loose.

He could transform with just a lift of his hood; how much more convenient could it get?! However, it was a pity that the area on the backplate was limited in space, for it could have accommodated additional runes. This defense shield in place would be slightly tighter, but it should be sufficient for emergencies, but in a full-on combat, it would still come across as a little constricting.

With that, most of the magical ingredients bestowed by the Emperor were spent on Baiyi's new body, while the hammerhead plushie was blessed with whatever remained; the enhancement on its belly was created by a rare material called the Tears of Blood. Nobody knew how this element came to be, and there was only a speculation that they were the culmination of bloody tears shed by an incredibly strong ancient demonic beast. The material stowed a large quantity of mana and would liquify upon encounters with heat. It was the perfect ingredient for inscribing scrolls and carving enchantments.

This little toy could not be bought off a common market. It may only be seen at an auction of rarities. It was crimson, and its transparent body possessed an impossible clarity. The most excellent-grade red ruby could not even compare to its beauty. This made it one of the rarest jewels in the world, and it was often bought off a sky-high price by noble ladies to be worn as accessories.

The Emperor has kindly gifted two of them to Baiyi. He already used half of it on himself and placed some in the belly of the hammerhead shark. The remaining one would be stored for future emergencies.

Besides the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie was also stuffed with the heart of the Tribal God after it underwent a little alchemic process, replacing its original mana core. The heart, originating from the Tribal God himself, was already a high capacity mana core and now that it had been further enhanced with the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie could now use Aurora's Mercy without any downtime, and without any worries that the demons might pose a risk anymore; and the Voidwalkers who possessed it could do as they wished.

According to Baiyi's predictions, if the Voidwalker that gets placed into the plushie was an experienced warrior, this little puppet would basically possess Legendary-level combat abilities — especially if it is paired with experience, the right techniques, and a desirable environment.

Hence, this little hammerhead shark plushie was not only expensive but powerful!

As expected, the cajolery and sweet flatteries of certain Voidwalkers were instantly silenced by Baiyi.

Today, the modifications on this new body of his would arrive at the last step. Baiyi raised his hand to lift the facepiece off his head and started to inspect the features on them.

Strictly speaking, the carving of a human's face on that facepiece of his was quite realistic and handsomely done, but Baiyi was still unsatisfied, claiming that it did not resemble his actual appearance at all. He was convinced that more modifications were required.

"It's time to show off some of my professional accomplishments," Baiyi took the faceplate and boasted within the Void. "Those years, in a variety of games we played, the characters that I kneaded and created were often the ones other players chose to adopt or follow. Today, you shall witness these skills."

As he spoke, he placed his palm across the faceplate, using magic to smoothen the irregularities of the carved features into a flat plane before working on his own carving design wholeheartedly.

This process took quite a long while, and it was indeed a process that required a lot of detail and precision. He only grudgingly concluded his work when he heard the noise of Mia and the girls returning. Baiyi installed the faceplate back onto the set and glanced at the time. 'How dare these rascals return half an hour later than their arranged curfew?!' He was a little mad, and he strode out of the basement in loud stomps and stood before the girls.

"Why did you come back so late!" roared Baiyi.

The girls knew very well that they were in trouble, bowing their heads in shame. Knowing that she was well-pampered by Baiyi, Mia dared to utter a slight apology.

"Uuu… we're so sorry, Sir Hope. The opera ended later than expected," she apologized and lifted her head slightly to peek at Baiyi's expression.

She should not have looked. Now that she had, she could not help but roar with laughter.

"What are you laughing at!" asked Baiyi, enraged.

The rest of the girls, enticed by Mia's laughter, also directed their gaze towards Baiyi, and they all ended up bursting into laughter as well.

Because Baiyi's face looked exactly like this: ￣へ￣

Mmm... that did not just mean that his face resembled that, it was exactly like that.

Carving a realistic image of a person's face in the present world was on a completely different level. It took Baiyi almost half a day just to figure this out. He was torn between giving his faceplate a devilish expression or having it adopt a wilder, more exotic style. However, when the girls came back, he panicked instantly and was afraid to startle them, so he settled for a -_- expression.

Although it was a little… simple, it still had no problem conveying basic expressions! Moreover, it would not scare away anyone! It would just make them roll on the floor, laughing uncontrollably…

As the girls laughed to the point where their backs could not be straightened, Baiyi could only retain a (╬￣皿￣) expression as he took out the Aya's feather duster from the sack — the only souvenir from Gouve.

In the end, however, the original lecture and punishment were soon forgotten. With the situation ending up this way, what else could Baiyi say? However, the homework that the girls ended up getting was double the usual.

"Mm… this situation cannot continue any longer. I will have to pay the Academy a visit tomorrow." As Baiyi supervised their revision, deep in thought with a (-`?-) expression, he planned out the itinerary for tomorrow.

The next day, he wrapped his face with a piece of black cloth, looking like a pirate from the great seas — or, depending on one's interpretation, a rapist — and strode into the Academy.

It has been a month since that event transpired. The weather was turning cooler, and dried leaves were falling to the ground continuously, but there was no sign of school reopening anytime soon. The previously destroyed areas remained as they were; the classrooms were still a heap of rubble, and there were hazard fences placed everywhere to prevent entry.

Unless... this prestigious, long-standing academy had already been declared dilapidated officially? This unconscious thought that Baiyi brewed in his mind made the Apprentice jump into conclusions.

"Perhaps you should consult the city council," said the Apprentice in an incredibly sorrowful tone within the Void.

"That, I shall do," nodded Baiyi. He headed in the direction of the city center and coincidentally bumped into Mister Sorry and Mister Owl halfway, who were bringing their Soul Armatures for a quick stroll. He went to greet them and introduced himself.

After a round of simple pleasantries, the small party slipped into the nearest streetside coffeehouse. The two colleagues of Baiyi were very interested in Baiyi's tales, but he was one step ahead of them. "What happened to the Academy? Why hasn't the restoration process commenced?"

"I am sorry, but this seemed to be the instructions from the church themselves. They concluded that this piece of land was entirely contaminated by the demons and deemed it unsafe. It can only be fit for use again after a complete, full-scale cleanup," replied Mr. Sorry.

"And I am sure you are aware that the Church has much on their hands right now," added Mister Owl. "Hence, there is no confirmed date for the reconstruction of the Academy, and the current substitute for the principal, Deputy Principal Kim, is trying his best to source for new land. As of the current situation, I'm afraid the lessons will still stay discontinued, but now they allow existing students to switch schools freely if they want. They are allowed to apply to any academy, except the Royal Academy."

"This is truly a tragedy," lamented Baiyi in a dejected manner.

The Celestial Fortress Academy might not be Southland's best academy, but it was the oldest in history. It was also the best academy for the common folk, and many of the nobles were willing to enroll their children here. In conclusion, it was quite an outstanding academy.

What a pity. To encounter such a catastrophe… was a tragic event indeed.

At least Baiyi was an outstanding tutor himself, so the kids never had to worry about lacking an education.

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236 This is the Real Beginning of a New Semester

For the rest of their time, Baiyi graced his coworkers with the story of the fascinating adventure that he had just had.

They sat in a cafeteria, and each of them had a cup of coffee in hand even though neither of them could actually drink it.

It started out as a way to avoid the coffee going to waste, but later it became a great story-telling technique as Baiyi made the coffee soar out of the mug and morph it into different characters and objects of his story. He told the story in a theatrical method, while the characters made from coffee animated the words he said to reenact the story.

Baiyi told two riveting stories. The coworkers were fully immersed in them.

The two younger Soul Armature Practitioners' faces were colored in a shade of admiration, and their shining eyes made evident the hurl of determination bubbling inside of them. They wished they were the characters of the story! When the tales ended, they were visibly glum, wishing they were Little Mia or the other girls!

Perhaps, sometime in the future, they would get their chances, too. If they trained hard enough, they would be ready for their own adventures, whenever it happens.

It really is great to be young!

The time was almost up. Baiyi politely declined his coworkers' invitation for lunch as he had to get back home to give lessons to his own little fledglings. Before he left, he asked his friends about their plans for the future.

Mr. Sorry was originally a formidable physical fighter, which complemented his summoner, who walked also the path of a physical fighter. As his family was not capable enough, the boy would be tutored by his Soul Armature for the time being. Meanwhile, Mr. Owl's girl was going to enroll in an elite school for girls.

"Master Hope, I'm gonna tell my new friends all about you, and they will be soooo jealous!" Cynthia, the summoner for Mr. Owl, was already a fangirl, and she looked up at Baiyi with eyes filled with admiration. That made her own horny Soul Armature instinctively guarded.

Baiyi nodded gently, his face displaying a (￣▽￣) expression.

However, just as quickly, Cynthia added, "But, why must you cover your face with a scarf? Your new body is really cool, and you're ruining it with your weird fashion..."

'No! We do not talk about this issue! (╬￣皿￣)'

In short, the majestic Sanctus had been ruined quite thoroughly. The scarf made him look like a Western bandit, even when it was placed together with the elegance of the silver-gray armor. The small wings were still there, but his edgy antlers had been taken away, making his helm look like a pumpkin…

All of that, combined with his expressive mask, had effectively made Baiyi into some sort of mobile tourist attraction.

In conclusion, a beautiful work of art had been ruined.

When Baiyi returned home, he saw the girls sitting at the table, waiting for him, even though the meals had already been served. No one had dared to take their first bite before he came home, so he waved to signal an okay, and then he crossed over to their side and checked their homework.

After a while, Baiyi set the homework down and started, "So, I went over to the Academy today. I bring good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

"Uh… How about the bad one first?" Tisdale set down her fork and knife and watched the other girls quizzically. Their facial expressions revealed their agreement.

"Okay, the bad news is — the academic semester is suspended indefinitely. No one knows when will it be restarted," Baiyi said with a hint of lamentation and grief.

But the girls' eyes gleamed brightly. 'What bad news? This is the best news!'

"Oh, oh! Mr. Hope, then what is the good news? What's the good news?!"Little Mia cried out in uncontrolled glee. If this was considered bad news, then the good news would be even more invigorating!

The other girls obviously thought the same as they cast expectant gazes at Baiyi, waiting for their big surprise.

"Well, the good news is that since that we can't go to Academy for class, from now on, all of you will be taking classes with me! Oh yes, it's a full day curriculum." Baiyi deliberately enunciated his sentence slowly to respond to the girls' excitement.,

"What — ??????!!!!" The girls howled in unison. This was most decidedly not a good news!

"What's the matter? You'll be experiencing my signature holistic learning technique; is that not one of the best news this week?" Baiyi replied flatly.

"Uh," Mia mumbled something under her breath as she hung her head in disappointment. She grumbled quietly because she was scared of the repercussions.

Objectively, Baiyi was not a bad teacher at all. His class lasted only 45 minutes each, and he never used a monotone voice throughout the lessons. In fact, he would even use some pretty progressive techniques in his lessons.

For example, if he was talking about the difference between a phoenix and a firebird, Baiyi would create realistic, three-dimensional pictures of the two beasts so that he could contrast their differences easily. This way, the class would be more memorable.

If the girls were having formation lessons, and Baiyi wanted Mia and Tisdale to memorize them, he would use cute animals to help the students remember; meanwhile, to get the students to easily memorize the purposes of each magic, he would also create a scenario or even a short tale so that the students could remember them easily.

In short, Baiyi really poured his heart out whenever he taught classes. He really was not one to be complained about.

Half of the real reason why the girls did not favor Baiyi's classes was due to his curriculum. His lessons were always difficult and more complex than what girls their age should learn normally. For example, after talking about the difference between a phoenix and a firebird, Baiyi would ask one of them to answer his questions. Let's say the unlucky student this time was Tisdale, he would ask her to state the uses of the feathers and blood of both birds in creating formations, the specific purposes of their formation, and the changes that would occur after mixing their blood and feathers together; these sort of higher-thinking questions.

The other half of the reason why the girls did not favor Baiyi's classes lay in the fact that he was terribly strict, and he also had a penchant to give a lot of homework. If they made some errors in their answers, they would get punished for it, even if they completed the homework. The lightest sentence was a hard pinch on the cheeks; the heavier sentence was a spank on the butt with a feather duster, and the worst offenders get sentenced to stand in a corner with the little pot plants atop their heads. There was a time that the girls had snuck out to play while Baiyi was busy carving runes on his chest plate. The next day, they could only hand in their empty workbook, which caused the Soul Armature to fly into a rage. He sentenced them all to stand in corners for the entire afternoon, and he spanked the leader of the pack, poor Tisdale, so hard that her butt was swollen.

At that time, as Tisdale was crying, while standing in a corner, with the little animal tin-can potted-plant atop her head, all she could grumble was, "I hate Sir the most!"

But of course, she wouldn't dare break the can. They all knew that the cans weighed more than the elephant in their teacher's heart, so if anything happened to them, the girls would be turned into his dinner.

Baiyi could only shake his head at a side at the time. 'Great, now my students hate me. Did adolescence arrive so soon?'

But he reasoned that even if he would be hated by the kids, he would rather maintain his high standards and strict requirement. After all, it was all for their own good.

It was good that Mia had come to comfort her, and Baiyi himself had patted the girl later, causing the eldest of the girls let the grudge go. However, the next day, Mia's homework was filled with red crisscrosses, and Tisdale did not expect herself to return the favor so soon….

That was about it. The girls could understand that Baiyi was a good teacher, and he was doing this for their future, but they were still young. It was that age that most would like to just kick back and play. Previously, their classes with Baiyi lasted only half a day, so it was not too bad; but now, with the Academy being closed, their whole day would be spent with the Soul Armature, and honestly — the girls did not think they could survive it.

"Aww, come on," Baiyi watched Little Mia's immediate become dispirited, and he poked her on her waist. The girl cried out and finally showed a little alertness.

"Don't overstate my terror, guys! Back then, we only have half a day, so I had to squeeze in more for the classes and homework, you know? I just wanted to build a solid foundation for all of you before you got back to the Academy."

Baiyi reached for Mia's horsetail braid, but she was not in the mood. She swung her head hard, leaving him no chance to play with it.

"But now? We don't have to worry about the Academy's speed, right? So, I don't have to rush anymore, too. The content will be lighter, the homework will be lesser, and we will have more of those outdoor trips and adventures for practical experiences! You know, like last time."

The first part of the sentence seemed pretty promising, but the last line really darkened the girls' mood. 'Like last time?! Last time, we had to race against time to escape the Apocalypse, and we almost couldn't make it? Like "last time"?'

Little Mia was so shocked that she didn't get the chance to react, and Baiyi finally caught her braid.

Of course, the Soul Armature noticed his own mistake. "No, I didn't mean the conclusion of our last trip. I meant the process of our last trip! You know? We went on a vacation, and we learned while at it?... Er, maybe this time I'll check the calendar so that we don't visit a place while it's having a festival again, yea?"

And with that, a decision was reached. Naturally, whenever Baiyi made a suggestion, a decision would be reached. His words were the only words that mattered in the house.

He divided the curriculum into Core and Generic subjects. Geography, History, Social Sciences and such would be Generic subjects, which all four would be studying together. Meanwhile, for Mia and Tisdale, their Core subjects would e magic. On the other hand, Attie and Laeticia would be having physical fight training — with their backyard turned into a mini arena.

Not all girls would have to study the entire day as they had feared, though, because there was only one teacher. The schedule was set in this way: generic classes were conducted before noon, and the afternoon onwards would be the core classes for either the mages or the fighters. While one was having a class, the other group got to learn on their own, or do their homework. The next day, the other group would be having classes and vice versa.

Laeticia had slightly more things in her plate, though. Every night she had to attend classes on Scripture studies, faith, and theology. Of course, these classes had not been made by Baiyi himself — he was just acting as the proxy for the Cleric, by repeating every word the Cleric said to her.

"For your next class, it would be much appreciated if you put on some sexy black pantyhose."

"The skirt can be a little shorter."

"You should really try some midriff-baring outfits!"

Baiyi would never say the Cleric's boner-inspired comments.

Just like that, Little Mia and her friends embarked on a new and fulfilling semester — at home.I really have to admit, this really is cute. Baiyi's stats — > MOE: +2So… Socrates' method?/winces/ Bad memories!Oh man. This is seriously the overture for a lot of rocky, rebellious mishaps, man. 'For their own good', they always say, as they shut off their ears from hearing what the kids wanted to say. Brrr…All those bad memories!

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237 Don’t Go Against the Curren

The new semester had entered another month.

The girls seemed to have gotten used to their new routine as their aversion towards it had become blunt. Slowly, they turned back to the little obedient girls again.

November arrived and saw the climate start to embrace colder winds. Winter was coming.

Before the present day, a number of small but significant things happened. For example, the man who had sent Laeticia to his doorstep last time, the Paladin Grand Cross, Sir Grunewald, came to visit the Soul Armature again. Apparently, he came to check on Laeticia's progress, but the visit had also served as an opportunity to fill Baiyi in on news regarding the Godsfall cult.

It turned out that the Godsfall cult had suffered incredible damage from their tireless efforts; millions of cultists had been captured; their properties and funds seized, and many of the cult's higher-ups had committed suicide in order to escape sentences. This was a clear indication of the cult collapsing already, and the Church believed that, over time, the entire organization could be uprooted from Isythre once and for all!

These were commendable tidings!

"Master Hope, December 5th would mark the holiest of all holy days in the year. Would you be willing to grace the Holy City by conducting a mass?" The Grand Paladin Cross asked before he left the household.

"Hahaha! Er, we'll see about that! Ha! See you." Baiyi could only delay his reply this way.

December 5th — also known as the Day of Grace. It was as important as the Chinese's New Year, or the West's Christmas Holiday. It was one of the most important days of the year, and Baiyi really did not have the heart to ruin another festival again.

He planned to find a realm and hide there with the girls.

However, the girls had been looking forward to this festival since the month before. He could not find any reason to pour a bucket of cold water over their anticipation, so he considered leaving on his own when that day arrives.

'Spending an important festival alone sounds seriously sad, though.'

Today was their rest day, so there was no class for the girls, who had already seized the chance to frolic around and play. Only Attie was left at home to keep Baiyi's company.

The Kitty Cat Maid did look like a cat as she curled next to the Soul Armature on the couch, fast asleep.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Hmmm?" Attie was roused pretty quickly, and after she had rubbed her eyes, with "pat-pat-pat" sounds, she sprinted to the door.

When she returned, there was a new guy with her — a bald man whose head seemed to reflect light.

"He said he's a friend of yours." Attie pointed at the bald man.

Baiyi turned his head to face him, and —'Oh my god, who is this Shiny Head here? When have I ever met a guy who looked like he had lost his hair because he chose to forfeit sleep for a long time in order to grind for a rare item in a game?'

"Apologies for the unplanned visit," Baldy said as he extended his left hand, displaying three fingers, which he then placed before his own chest.

The salutation looked very familiar. Baiyi glanced at Baldy's long robe. It was a common, plain white robe, but with a quick sweep using his psychic energy, Baiyi could make out the invisible shape of an eye on his chest.

The man was from the Door of Conundrum.

'Back it up. Why are a bunch of nerds looking for me?' Baiyi was puzzled. He remembered he had donned one of their great sage's uniform back then, so technically, he was a part of this oversized nerd's book club.

He had no choice but to mimic Baldy's action, raising three fingers before his chest as a gesture of an eye.

After having Attie make some tea, Baiyi politely gestured at the man to sit down.

Baldy was very discreet in his behavior. He bowed before the Soul Armature first, then from his inner pocket, he produced an envelope and handed it to him.

"Great Sage Hope, I am Kris, the representative of the Door of Conundrum in Arfin city. The reason for my visit is to pass you the decision made by the Master Sages."

Master Sages were obviously the highest-ranking, decision-making members of the Doors of Conundrum; only the biggest nerds could possibly become one of them. Sometimes, when they got bored of reading, these nerds would start a meeting that ended with a dozen new commands for the rest of the members to follow. Other times, the governance of this organization was divided among the Lodge, the Arbiters, the Executioners, and other such divisions within the order.

Unfortunately, it was the rarity of a direct order from the Master Sages that made their commands irrefutable. Baiyi could only relent and open the envelope.

There were only two plain white papers.

'Gods, these nerds just love doing unnecessary tricks on craps that no one cares about,' Baiyi thought as he jabbed the paper with his psychic energy using a special rhythm and frequency.

Just like that, the words appeared on the papers. This was a special communication technique among the members of the Doors of Conundrum. Their letters were always encrypted so that outsiders would not be able to pry.

How did Baiyi even know their secret? Simple — the encryption method was invented by a certain lifeless nerd who also ended up in the Void.

Baldy accepted the hot tea from Attie and patiently waited for the Soul Armature to finish. When he noticed that Baiyi had finished reading the letter, he added, "I've actually sent a few of our letters to you for the past few days, but never did I receive a reply from you. That is why I am here today."

"Cough! Uh, I probably missed those?"

Baiyi never read his mails. In the beginning, it was because he rarely had mails. If he had, it was the account sheets from the alchemical refinery or some stupid boys' bold love letters. Lately, there was also an increase in the number of invitations he received from the aristocrats, which he never bothered with. He passed these letters to Laeticia, thinking that it would probably help the semi-literate village girl in learning new words and sentence structures.

A more thorough recall did allow Baiyi to remember that Laeticia once mentioned finding a few blank letters among the stack of letters that Baiyi handed to her. Back then, Baiyi thought it was just someone's lame prank, so he ordered the girl to burn the blank letters to ashes, and pour them into his animal tin can potted plants.

'Huh. If the nerds realized what I did to their super-secret-letters, what would they do?'

Baiyi looked up again and studied the eye symbol on Baldy's chest. Five brows.

That was all Baiyi needed to discern Baldy's identity and standing in the order. "Great Sage Kris, I have some questions about these orders from the Master Sages…"

"Please, do tell."

"Why me? I'm just a Soul Armature now, right? I'm no longer a part of the Doors of Conundrum. These things — well, they are more suitable for the other Great Sages, right?" Baiyi said as he ran his fingers along the paper, and the letters disappeared.

"Great Sage Hope, your wisdom will not vanish just because of your current form, " Baldy flattered, and then he went on to nag the Soul Armature...

Even after Baldy had gone, Baiyi still could not come up with a good excuse to knock it off, so all he could do was to sit in the living room, lightly tapping his gauntlet as he pondered his next move.

After a while, Little Mia and her friends returned home with new winter attires.

Mia was the first to notice Soul Armature troubled disposition, so she dashed to his side and hugged his neck from behind the couch. She placed her face close to his, rubbed on it gently, and then she asked, "Mr. Hope, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Baiyi replied, his hand reaching out to pinch her cheek. "It's just that, well, you guys might need to expect new company…"

To summarize the purpose of the visit: every Great Sage in the Door of Conundrum had a few rights and obligations to fulfill. Baiyi had made use of the right to introduce before; however, never had he carried out his obligations as "one" of the Great Sages.

The obligations were such that one either publish an impressive academic treatise, show the fruits of their experiments and investigations, or mentor a few brilliant students from the Door of Conundrum.

They never once suspected that Baiyi could be a fake — purely because he had the Seal of the Great Sage with him. The Door of Conundrum was not very keen in extensive identity-checks, so as long as one displayed their Seal, the Door of Conundrum would automatically treat them as a member, even if the person could be a fake. Of course, that also meant that Baiyi would have to fulfill a few of the obligations that a Great Sage was expected to do.

If he refused, discord would ensue.

Baiyi was not very popular back then, so although they had accepted his identity within the order — and accepted Vidomina because of his introduction — they never actually followed up on this bootleg sage.

However, Baiyi had been all over the news lately. The Church kept using him as their unofficial mascot, and the Door of Conundrum remembered that they had gotten him first. Although they could not find any of his information from their own records, that was still fine by them; after all, it was not likely that a famous man like Baiyi would have an unsavory past that the order would have to be wary about.

As long as Baiyi still fulfilled his obligations, it would not matter that he never returned to the order. After all, he was a big hero, so his schedule must be packed. The Door of Conundrum understood his problem, so they would cave in a little and send the assigned student to his place instead.

"...and that's all folks," Baiyi ended his story with a helpless -_- expression. He had no idea that his greed for Vidomina's Saint Quartz staff would end bringing him a heap of unwanted problems now. 'Karma's a bitch, no doubt.'

Baiyi, of course, had considered outrightly rejecting or even ignoring the chores. The Door of Conundrum was an academic association — a glorified book club for nerds who could not fight. What could they do to him? However, if the order spread the news that he was a fake sage who harbored harmful conspiracy, or something close to his, Baiyi's reputations would be in ruined—or worse, he would start getting stalked and monitored.

"May I propose that you graciously accept what is stipulated in the Order? A shift of perspective shows that you would thus gain a valuable new identity. You may then use the Door of Conundrum as a deterrence for an investigation against you," the Scholar said in the Void. She, an actual Great Sage, was the one who had asked him to take on the role of being a Great Sage.

"I'm not worried about that! I'm just not sure of who they assigned to me! It's fine if it's a male, but if I'm not mistaken, you people even have some seventy or eight years old senior citizens as 'students', right? I am so not into the idea of having these sort of students!" Baiyi voiced out his main concern in the Void.

"As I'd said, Sir Hope, a shift in perspective would greatly benefit you. These 'senior citizens' are very independent in their studious pursuit! All you have to is to grant them a topic or a book and give them a direction as vague as 'Investigate this', and they would be on their own. Is that not the convenience all teachers dream of?" the Scholar replied.

'Hey! When you put it that way…'Oh come on, you're not even alone at any given time. Just go and create another goddamned game in the Void and BOOM, December 6th will arrive after a chapter!Illuminati much?

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238 Something Is Wrong With This Scene

The next day, the new students arrived!

The entire family woke up earlier than usual, and the girls seemed really excited at the prospect of having new classmates. Attie and Laeticia had prepared a variety of desserts for their new friends, while Mia and Tisdale put on the new clothes that they had bought the day before, with their eager faces as the extra adornment.

Although it was pretty nice to have classes right there at home, the small number of students made for a pretty unexciting ambiance. They missed the hustle and bustle of the Academy, after all, so a few more students would be most welcomed.

Baiyi himself did not have an aversion to that, either. 'It is good to have more people in the class,' he thought, seeing as the increased number of students would enable him to create a more competitive environment that could promote self-improvement and self-discovery. Plus, he could use these students as a means to expand his social network as well…

Baiyi made a few contingency plans since he was uncertain about the kind of students he was about to get, so he was now much calmer than he was the day before. First, if the student turned out to be a male — putting the stereotypical idea that studious boys are often introverted and shy — Baiyi would let the boy try a few lady's clothes until he developed a liking towards the boys, and at that time, the boy could walk the path of gender liberation.

If the new students turned out to be senior citizens — well, that would be even simpler. Baiyi would simply select a topic from the Voidwalkers' Bored Topic Reservoir, and that students would be tasked to make researches on it until their time in the world was up.

The best case scenario would, of course, be female students. Then, Mia and the girls would have new friends, and they could all take care of each other. If the female students were slightly older and had a dependable, conservative, and highly-efficacious attitude, coupled with a set of healthy values, that would be a blessing!

Baiyi could not help but eye Mia and Tisdale at this point. As the weather grew colder, the girls had started wearing more clothes, but their skirts were still way too short for his liking. Even with black long johns, he was still worried that they would get a cold — besides, 'haven't they always favored white? When did they turn to black ones?'

Little Mia noticed that Baiyi was immersed in his thoughts and thought that the Soul Armature was worried about her. She ran up to the side, took off her white leather shoes and knelt on the couch, trudging forward with her Long John covered knees until she reached Baiyi. She shook his shoulders and cooed in concern, "Don't worry about us, Mr. Hope! We are gonna be such friends with the new students!"

Then, in a bid to pacify him, she automatically grabbed his hand and stuffed her horsetail braid into it. She acted like a daughter being coquettish to her dad.

Tisdale, who was watching, followed Mia's example and sat on the other side of her teacher. Her specially-made golden horsetail was stuffed into Baiyi's free hand as she added, "Sir, I'm sure the people at the Door of Conundrum are sending their very best to you!'

'Ohhhh… .My two daugh — er, students are so understanding and good!' Baiyi exclaimed internally as he felt his heart grow warm. His mask immediately donned a (≧?≦) expression.

It took a while for Baiyi to come back to his senses — hold on, that was definitely not the source of his concern! When Baiyi turned to look at Mia, he realized that the girl was already lying down comfortably on the couch, with her cute thighs resting naturally on his thighs. The texture of her black long john was alluring and inviting, to say the least, but the girl did not have a single sense awareness of how inappropriate this was, as she played with her hammerhead shark.

From Baiyi's angle though. He could see everything underneath her skirt...

Just as Baiyi was about to start a lecture, he heard a few knocks on the door. He helplessly shook his head, pushed the girl's legs off him and said, "I'll get the door."

With his fabric mask back on, he opened the door… and froze.

There was a really large dog right outside the door.

The dog was incredibly muscular. Even while sitting, the dog was still taller than Little Mia. Its body was snowy white and fluffy, and its pointy ears were perked up, twitching from side to side. Its eyes were narrowed into a line as it studied the Soul Armature.

However, that was not all there was outside Baiyi's door. Atop the dog's head was a grey owl. Its big watery eyes scanned the Soul Armature intently.

The big dog's pointy snout sniffed the air for a while as if to confirm something, and suddenly, it streaked towards Baiyi. Baiyi kicked at just the right time, and with a loud bang, the door shut, bashing the charging dog in the nose.

'Who would be walking a dog at this hour? And not even leash it up properly?'

However, he did not get to the living room before he heard very faint sounds of discussions outside. Maybe it was the dog's owner lecturing the dog?

As if to prove Baiyi wrong, the door was knocked hard on again.

Baiyi yanked the door open in frustration. 'Oh goody, now we also have three humanlike figures standing close to those animals from before — hold on, two of them looked familiar?'

Was that not his new buddy, Great Sage Baldy, and Little Miss Deep Pocket, Vidomina?

"Master Hope, we meet again! Oh, right, I should call you my Mentor now." Little Miss Deep Pocket, who donned the standard white robe that all members of The Door of Conundrum usually wore, smiled gently at Baiyi and curtsied elegantly.

The other beings also lowered their heads, bowing.

"Haha! Great Sage Hope, these are the five students the headquarter has assigned to you. What do you think?" Baldy said as he gestured at the "humanoids" and "non-humanoids".

Baiyi pointed at them. "Th-these four things — are my students?!"

"Oh no, no, no. Five," Baldy corrected him, and he pointed at something that looked quite short, yet it was wearing a plus-sized witch's pointy head.

"Are those two people? Oh no, I meant — two separate things?!"

"Here, over here." Baldy pointed at the arms of the person-underneath-the-hat. And behold, sitting nicely on the arm of the person underneath the hat was a potted flower.

It was not just any potted flower — it was a sunflower, which did not look anything like how sunflowers normally looked like. An obvious clue would be the fact that this sunflower had a human face — which was smiling at Baiyi at that very moment. 'What is this? A background character from an anime?!'

Seeing that someone had finally noticed it, the sunflower smiled even more cheerfully, wiggling its body in pride. Even its leaves were waving and dancing — as if it was showing off.

Baiyi said nothing. He looked at Baldy.

"What do you think? Excellent choices, right?" The Great Sage beamed proudly and happily rubbed the dog's head.

Baiyi stepped forward, grabbed him by his collar, and snapped, "Is this a joke from those higher-ups?"

A fiery-scarlet formation surfaced behind Baiyi as he growled, emitting dangerous waves of mana vibrations that froze all five beings, causing them to shudder.

"Hmm, impressive. This spell conjures flame poles, yes? Very fitting for the Great Sage who has saved the world multiple times. You can even cast this spell without chanting! Such admirable powers!" Baldy seemed to be too blissfully oblivious of his own peril as he reviewed Baiyi's threat. 'Gosh, he is a nerd.'

"It's called 'Doujou Temple Bell — One-Hundred Eight Fire Dragon Halberds'!" Baiyi snapped again and lifted Baldy's collar even higher.

"What a mouthful of a name," Baldy exclaimed in regret. "Please, calm down; I can explain. According to normal rules, the mentor chooses their own students, but you never replied to any of our messages. We had no idea what kind of students you would be interested in cultivating… Although, of course, there are rumors that you have some preferences for young and adorable females, we do not believe that a Great Sage like you would be so superficial —"

"Why did you guys not just believe that rumor — wait, no, I'm not that kind of person, either; but, still! …you shouldn't give me these… things, and call it a day!" Baiyi replied, unconvinced.

At his words and his obvious displeasure, the new students took a few steps back. The big dog and the owl hung their heads; the sunflower covered its face with its leaf, and Little Miss Deep Pocket and the Unknown Being underneath the witch's hat shuddered, feeling aggrieved.

"Please, they are truly excellent students. Here is proof."

Baldy slowly produced a form from his pocket and handed it to him. "The headquarter organized a poll for 'The Most Well-Liked Students' and, excluding Miss Vidomina, these students all occupied top four positions. They were sent here because they were the most likable students, you see. It was to make sure that no one would sully your reputation. Shouldn't you accept such a thought?"

The formation behind Baiyi dissipated, making everyone present sigh in relief. He took the form doubtfully and stared at it.

It really was the result of a popularity poll. The winner was Zakum, whose race was… a kitsune? It was female. At the spot where the students' talents were listed, Zakum's talents were listed as "martial arts, magic, alchemy, adventuring"...

"Z-Zakum?" Baiyi shouted the name as an experiment.

The snowy white dog raised its claw and flashed him a bright smile.

'Which d-bag gave you this name? Were you born from the lava caves? Oh wait, the bigger problem is — are you sure you're a kitsune and not a doggo?'

Just as Baiyi was harping on its doggo appearance, he saw a very big, long, bushy tail, which beautifully complemented its snowy white fur, protruding from the dog's buttock. 'Awesome! Now all of the rich women would want your fur as their scarf!'

Meanwhile, the first runner-up was Nota Siniorius; female fairy; her listed talents were: "martial arts, magic (Ancient Rohlserlian formations), aerial battle, domestic works…"

"Um... Miss... Siniorius?" Baiyi called out again.

"Y-yes," the short humanoid with the witch hat answered sheepishly. She seemed quite afraid, but in the end, she managed to muster enough courage and lifted the brim of her hat a little. Underneath it was a face as chiseled and aesthetic as a work of art.That's so progressive,  I'm not even sure this is Baiyi…Oh yes. Zakum — like that one in Maple Story.Yes. Her full name would be Chtolly Nota Siniorius, who is immensely popular in China. Oh, she's from the very creatively-named 'Shuumatsu nani shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte moratte ii desu ka?' (When the world ends what are you doing? Are you free? Can you help us?)

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239 We Can Get Along, Right?

Things really had gone surreal.

Baiyi had no idea how to react anymore, so he helplessly returned the form back to Baldy and shrugged, "I really had no idea that HQ accepted students like these."

"Oh, it's nothing, Great Sage Hope," Baldy replied flatly. "'No child left behind', that's the motto, right?"

"Er, but these…?" Baiyi hesitated. How could he phrase the statement in a way that it would not hurt their feelings?

"Great Sage Hope, please understand. These students of different species are even more valuable than humans. To achieve what others could achieve, they have had to work even harder. This dedication alone makes them truly exceptional students. Our poll even substantiates this! Besides that, teaching them has been quite a pleasurable experience, and many back at headquarters have lamented their departure…"

'Oh, yea? Then, explain to me why you people didn't just make them stay there? Why send them over to a random vagabond to "teach"?'

As though Baldy had ready Baiyi's thoughts, he proceeded to explain, "There is another reason for sending them over, you see… At the end of the day, they are not humans. We cannot make them stay in the library or mage towers forever; that's against their nature — a cruelty that we cannot bring ourselves to do…"

'Fine, fine. This at least makes a modicum of sense.'

Baiyi turned the idea over and over in his head, and then he turned his head to face them.

The new students were looking at him with really pitiful eyes. It made him realize that for all the ire he seemed to harbor towards them, these creatures still looked up to him.

Baiyi felt his stance soften, and after much hesitating, he said, "Alright. I suppose I understand where you're coming from. However, I also have my own students, and I'm not sure how they would take this—"

"Oh, look at that big beautiful doggo!" a familiar cry rang out.

Little Mia had heard Baiyi quarreling with someone outside, so she had come out to see what the fuss was all about. Naturally, on arrival, she was easily distracted by the beautiful fox, and she immediately leaped toward it.

"Doggo is so cute!" she huffed, and she boldly ruffled the kitsune's soft fluffy fur. In return, the kitsune turned to Baiyi, feeling helpless, and gave him a smile of resignation, as though it was sighing.

The expression was so human-like that it struck a chord in the Soul Armature. 'Perhaps it is a pretty good idea to have them as students. Baldy may be onto something here. Plus, creatures that understand mankind, and are willing to learn the ways of man, are more valuable than human geniuses…'

Baiyi finally made his decision, and when he looked back, he saw Baldy lightly nodding his head, as though he had deduced Baiyi's decision.

'Alright, last question." Baiyi turned to the only normal human of the bunch — Little Miss Deep Pocket, Vidomina.

'Or, maybe she is not human, after all. Look at her! She's neither tall nor too old, yet that body has gotta be the most voluptuous that I have ever seen; that white robe can't even conceal her assets! …Is that even something a normal human should have?'

"Ah, Ms. Vidomina volunteered to be your student," Baldy explained. "I think you two have met before, right? You will like her a lot."

"Mentor!" Vidomina said as she stepped forward. "I'm forever indebted to you for your deed, so when I heard that you were looking for students, I was the first to enroll."

She continued with a few more standard politician-style speeches, and then after that, she produced a small box from her robe. As she handed it to Baiyi, she added, "Please accept this little token of my thanks."

Baiyi opened the box, and his eyes widened in disbelief. The box was full of papers with various official stamps. A closer inspection revealed the papers to be a land contract — the land that his mansion was built on!

Although Tisdale's place was not in one of the higher-end areas, it was in one of the areas closest to the Celestial Fortress Academy; hence, there were a few dozen families living here. Most of them were middle class or lower aristocrats. However, being able to gift the land contract of the entire street as "a little token of thanks" was just too generous.

No wonder the neighbors had been moving out of their house so happily these past few days!

'Bloody 1%… You think you can do everything just because you're a billionaire?'

Vidomina wore an expression that implied 'Oh yes, I can totally do everything because I'm a billionaire.'

"Alright, let us all just get inside." Baiyi opened the door and invited the new students in. As Little Mia passed by, Baiyi pinched her ear and said, "Never pull its ears again, you hear me? It was trying so hard to hold back its tears!"

After a while, after everyone had settled down in the living room, Attie hurriedly carried a tray full of tea sets from the kitchen for her new guests.

However, as soon as Attie caught sight of the visitors, she was given a big fright, and the tray fell from her hands.

Suddenly, the sunflower moved its body and released a bolt of mana that stopped the tray in mid-fall, with its tea sets still in place. The owl that had been perching on top of the kitsune spread its wings, flew to the tray and grasped the teapot with its talons. It proceeded to skillfully pour tea in every cup. Finally, the great big fox swung its tail, sending the teacups flying into the hands of everyone there. Baiyi first, Baldy next, then everyone else, and itself last. Its front legs gently held the delicate cup, and its tongue silently lapped its tea. An expression of contentment surfaced in its face.

'These fellas are pros! Baiyi could only secretly nod in admiration.'

"I told ya, they are really exceptional students." Baldy blew the steam off his tea and beamed.

Thus, it was decided. Baldy handed over the information on the new students and left, and the day continued with Baiyi's lessons.

Just like in every normal class, Baiyi started with a classic self-introduction. Of course, due to some of his students being special cases, he could only sift through their information and help them introduce themselves.

"Okay, lemme see… So you're… Sunny?" Baiyi asked the sunflower. After watching the sunflower wriggle in glee, he continued reading out the information, "Race: soul-eater plant. Talents: druid magic, apothecary, herbology, illusions…"

'Why do you look like a sunflower in the first place?' Baiyi wondered as he set down Sunny's information and took up the owl's.

"Your name is Potter? Why even name you Potter? Why not Johannson?" Baiyi commented. "Your race is listed as — hmm, interesting. You're a Shadownyx Owl, very rare indeed. I may need your feathers for some experiment — not now! Not now, later! …Talents: martial arts/magic, aerial battle, adventuring, and magical items study…"

After introducing two of the four non-humans newcomers, it got to the turn of the only, and arguably, normal human — Vidomina. She leaped up from the couch so confidently, and just as swiftly, the jiggle physics on her chest bobbled.

The jiggles were noticed by Little Mia and Tisdale, and after jolting themselves from their silent moment of astonishment, they both hung their heads in shame.

"I'm Vidomina. I presume Mia remembers me? I'm a human, and my talent lies in curses and hexes. Unfortunately, I'm not as much of a polymath as my seniors here," she said in a bold tone. Then, she patted her own chest, making a deep booming sound, and added, "My words carry incredible weight in this city, so if you've got any problem you need settling — you know who to call!!"

Copying her gesture out of curiosity, Attie beat her own chest, but all she heard was the sound of a hollow space.

'Vidomina, you are not gonna be able to make friends easily this way…'

Last but not least was the great big fox and the fairy who had hidden her entire head underneath her great witch hat.

The kitsune purred, making some unfamiliar animal sounds, and turned to the fairy. It proceeded to stroke the fairy's back gently with its long bushy tail — as if to comfort her.

"It…Its name.. is… Zakum…" The fairy mumbled really softly as she translated the kitsune's words, but the girls had to really lean in close to hear her — and even then, they did not really hear her clearly.

"I-I-I…I'm Nota Siniorius… Just c-c-call me N-N-Nota…." the fairy continued with her chronically mosquito-like voice. She seemed very afraid of strangers, seeing as she did not even raise her head as she spoke.

The kitsune suddenly swiped its tail, shoving the witch hat away from her head.

A stream of light, aqua-colored hair blossomed at once, flowing down gently on a breathtakingly beautiful face that could only have been crafted by nature.

"Ahhh!" Nota cried out in embarrassment, and she hurriedly looked for the hat, but the sly fox had already placed it somewhere that she could not see. Meanwhile, everyone's were was directed right at her.

Her face turned red almost in a second—and her eyes followed suit. She looked very pitiful, but also quite adorable.

'Oh come on, you're too feeble-minded. Your chronic shyness is a mine for bullies! …Besides, wasn't one of your talents 'aerial battles'? How do you work with that? By killing them with cuteness?' Baiyi thought, feeling a little unimpressed.

Just as the fairy was about to burst into tears, the two girls who had with natural 'healing' properties came to her rescue. Mia and Tisdale each grabbed one of her porcelain-like hands and rubbed them softly, trying to calm down the timid girl.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. We are classmates now, and we are gonna be friends. Friends don't hurt each other, right?"

"You're so pretty, Nota! I'm Mia; I want to be friends with you!"

Their smiles were probably the best relief anyone could ask for, and just like that, Nota's tears halted, and a bright grin blossomed on her face.

Baiyi watched with optimism. 'Looks like my students are gonna be fine, after all.'Aww man, I lowkey wished his name was Flowey. Perhaps the author is not very big on Undertale, haha!Man, it's like every woman would look like this when around Baiyi. Imma call this the Baiyi Pitifier Mien!

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240 The New Students Were Not Simple At All

As today was the first day of school for the newly admitted students, Baiyi did not conduct any proper lessons; instead, he replaced it with an overview of the previous classes that had already been conducted. He then prompted the students to consider what they would like to learn, and he asked Tisdale, the appointed class head, to gather everybody's opinion. Baiyi could only choose to only teach certain subjects, for his time was limited.

Having made that arrangement, Baiyi gave the students some time to themselves while he prepared to ponder some student-related matters. However, as he prepared to leave, he suddenly heard a melodious hum coming from the corner where the potted sunflower was.

"Senior Sunny... said... it wants to bask in some sunnnn..." murmured Nota faintly, softly translating to Baiyi. As a fairy of nature, she understood the languages of animals and plants, and she could even communicate with them directly. Their kind was naturally blessed with these abilities, unlike humans who could only do something similar if they happened to be a decent druid.

'But wait a moment... did t-this potted sunflower asked to bask in the sun?!' Baiyi pondered for a bit, and then he decided that there was nothing really wrong about it. He turned around, thinking to move the sunflower to the courtyard.

However, before he could do that, the Fox lifted itself from the ground, grabbed the sunflower pot by its mouth, and rushed towards the courtyard with it.

"Hey! Tha—"

Before Baiyi could finish his sentence, the fox was already back from the yard in an incredibly dextrous manner.

"Will it be alright?" asked Baiyi, feeling a little concerned because the sunflower gave him a very good first impression.

"I-it's alright..." explained Nota the fairy. "Prefect Sunny is not such a weak plantling..."

"Ah… what will happen now?" pondered Baiyi for a moment, and then he concentrated some psychic energy to observe the courtyard. He was stunned for a while, before turning around in order to scan the fox and the owl. When it was Nota's turn to be scanned, the girl emitted a slight squeal.

"Oh...so that was the reason..." nodded Baiyi, as if he understood something immediately. He then announced to everyone present in the scene, "There are not many rules in my place. I shall explain those shortly. However, there is one important rule that I must absolutely declare now, so pay attention; no one should touch the flowers and seedlings that I planted in the animal-moneybox! Are you listening clearly? No one should disturb them!"

He spoke in such a loud volume, that the sunflower, who had just bent over to look at the newly-germinated sprouts in the kitty-money box, instantly straightened its stem, afraid to go near it.

After announcing this important rule, Baiyi returned to his room. In the Void, he asked, "So, how do you guys see this development?"

"Very good, very good... a bunch of interesting students indeed." Baiyi's Master, the Archmage, was the first to reply. 'He still has something positive to say about this… mess?!'

"They're quite outstanding, and they possess good fundamentals, so it doesn't require much effort to teach." Originating from the Door of Conundrum as well, the Scholar spoke well on behalf of his descendants. "That little missy from the noble family is an exception of course; she will require more effort and attention."

"Their basics are good, no doubt." nodded Baiyi in agreement. He had previously witnessed the symbol of the Door embedded on his new students. It was a little different from the one on Baldy, whose symbol had an open Eye. However, the symbol worn by the new students all had closed Eyes, which represented 'Thinking and Imagining'— a stage they were still mastering.

Most of them, except Vidomina, already had four lashes on their symbols. The closed Eye would open when the fifth lash appears, indicating that they had successfully become proper Sages.

Baldy did not lie to Baiyi, after all. He might not have declared the whole truth, but at least, what he had said was legitimate. These students were qualified enough to be deemed potential Sages, and they actually did not require that much intensive teaching from Baiyi, even though they had been placed under his care. On the contrary, they might even have to assist Baiyi in tutoring his original four apprentices.

These four potential Sages, possessing four lashes on their Eye symbols, were even qualified enough to be professors in a common academy. This was because they originated from the Door of Conundrum — the portal holding a world's worth of knowledge.

"What you said is not wrong, but if you wish to teach, there's still a lot more to teach them!" said the Scholar in the Void. "Your rank is considered that of a Master Sage, which is a completely different level; they would require a lifetime of learning in order to reach where you are!"

"In my opinion, the fact that the Door of Conundrum assigned these students to you was an acknowledgment of their respect for you," interrupted the Soul Armature Practitioner. "When I was young, I did consider joining the Door of Conundrum, but I didn't manage to pass the test. They were an extremely proud organization indeed."

Actually, with the portfolio of abilities and deeds that the Soul Armature Practitioner possessed, it was quite possible for him to be a Master Sage. However, the Door of Conundrum was an academic community full of pride and wisdom, and unless one took the initiative to apply, the Door of Conundrum would not lower their egos to beg for anyone's participation.

"They might verbally say they look up to me with respect, but the newcomers and I are still freaks of the society. What they did was grouping us freaks into a heap," said Baiyi ruefully. "Anyways, that's fine. At least, I don't have to deal with identity issues with this bunch."

Baiyi was considered a nuisance in the eyes of evil influences such as Godsfall. If Baiyi was not at the top of their wanted list, he would at least be amongst the top ten. Considering the fact that these bunch of loonies could even infiltrate the Judiciary Court, it was quite possible to think that they might have their numbers in the loosely-managed Door of Conundrum as well. Hence, if the Door had indeed assigned him some normal beings, Baiyi had to apply caution by spending some time to validate their identities.

However, for the duke's daughter, two animals, a potted plant, and a fairy — they would not need such screenings because they would never join Godsfall! Similarly, no cultist would bother to indoctrinate them, either.

"That potted plant over there... I believe it is good with illusions? Quite some skills there I see. If it wasn't for Honourable Hope's scrutinizing stare, it could've gotten away with it," said the Charlatan, whose presence was almost negligible on normal days, as he praised illusionary tricks on Sunny the sunflower's body. As a master practitioner of illusions, this was an honorable compliment indeed.

"Flora, such as soul-eating plants, were naturally blessed with illusionary abilities. They commonly use illusions to disguise themselves into harmless plants to hunt for prey. Honestly speaking, it's quite a rare event to see this rare creature here evolve to this point in order to assimilate human knowledge. It must've accumulated thousands of years just to muster such consciousness and ability from their most primitive form," explained the Explorer.

Born with the imitational skills, or natural illusionary abilities, this creature called the soul-eating plant was usually planted on forbidden grounds as booby traps. The Explorer seemed very familiar with them; perhaps he had encountered them quite frequently in his life before.

That's right. Sunny the sunflower's original form was not this pretty illusion of a harmless, animated-looking flower. Rather, it was like Medusa's hair in the myth or tentacles from the erotic romance works. Its nimble branches originally looked like little rattling snakes with sharp, terrifying fangs.

Just to make it clear, this creature did not have any sort of special fetish towards young, beautiful girls; young girls were merely fresh meat in its eyes. Something to consume and not to toy with, so do get your mind out of the gutter.

Besides Sunny the sunflower, the kitsune and the owl also had traces of disguise. Baiyi noticed hints of shrinking enchantment on the former; beneath its thick, luscious coat, runes were inscribed inconspicuously. This meant that its original size was much bigger than the animal that was before him, so it was definitely not just the size of an abnormally big dog.

This was not surprising. The Kitsune was naturally not the strongest animal in the ecosystem — unlike wolves, tigers or leopards — yet it is still constantly faced with threats like bloodlusting hunters and mink-loving ladies. Living as a Kitsune was stressful indeed. Hence, it was hardly a preferred choice for shapeshifting. Most kitsune magical beasts were rarely seen. Thus, for this Kitsune to be able to evolve into such a stage was quite impressive indeed.

As for Potter the Owl, it was the quickest to reveal himself. Before, Potter stood on the Kitsune's head, but later on, it flew to a corner and hung upside down, observing the chatter below with narrowed eyes as it listened intently. Although its appearance was still that of a fat, roundish owl, how would a normal owl hang itself upside down?

According to academic records, Shadownyx Owls did not even possess a physical form. From the account of witnesses, they were like fog in darkness; their entire being was shrouded in a constant mass of black mist. As for their original form... it did not resemble the appearance of an owl, most definitely.

But...seeing Potter did such an incredibly convincing imitation of an owl — without any giveaways on its appearance or any traces of magical effects — it must be a creature that was naturally born with such shapeshifting abilities. Due to its a realistic transformation, a lot of people might have seen the Shadownyx Owls, but they were not aware that it was really the owls, because that mass of black fog surrounding the owls was their true form.

Baiyi suspected that their original form was not even that of birds. This assumption was only made because the Shadownyx Owls had adopted their fowl-sounding name.

It was the Nota the fairy who did not possess any traces of disguise; she was just as she looked. To put it in other words, a beauty like her who did not apply any assist magic, upgrades, or software was no different from Mia and the rest — a bunch of naturally beautiful maidens.

Nota's personality was a little too soft and weak. Baiyi could not help but to worry that she would get bullied because of this. Now that she had joined the team, the lowest tier in the ecological food chain of this household would no longer be Attie, perhaps?

Last but not least, there was Vidomina. Everybody was hoping that she would have some sort of illusionary or shapeshifting effects on her, but it was a pity that she was entirely natural; even her clothes were normal. At a glance, she was the real thing, without a trace of imitation...

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241 There Are Some Things That Even I Don’t Know Abou

It was almost lunchtime when the Voidwalkers finished discussing the newly enrolled students. When Baiyi went downstairs and passed by the kitchen, he was surprised at the lack of commotion in there. 'Where in the world is Attie? As a Kitty-cat maid, has she been eaten by that kitsune?'

Only when Baiyi reached the hall did he found his dark-skinned little maidservant laying on top of the kitsune, along with Mia, savoring the feel of its furry, snow-white coat. The kitsune was also exceptionally fond of them, using its tail to caress them gently, causing the both of them to burst out in cute giggles from time to time.

"Aren't you girls hungry?" asked Baiyi flatly. He then waved at the owl, who was hanging upside down at a corner of the room, and said, "There is a restaurant down south. Can you please go there and order some food? Mm, just mention the Aegis mansion, and they'll know what to do..."

The owl remained in its suspended position and raised its left wing to the side of its round head as if to give a salute. However, as it prepared to take flight, Vidomina, who had witnessed the entire conversation from a corner of the room, quickly interrupted. "Ah, there is no need to disturb senior Potter… I already have a little something prepared."

The moment her voice faltered, there was a knock on the door. The knock that was not too soft or too loud, and instead, it echoed in appropriately-timed intervals. This was the knock of dignitaries. Baiyi opened the door, nursing the suspense that filled his heart, and found an energetic middle-aged man standing before him. The middle-aged man was dressed like a noble butler, wearing a monocle on one side of his face. The left side of his chest bore the insignia of the Wrights.

"It is a true pleasure to meet you, Sir Hope!" The butler bowed towards Baiyi as a form of respect. "A feast from Gouve is prepared for today. It is the finest dishes of the land, and it boasts the latest trends!"

He skipped to the side in one step, revealing a long line of maidservants behind him. Each maidservant held a silver dish on their arm. The dishes were covered with a dome lid polished so speckless - one could see one's reflection clearly on it.

'Pfft, I nearly forgot that the household became slightly more crowded recently. The duke's daughter is a princess, right? Furthermore, this Duke is a stereotypically arrogant one.' Vidomina had been very low-profile all this time. She treated the people and the world decently without a hint of haughtiness; it almost made people forget that she had an insolent Duke for a father for a moment.

"Sir Hope? Are the choices of the dishes to your liking?" The perfect butler opened the cover on the dish that one maidservant was holding, revealing the main course of golden chops. A mouthwatering fragrance filled the air instantly.

Baiyi knew that even if he disagreed, this fellow would take these dishes back without any complaint and procure another set of dishes on the spot. Hence, he relented and allowed them to enter the house.

Under the service of maidservants, everybody dined happily and comfortably during this meal. The kitsune gracefully squatted on a chair, eating delicately from a bowl that had already been refilled a couple of times by the attentive maidservant beside it, and at that moment, the kitsune did not embody the image of a ferocious beast at all. The owl, which was beside the Kitsune, also ate in a similarly nimble manner. It was obvious that this was not their first time dining with humans, for their manners were really graceful and refined.

At that moment, Tisdale seemed to remember something. She suddenly asked, "Umm... Sunny is still outside, I think? I'm so sorry; we seem to have completely forgotten about him..."

The butler suddenly broke out of his statue-like demeanor and said, "Please do not worry, Miss Aegis. We have also prepared food for Mr. Sunny."

Vidomina pressed on further. "But...senior Sunny prefers something...raw. He doesn't usually eat with us..."

"Oh? Baiyi pondered for a moment, and then he extended a bit of his consciousness towards the courtyard to monitor the situation out there. He instantly understood what Vidomina meant. The scene of a chicken being shredded to pieces savagely by the snake-like branches was an incredibly bloody one. A common man would not be able to stomach his dinner after witnessing such a scene.

'Why can't that...thing... learn some manners from the kitsune or the owl?' A maidservant had carried out the extra task of setting up a tent for Sunny to dine in peace, preventing any cases of distraught onlookers.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward. Searching for a topic of conversation, Vidomina proudly introduced her band of maidservants to everyone. They had been sent by her father the moment the Duke learned of her return to the land, and they have served her for countless years; thus, her mannerisms from this professional upbringing was certainly on point.

"She really is a princess! Vidomina, do you always get this sort of treatment? I-I'm so jealous…" lamented Mia at a corner.

"It is me who envies you, Mia," said Vidomina in a humble manner. "These are merely just fancy people and fancy possessions, but compared to the care and attention you could get from the master anytime you want, what I have is nothing."

"Eh? What's this? Vidomina also fancies Sir Hope…" murmured Mia. She then placed her little head next to Vidomina's and said softly, almost in a secretive, whispering manner, "Actually, Sir Hope can get quite scary occasionally. He'll make you stand for long hours as punishment, or whack your butt with the feather duster; it really hurts, I'm telling you! What's more, his cooking is horrible; the meals we eat are usually prepared by Attie."

'I heard that! I heard all of that! You ungrateful little bunny; how could you reveal all these private details? Watch how I'll finish you off later!' Baiyi's thought dismally.

However, when Vidomina heard Mia's childish opinion, she laughed, and after lowering her voice, she asked, "Hey, Mia, how about this… you can have this butler of mine, including all these maidservants — in exchange for Sir Hope! Deal?"

"No way!" Mia replied almost impulsively, vigorously shaking her head sideways. "I want to be with Sir Hope forever!"

Despite all those complaints earlier... when asked to leave Baiyi, Mia was quick to voice her displeasure!

"Eh? But Mia, you'll have to get married ultimately, right? You're so pretty and talented. I'm sure you're fancied by many boys! Hence, what would happen when you get married in the future?" Vidomina asked in a joking manner.

However, the little girl took the question so seriously that she wrinkled her brows and pondered for a long time before answering, "I don't know! I'm still young, so it's still not the right time to think about all these!"

"But Mia...you're almost sixteen! Lots of girls your age are already mothers, with kids…"

"So what? Whatever it is...I-I want to be with Sir Hope! If it's really not possible…" Mia said stubbornly. She then sent a complicated glance at Baiyi, who was sitting at a corner; 'he does not look like he heard anything, right?'

Baiyi, who had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation, felt his heart almost melting with fondness. At the moment, he felt like standing up to declare to Mia joyously, "It's alright, my dear Mia! If you cannot be strong enough to win over my body — or be excellent enough to win over the boy that every Walker approves of — it's totally alright! I will always nurture you! And, take care of you!

Too bad, this was something he could ever profess. Therefore, instead of that declaration, two shallow coughs escaped Baiyi's throat, replacing the words that would have expressed the joy in his heart.

The two girls seemed to be afraid that their conversation would be overheard by Baiyi, so they quickly finished their meal; not a sound was uttered anymore.

After the meal, the maidservants cleaned up the scene swiftly, while the butler sought Baiyi and asked if he should prepare some daily amenities for the students, but Baiyi declined profusely. Baiyi informed the butler that they would already be helping plenty by providing three daily meals in a day. He did not want his students to be spoiled and pampered, after all.

The band of maidservants then left the mansion in a flourish, but they did not forget to bring the pot containing the sunflower, Sunny, back into the mansion before their departure.

"There will be no lessons for today and tomorrow, but for this afternoon, I'd like to gauge a little of your abilities. Therefore, allow Mia and the girls to take your around Aspen City for a tour tomorrow," Baiyi said to the five new students. He was then handed a piece of paper by Tisdale, which contained the results of a vote by the new students on what lessons they would like to have. He read through it quickly and continued, "I'll tabulate the votes later, and I will try my best to accommodate everyone's needs, but…"

He glanced towards the sunflower. "You wanted lessons on martial arts?"

Sunny the sunflower happily wriggled its body in acknowledgment.

'A potted sunflower like you… martial arts?!'

Next, he shifted his attention to Nota the fairy. "You wanted culinary lessons? A-and lessons on crafts like...scarf-making…?"

The little fairy nodded her head seriously, gazing at Baiyi with eyes full of hope.

Baiyi truly wanted to reject this idea straightaway. He was afraid this girl would forget where she placed the pepper, or forget whom she was making the scarf for. This certainly was a cause for concern…

As for Zakum, the kitsune, and Potter, the owl, their only wish was to study Druid magic. 'Hmm… this request was not too bizarre, but it was an uncommon one.' Druid magic was not a popular choice in reality; It was not exceptionally powerful, neither was it useful per se. The world lacked the existence of Jade Golems, after all!

"Druid magic is possible, you could learn a thing or two from that, but I don't know how much exactly there is to learn," muttered Baiyi. There was a Druid amongst the Walkers themselves, but a special one; not many truly understood her true nature, even till this day.

"And Potter, you're interested in theology?" Baiyi asked the owl, with incredulity. 'Is he...out of his mind? Owls are already seen as an omen of bad luck, and his whole original self is practically darkness itself. One glance at him, and he looks like he's up to no good, yet he plans on studying theology?! '

Besides these, every one of the new students was interested in Ancient Rohserlese magic, so there could be a class held together for that. Regarding general studies, the students hoped to have additional classes of language and biology.

'Well-chosen! No problem!'

"Woah! Master is so impressive, he looks like he knows everything!" exclaimed Vidomina. "But, allow me to ask this off the record. Is there anything in the world that Master does not know?"

'Perhaps...it is better to ask Mia to call me daddy, instead?' Baiyi thought in private.Jade Golems — a reference from Heartstone. It's a druid-related… thing. I'm not exactly sure…

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242 Testing the Water

That evening, Baiyi randomly chose some homework from his prepared stockpile, giving Mia and the rest tasks that would occupy their time. After that, Baiyi went to his room and began to interview the new students one after the other.

If Baiyi was going to be their mentor, then he wanted to be a responsible mentor who knew his students like the back of his hand. He sought to know the levels of his students' intelligence, their foundations, and most importantly, their communication skills. For that purpose, he rejected Nota's offer to take on the role a translator for her fellow students, for he wanted to see the level of communication that these students could express without help.

The room was decorated with props, making it resemble an Earth-style interviewing room. It contained two chairs, a table in between, and multiple forms placed atop the table.

The first student to enter was the big fox, Zakum. It obediently leaped onto the chair and patiently waited for its first test: intelligence test.

"Hafu hafu?" Baiyi asked.

The fox was stunned. It had no idea that the first question which its respectable mentor would ask would be the Edgy Eleven-year-old Gamer's Favorite Vocabulary. It looked down in hesitation, feeling quite embarrassed and musing over the correct words to reply.

In the end, it took out its paw and let Baiyi examine it clearly. Then, it slowly raised its middle claw.

Hmm, this answer is quite… fine, I guess. Baiyi nodded, writing "Caveman" underneath the "intelligence" section.

He asked, "So, how do you suggest we communicate in the near future?"

"Like this!" A speech bubble containing these words suddenly appeared above the kitsune's head; it was similar to the speech bubbles found in anime and manga. This speech bubble was formed from the fox's own mana. The words in the speech bubble were written in a neat handwriting.

"Oh, not bad at all." Baiyi nodded, feeling satisfied and ticked a small box opposite the words "Communication".

"Thanks, mentor!" appeared on the speech bubble above the fox's head.

"Now, let us look at your foundation. Your talents are martial arts, magic, alchemy, and adventuring, right? Then, tell me your magical preference: Classic Rohlserlian or Modern Runic?"

"I major in Modern Runic melee fights," the kitsune replied candidly.

'Oy. I couldn't tell that this foxy has the same taste as the Sorcerer,' Baiyi thought to himself, and immediately after, a haughty and mocking voice rang out within the Void, "Ha! Would you look at that, fellas? You all don't even have the taste and intellect of a bloody animal!"

Of course, it did not take long for the Void to be filled with dust and cries as all sides fought each other again. Baiyi could only minimize that window and turn his attention back to the reality, "How strong are you, specifically? May I assess it?"

The fox nodded. Baiyi used his psychic energy and scanned its body for responses and reactions. Curiously, though, it had considerable puissance, making it simultaneously strong and highly agile. It had no trace of combat chi in its body. Its mana level was about the same as Tisdale's. Hence, in conclusion, the total combat prowess for this big furry fox would be...

Baiyi looked down at the form, and under the section "Combat", he wrote: "Undine*2"

"Hey! Did you just treat both the Caveman and Undine as measurement units? They'll be so upset if they knew!" a voice. which had not joined in on the fray erupting in the void, directly said to Baiyi.

'Huh? It's the Assassin?' "At least use the Hammerhead Shark Plushie as the measuring unit!" the Assassin continued.

"Please, you're joking, right? How can these people even be measured using a big unit like that? You want me to write it as '1/4 of Hammerhead Shark'?" Baiyi replied indignantly.

Then, he added, "Hmm, since you're free, lemme ask you: if this fox is worth two Undines and one-fourth of a Hammerhead Shark, then how much of a Hammerhead Shark is one Undine worth?"

"W-what? U-um…!" The Assassin was thrown into chaos. Her consciousness split into a few copies as if she was counting with her fingers, and then after a long pause, her voice sounded as though she was close to bursting into tears, "You big bully! Hmmph! I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Her voice vanished just like that. She might have really been mad!

'You… can't even answer middle school math, so you act tsundere? Oh please!' Baiyi replied internally. 'This universe really needs to improve its mandatory education, pronto!'

Back in reality, Baiyi created a few relatively simple runes in mid-air for the fox to try and recognize so that he could gauge its reading level. All questions were answered without any stutters, except the last one.

Faced with the last question, the fox rubbed its fur and scratched its ears for a long while, and in the end, it helplessly shook its head in resignation. It was worried that its imperfect performance would upset its new mentor, so it began to look dismayed.

"Ah, it's okay. Your performance had been very good." Baiyi's head was faced down as he wrote "Thane" on the section "Knowledge". Then, he added, "The last one wasn't a rune, you know. It's the image that people use to test for color-blindness…"

The fox suddenly felt its fangs suddenly growing longer and sharper, and its eyes lingered on Baiyi's neck; meanwhile, the Thana roared in the Void, "You sunnavabitch! You're using me as a measurement unit, too?!"

'Well, It's because you're not very strong inherently, but you are very good in strategy and war tactics, right, my beloved Master Thane?' Baiyi replied in his mind sweetly.

The test had now reached the last section. It was the moral and ethics section, and after a while, Baiyi asked the fox, "If Mia and I both fell into a river, who would you save? Left paw for me, right paw for Mia."

The fox felt like it was about to go crazy. It had realized how insane its new mentor was, so it put up both paws in surrender.

"Very excellent! You know to save the teacher who passes you knowledge, and you know to protect the weak and unable. Bravo, bravo!"

For that section, Baiyi wrote "Hope".

The fox was finally left off. Before it left, it turned toward the next victim, the owl — who was next in line to get interviewed — and gave it a forlorn look before patting its feathered-shoulders as a show of moral support.

"Hoot?" The owl's head tilted to a side, and its eyes did not blink. It could not understand the gesture, apparently.

After a few moments in the office, the bird finally understood.

"So, your talents are martial arts, magic, aerial battles, adventures, and the study of magical items... My psychic energy had found nothing from you. Is this a property of your race? Hmm, then show me your arsenal of moves! Gimme a White Goose Spreading its Wings!"

"Oh, you can't do that? Ho, how about… Quick Attack? Thunderbolt? No? Then, what can you do? Tail whip?"

"There, there! No giving up, okay? You're okay! Alright, lettuce try something else, like…"

A barrage of senseless questions followed which could be seen as lethal strikes at the owl's sense of reality. Of course, as the owl answered as best it could, Baiyi filled up its form with comments like "Monster", "Undine", "Mia", and "Hope".

In general, the owl seemed to be less competent than the fox, except in Morals. It was more dependable there.

When it was time for Potter the owl to go, its mood had sunken completely. Just as it was about to leave, Baiyi called out, giving it some words of encouragement, such as expressing his support for its future study and training. Then at the end of that, he added, "Right, about shadownyx owls — can't they shapeshift at will?"

The owl nodded, and then it went on to demonstrate this to Baiyi. It spread its wings wide, and streams of black fog began to surge from all parts of its body. The fog thickened, rotated, and in the end, the owl seemed to have been completely vaporized. Then, the fog dispersed and proceeded to slowly coalesced back together; it was condensing into something else. When the owl had fixed itself into a new form, Baiyi almost jumped.

It had turned into little Mia, donning her favorite new winter wear!

"To this incredible level of detail?!" Baiyi's face was a wide-eyed (0.0), and he immediately asked the owl to come and stand in front of which, then he started examining this form with his psychic energy. 'Not an illusion. This is an actual transformation!'

"It's an exact replica, huh," Baiyi said as he touched the barren skin. 'Gods, the feeling of its hand is the exact same as the real Mia's!' Even the hair was amazingly detailed; every strand of it was as real as Mia's actual hair. If one did not look closely enough, they would not be able to tell that this is not the original Mia!

The only problem with the owl's transformation was its glassy eyes and expressionless face. This Little Mia looked more like a marionette than the actual person; "her" eyes were dim and lifeless. It would be an obvious hint to a normal person with a little knowledge of human social interaction — so maybe that was why Potter chose to assume an owl's appearance and not a human's.

Besides that, there were a few problems with the way it processed clothing. The clothes were synthesized as part of the skin, so there really wasn't any cutoff point between the edge of the collars and sleeves with the skin. The clothes were also unnaturally smooth and did not a single wrinkle.

This transformation seemed like the best Potter could do. This may look like the real thing on the outside, but a few details would still reveal it as a fake.

'This owl may not be a fighter, but it sure has another pretty cool trick, huh?'

Just as Baiyi was carefully examining the life puppet Mia, Tisdale entered the room with her homework. Her head was down when she pushed open the door. She was mumbling, "Sir, this is a tough question that I can't solve. Can you explain it to me?"

Baiyi had always given her a tad bit more leeway, so she never actually paid much attention to common courtesy. This was especially true when she was absorbed in a question.

Tisdale was just being her usual self when she barged into his room. Normally it would have been fine, but today…

Oh, today was different. As Tisdale looked up from her book and fixed her eyes ahead, she saw her teacher squatting close to the floor, lifting Mia's skirt up.

"Gaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

A piercing scream shook the entire mansion. Downstairs, both Attie and Mia, who were trying to comfort the fox, jumped up in fright.Possibly the only part I could score, then! I know plenty useless shits instead of important stuff, and this is definitely one of them!There are many reasons why the correct measurement unit for this answer is so not 'Hope', okay? At least place Laeticia or something?!White Goose Spreading Its Wings is one of the moves in Tai Chi!Baiyi actually said "lettuce" instead of "let us".

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243 Resume Testing...

"Sir… You have finally started defiling Mia?"

Tears bubbled in Tisdale's eyes, and her expression became filled with anger, grievance, and dissatisfaction.

She strode towards Baiyi with large steps and shielded "Little Mia" with her own body as she rambled on furiously, "And! And, to be doing this in broad! Daylight! Wh-what were you thinking?! If you couldn't contain yourself, at least come at me!"

She lowered her scarlet face, and her hand slowly lifted her own equally-short skirt. With her legs adorned with fitting black pantyhose, coupled with her natural attractiveness, Tisdale's actions were enough to challenge a normal man's self-discipline.

Baiyi helplessly extended his hand — and gave the girl a hard rap on her forehead.

"Owwww!" The girl tumbled, and her arms flew to cover the sore spot on her head.

"Come on, back to your original look with you. You're pushing me into a bad position here," Baiyi said to "Little Mia".

Tisdale's eyes widened as this Mia turned back into her new classmate, the owl.

"I was just ascertaining the limit of its shapeshifting ability." Baiyi opened his palm as if to show his innocence. "Didn't you notice that its clothes were merged with the skin? I only wanted to make sure that it was really the case, and I did. Pure academic inquiry!"

There were a few comments he had not said out loud: he had already seen everything. 'You girls always wear skimpily at home, running around in your underoos. Do you think I actually need to make effort in order to enjoy that sort of scenery from you girls?'

"I'm so, so sorry, Sir. My assumption was wrong," Tisdale looked down in shame, and suddenly, she remembered something even more shameful. Oh, the words she had uttered to scold Baiyi!

With another scream, she dashed away, and the question she had regarding her homework was forgotten.

"What's with Big Sister Dale?" Attie asked quietly from her position atop the fur of the big fox.

"Hmm, no idea. Maybe she angered Sir again. I'll ask her when we have our meal…" Little Mia replied nonchalantly as she lay on the other side of the kitsune.

After the incident was over, Baiyi still had to continue with his interviews. This time, he came face-to-face with the sunflower Sunny.

Nota had carried it into the room. After she left, Sunny bowed respectfully, and then out of nowhere, the sunflower sprouted a few tendrils that spelled "Mentor Hope, good day!"

'Tsk. This is quite wholesome.'

He repeated the same interview questions to the plant in order to gauge its power, but to his slight dismay, the sunflower fared worse than the owl.

'Well, it is just a potted plant.'

Nevertheless, the plant had a surprisingly large amount of general knowledge. It even correctly deduced that the last "rune" was really a color-blindness detection image — a feat that even the fox could not achieve!

"Your talent, aided by your race, is illusion, right? It is very excellent," Baiyi said. "Another talent of yours would be Druid magic, specifically: plant style Druid magic, yes? Well, I was thinking… since Zakum and Potter also want to learn Druid magic, would you be so kind as to teach them the basics?"

The sunflower nodded, and the disk it called a face broke into a smile.

Plants that had gained conscience and powers, like this potted sunflower, were natural druids. The lowest standard for any druid was the ability to communicate with plants, and this sunflower could no doubt do the same. In fact, it even agreed to talk to Baiyi's own plants so that they could grow up healthy.

To be honest, Baiyi would not be able to teach Druid magic as well as he would have liked, even though the Eighth Voidwalker himself was a powerful Druid. Just like Baiyi did from the other Voidwalkers, he had learned much from The Druid. However, there was something even more difficult, and even trickier, to grasp this type of magic. Even Baiyi himself had not mastered much of this magic. One could even say that there was a blank space in his mind where the knowledge of Druid magic should have been.

It was not that the Eighth Walker was being petty and miserly; it had taught Baiyi everything it knew, but the knowledge had been very cryptic. The Fifth Walker was sure that the most mysterious parts which he was not able to wrap his mind around were the essences of Druid magic, or more simplistically termed 'the Gnosis of Nature'.

The Gnosis was what all druids aspired to master and understand, but it was the type of knowledge that could not be learned by reading any text or theories. In fact, one could only understand the Gnosis through instincts and insights, so when the Eight Walker had tried to pass the knowledge it had to Baiyi, it was akin to someone was asking Baiyi to memorize the entire concept and theories of quantum physics, without any basic knowledge. Baiyi could not even tell what was what, let alone why something was what it was.

Not that anyone could blame the Eighth Walker — it was not even human! It was a plant, and not just any plant — it was a tree. Not a tree nymph or an Ent. An actual tree. Thus, who would expect a tree to try to explain the Gnosis of druid magic using human language?

Despite failing to understand the essence of the Gnosis, Baiyi still managed to gain a few perks from learning it. First off, he was able to form a very close bond with his plants, and in response, they grew happily; he also appeared endearing to Kitty Cat Maids like Attie, and he could easily obtain the affection and devotion of the wife he had bought over cheaply, the Fairy, etc.

Alright, so maybe those were more of social skills. How much could "natural friendliness" affect one's social life anyway? Especially when the Fifth Walker had failed to discern the cryptic essence anyway.

Fun fact: The Eighth Walker never slept and never talked because it could not, really. On normal days, if a game in the void had too few players, the tree would be forcefully taken in as one of the participants, but it would always disconnect from the server. Everyone in the Void just treated it as a tree, somewhat.

'Fine. It was a tree.'

Back in reality, Sunny the Sunflower had finished its test. It politely bowed again in gratitude, and then with a loud 'boing!', it jumped down from its seat onto the floor. Then, with a 'boing!''Boing!''Boing!', it hopped to the exit, and then it extended a tendril and opened the door for itself…

'This thing could move on its own this whole time!'

It was the fairy's turn.

She would probably be the only one normal one among these weirdos, right? Baiyi was sure because the fairy was even more normal than the only human in the group of new students, Vidomina; saved for her pointy ears, the fairy would look no different from any adorable human girl. Her feeble mien even made everyone around her feel instinctively protective towards her…

Baiyi was not sure why, but he had the urge to quickly bring this girl all the happiness that the world could offer.

"I noticed that your specialty lies in Ancient Rohlserlian Formations. Please, tell me: why did you choose to invest your effort into this field? It's the least popular and desired field in the current age, right? It's also hard to learn, so most people just use the much more convenient Modern Runic magic," Baiyi started with a solemn question.

"B-b-because… because I found formations t-to be more natural and… r-real," Nota replied. Her voice was melodious and demure; however, it shook slightly due to her timidity and shyness. There was just something soothing about it.

"Your judgment is very commendable. It is true that formations were created by an attempt to mimic natural sigils and their flows, so you're not wrong that a formation is a magic that is close to nature. I'm very pleased with your understanding!" As a Rohlserlian sorcerer himself, Baiyi was naturally very happy with Nota's answer. He was so happy that he decided to forego the others questions that he had asked others. He just found them unnecessary.

"May I see your current innate strength?" Baiyi summoned his psychic energy and asked politely.

Nota blushed as though she had felt embarrassed, but she still nodded in the end. Her hands were still placed before her chest.

Baiyi inspected the girl thoroughly, and he made many amazing discoveries. For example, the girl did not possess any organs, unlike humans; instead, her entire body was instead made out of vital energy.

A complete energy being, similar to those beings who were manifestations of the elements without matter, yet they still completely and truly existed. What a unique lifeform! No wonder the fairies were called the fae of nature.

Although Baiyi had known a few facts about fairies from the Walkers' memories, this was still the first actual encounter he was having with a fairy. His curiosity had long gotten the best of him as he continued checking with his psychic energy — while deep in thought about his new student — unconsciously lengthening the time of his examination.

Nota seemed to be very sensitive to psychic energy, so a soft cry escaped from her mouth accidentally.

"Oh! Apologies… I was starting to think of something else." Baiyi withdrew his psychic energy immediately. He had no lust for the delicate creature, only the instinct to be protective of her.

Next, Baiyi quizzed the fairy on formation theories and knowledge, and she replied in her soft, feeble voice, and to his surprise, her basic knowledge was even better than the systematically-educated Mia and Tisdale!

"Just from my tests alone, you're the most exceptional of these new students," Baiyi said after comparing their data. "Your knowledge of formations is also impeccable. I suppose HQ really did send me an excellent student!"

"Th-thank you, Mentor," Nota replied very quietly. "I.. I heard that you're a master in formations, so... So, I volunteered…"

'What a good kid! She even came to me on her own.' Baiyi felt a surge of joy and contentment, so out of habit, he got closer to Nota and inched his hand to her head for a good pat.

An expression of fear flashed in Nota's eyes, and her legs trembled in preparation to flee, yet to her credits, she stayed put, trying to contain her fear.

Baiyi noticed her little fright, so he made his pat extra light. He even said, very softly, "It's alright. No one can hurt you with me by your side."

Maybe it was that sense of security from his soft assurance — or maybe it was because of the gentle taps made on her head — Nota did not refute or deny him. She nodded lightly, and then she quietly replied, "Mm…"

"Well, according to my old records, fairies are supposed to be bold, daring, and very optimistic. I don't think they are even supposed to act as timid as this one," the Archmage said in the Void. He was one of the Voidwalkers who had come into contact with fairies before.

"Maybe she has had a sort of traumatic experience?" Baiyi replied.Uh oh

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244 A Kind of Happiness Worth Fighting For

After sending Nota off, the last person to visit Baiyi was Vidomina.

Baiyi pondered for a while, and then he cut straight to the chase, "How's your father?"

It was unlike the sort of greetings that acquaintances made with each other after a long separation. More specifically, there could only be one reason why this princess would come to him, and it would not be lame like — she came because of how knowledgeable he was, how disciplined he was, how high-achieving his academic level was, or how popular he was with young girls.

So Baiyi decided to address the reason she came straight away.

"I see… My mentor has already guessed my intentions," Vidomina sighed quietly.

She took the seat opposite of him, and then suddenly, as if she had lost all her strength, she stopped supporting her upper body with the confident front she had been putting and slumped onto the table.

She wanted to use her arms to cushion her forehead, but her body was slightly taller than the table, so it was not very comfortable.

"My apologies, Mentor. You're seeing me at my worst," Vidomina mumbled.

"You seem tired, Vidomina."

Baiyi examined the girl closely. She was objectively beautiful, with stunning facial features and a mop of a very rare pink hair. She belonged to one of the most elite of all aristocrats, so she should be spending her youth in the comfortable life of money and fame and luxury.

Not wearing a white robe sitting in a room talking to some old geezer.

"I am tired! My shoulders hurt. And, I feel like I can't even breathe…"

'Look at the burden on your shoulders; they are right there — attached to your chest. Also, look at the sitting position you are assuming now! How do you expect yourself to breathe normally like this?'

However, in truth, Baiyi felt a surge of sympathy towards the girl. He used his mana to weave a simple hammock, and Vidomina cried out in surprise as he lifted her up with his mana and let her lay on it.

"Ohhh! This is so much better! I thought you were gonna do something else to me, hee hee!" She stuck out her pink tongue playfully, displaying the perkiness and mischievousness of a girl her age.

'Excuse you. I'm a certified professional, and an excellent student with a flawless track record in upholding responsibility. Do I look like the kind who would do something like that to my students?' Baiyi thought helplessly.

"Let's get back to talking about your father."

"Mentor, you could tell, right? Dad got inflicted with a very rare Blood Curse." Vidomina turned her body side-way to face Baiyi's cloth-covered face. However, her laying position accentuated certain body parts, making these parts look even more perky, almost causing the robe to burst open.

Baiyi turned his face away and nodded. He did guess it was something troublesome like a Blood Curse and guessed that Vidomina would come to him for help. He just did not expect it to be this soon.

Seeing Baiyi nod made Vidomina feel somewhat relieved. She smiled and remarked, "I knew it! Uncle Kris said you would be one of those who will correctly guess what was really happening! I didn't believe him that much."

'Kris? That baldy? I always knew that there was a thinking head behind everything Vidomina does, but I just didn't expect the head to also be — hairless.'

"When Uncle Kris was younger, he used to be just a normal registrar. When father discovered his hidden aptitude in academic research, Father supported him for years throughout his academic pursuits until, finally, he was introduced into the Door of Conundrums," Vidomina said, telling Baiyi about her relationship with Baldy.

"I see. So, he's repaying the debt of being given the opportunity."

'No wonder Baldy had been a bit more polite to Vidomina.'

However, even until this point, Vidomina had still not mentioned the actual problem her father was facing. Was she waiting for Baiyi to ask her directly? Or was she scared of going there, scared of dwelling in the possibilities? To be honest, Baiyi really had no liking for the way aristocrats carry their conversations — he would rather be straight to the point.

As gratitude for the Saint Quartz staff and the land contract that she had gifted him, Baiyi decided against being more forceful in his questioning. "From what I know, a Blood Curse starts slowly, corroding the victim bit by bit over time. So, now that you're here…"

"Y-yes. D-d-dad… He's, um…" Vidomina's tears began to drip down, and soon afterward, she was sobbing. "A-and it's not just him. My brothers too… I don't have much t-time left…"

This explained why the Wright family had not been present during the banquet, even when every other elite was present. The situation in their home had gotten worse. If all of the male kins of the family were suffering from the curse, the only one left would be Vidomina. As a woman, she would be married into some other family, and the Wright family would be lost forever.

Baiyi felt a twinge of sorrow for the girl. She was too young to suffer the pain of losing her father. Poor girl.

He carefully thought again. "Are you sure that I'm the one who can cure it?"

Vidomina shook her head helplessly. "I'm not sure, no. But… You defeated Thaas, the Abyss Lord, and you're friends with Saint Noel who brought back the legendary theurgical technique lost to the Church. If you can't do it, then no one else in this world could."

"How much time is left?"

He did not affirm or deny her claim.

Vidomina leaped up from her hammock and ran to his side before grabbing his arm and hugging it tightly against her breasts. Her voice was hopeful, "Mentor! You have… You know a cure?"

"There is a time constraint, and I need to see the specifics," Baiyi replied.

He was still a force for good and compassion who, at this moment, could not bear to see a girl being forcefully separated from her father.

"Instruct your men to accompany the others on a tour in Arfin City, while you and I go to your home to check out on Lord Wright."

"Okay! That's great! I'm gonna make my butler and servants serve them as well as they serve me!" Vidomina nodded her head hard. Then, as if she remembered something, she asked, "Isn't Mia your Soul Armature Practitioner? Does she not need to come?"

Baiyi took out the Soul Booster from his inner pocket. "Didn't you leave me with this?"

A wide grin of relief and joy blossomed on the girl's face. "Ah! The amount of money I spent on this investment — so totally worth it!"

Maybe it was in the same feeling of jubilance that the girl wrapped her arms around Baiyi's neck and planted a quick kiss on his mask. She then happily skipped out of his room and started making plans for the next day.

'Hmph. That's the sort of boldness you'll only get from a spoiled lady of a rich aristocratic family.'

He rubbed on the spot where the kiss was planted and shook his head.

The tests were over. Baiyi had compiled data on all of his new students, so he should not have any problem for their future studies. The only thing he needed to discuss with the Voidwalkers was Vidomina's problem.

In truth, before his talk with the girl, Baiyi had already asked the Voidwalkers on the subject of Blood Curses, fearing that it might be the reason she wanted to see him. The Walkers had all obliged and were engaged in the productive discussion when the Sorcerer made that sarcastic remark above the ding.

After the troublemaker was muted, the Void returned to its normal quietness.

Baiyi didn't sit with the students for dinner that night. Instead, he returned to his lab; on his way there, discussions about the curse were held in the Void.

Then as night fell, just as he was about to conduct some experiments, someone was knocking on his door.

It was Little Mia.

She was standing bashfully by the door, and her body slightly rocked back and forth slightly, probably out of a sort of timidity. It was obvious that the girl had something she wanted to say.

"What's the matter?" Baiyi pinched her cheek gently as he asked.

"Mr. Hope, I'm going to bed." She smiled softly.

Baiyi looked at the hourglass on his table. "Hmm. Well, it really is time for bed. Big Sister Dale and the rest must have been sleeping already."

"You... You're not coming to my room?" Mia asked suddenly, out of nowhere.

"Huh?"

"If I want to go to bed, I'll have to change," Mia lowered her voice, and her face turned a crimson red. "I heard about what happened from Big Sister Dale. Do you want to see what's underneath my skirt, Mr. Hope? I'll only show you..."

She held onto her skirt, at the verge of lifting it up — an action that would have elicited much anticipation…

Baiyi, feeling unimpressed, flicked her forehead hard enough to send the girl in brace position with her arms around her head.

"What's with kids nowadays!" He sighed helplessly. He did not understand why a girl this young would be so full of weird sentiments like these.

Then, he bent down and crouched close to Mia, who was still rubbing the sore spot on her forehead and rubbed his mask on her face. "Don't listen to Big Sister Dale. That was just a misunderstanding. Alright, go to sleep."

However, Mia clasped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ears, "Attie had turned off all of the lights. It's so dark. I'm so scared…"

Her words elicited a chuckle from the Soul Armature. "You're almost 16! Must you still act coquettish like this?"

He poked her cheeks, and then carried her to her room.

"Good night, sleep tight. Tomorrow's gonna be fun!" Baiyi placed the girl down and rubbed her head.

"Good night, Mr. Hope." Mia nodded obediently and closed her eyes. Then, straining her toes, she raised her head towards Baiyi.

She was asking for a peck.

"Good night, Mia." Baiyi gently granted her wish and closed the door.

He returned to his lab and said to himself, "How happy is life when a girl enjoys the warmth of her father's affection…"Refresher! A Blood Curse could only be conjured by a demon or a devil.I know right? You asking me?

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245 A Common Man Would Not Be Able to Get To This Position

The following morning was marked by rows and rows of carriages outside of Baiyi's house, flanked by soldiers in shiny armors and glistening swords. The butler, who came the previous day, was leading a large number of maids marching towards the mansion. A few of the marching maids carried rolled up red carpers under their arms, prepared to set up on the ground.

Naturally, this development shook off the morning haziness that Sunny the Sunflower and Baiyi had while they were outside watering the plants. Baiyi quickly strode forward, blocked the butler and his staff outside and shouted angrily, "What the hell are you guys even doing?!"

"Milady said that she wanted the highest standard of service for her new friends," the butler replied nonchalantly, and then, a little apologetically, he added, "Our apologies, the city baron went back to his post at the behest of the Emperor, or else he would have surely come. Other aristocrats have been contacted, however, and they are on their way here."

'Are. You. F*cking. Kidding Me?'

Baiyi was speechless. Yes, Little Miss Deep Pockets did say that she wanted her new friends to be served as well as she was, but he did not really look into her words. She may be part of the elite, but she was not pompous or overly showy, either. However, it had turned out that her simplicity did not mean that her people would not know how to make a scene!

"Just… Just tell them to go home. We only need three of those carriages. Why all these servants? Return them at once. We only need a few coachmen with us." Baiyi waved in dismissal.

"Master Hope, this… this won't do," the butler's impassioned face finally revealed a little expression of awkwardness. "Milady asked us to—"

"Oh, just you wait." Baiyi turned around and strode back into the mansion.

After a few moments, he reappeared — and this time, he was lifting the princess herself by the white collar of her white sleeping gown, as if he was carrying a cat, making her bare feet visible to all.

Vidomina did not seem to have woken up fully. She rubbed her eyes hard and stared at the long line of carriages. Then, feeling puzzled, she asked, "Mentor? You mean this is still too few, right?"

Baiyi gave her a hard flick on her forehead.

In the end, all that remained was the butler, the coachman, and a few bodyguards disguised as coachmen. Baiyi happily let his specially-dressed students get into the coaches.

Miss Fox was too big to fit inside, so it had to settle for the roof of the coach.

"Take care of yourself! Don't catch a cold… uh, why is your skirt still this short?" Baiyi asked Tisdale, who was just holding Sunny the sunflower in her arms, as she stepped into the coach.

"This? Is it short?" She pulled her skirt a little lower with a puzzled look, almost exposing underneath it again. "This is the trendiest length this winter, sir; don't worry! My long john is heavy, totally keeping me warm right now. Don't believe me? Come and touch it!"

Speechless, Baiyi shoved her into the coach. Not feeling entirely convinced, he peered inside the coach again, and as his eyes rested on Nota hugging on the hammerhead shark plushie, rubbing her face on it softly, he added, "Remember to take care of Nota!"

"I know, I know! Gods! Sir, you're acting more and more like a father!" Tisdale replied snippily.

'Why you little—!' Baiyi was just about to give the girl a lesson when the cheeky girl swiftly closed the door before he could make a move, and from the window, she looked out to the Soul Armature and stuck out her tongue, making a face at him playfully.

And the couches departed in a rhythmic stream of tee tock tee tock, leaving only Baiyi and Vidomina.

"Right. We better get moving too," Baiyi turned to Vidomina, who had already donned a full blue dress, and said. The girl was surprisingly reserved, with her dress length fitting Baiyi's conservative metrics perfectly.

"Mm!" She happily replied. She held his hand, and they boarded the last coach.

Their destination was situated in the north of Arfin city; it was a bustling city that served as the state capital and central city of the entire north — Breighton. It was also Vidomina's hometown.

When they stepped out of the transporter portal, they found a coach already waiting for them in standby outside the Association of Sorcerers building.

As Baiyi sat in the coach, he admired the scenery and was, no doubt, impressed by it. It was the financial center of the entire North. It had development and infrastructure that could rival the Capital City herself. Even its area and population was second only to the Capital City of this country.

One could easily deduce that Vidomina's father was no common man, seeing as he could still govern a large city handsomely despite his own ailment.

The Wright's country estate was located in the suburban area of Breighton, but it looked less opulent than Baiyi had imagined it to be. It did not have the appearance of a duke's home; however, the interior was a different picture: it was laden with gold and silver, revealing the identity of the master to be a true vassal of the empire.

Baiyi's arrival was long since announced, so the estate was quiet, with the conspicuous absence of unimportant interlopers. Of course, that meant Baiyi was free from the tropes of being questioned or accused of trespassing by some bishops or aristocrats.

The sun had already climbed to its highest point in the sky, but the servant reported that the Duke had not yet woken up. Vidomina had Baiyi wait comfortably in a lavishly-designed room for their noble guests. When Baiyi's personal entertainment — making a movie by manipulating his tea into tiny characters — was over, Vidomina finally returned and extended a formal invitation to him to come to the Duke's room. She was carrying a hammerhead shark plushie in her arms, close to her chest.

'Has the Duke been so sick that he could not even leave his bed?' Baiyi could already estimate the state her father was in.

He eyed the plushie in her arms curiously.

The girl was immediately flustered. She whispered very quietly and self-consciously in the corridor, "D-d-don't stare at me like that! I don't know why they grew so big, either.."

'That wasn't what I was looking at!' Baiyi could only turn his gaze away without saying anything out loud.

She detected the slight difference in his gaze, and with a pang, she understood. "Mentor, you were looking at this, right?"

She released the plushie from its comfortable, cushioned spot and waved it in front of him. "Yes! I saw Mia's plushie, and I thought it was very adorable, so I hired a dollmaker to make the exact same one... Of course, it looked cute, but it wasn't as formidable…"

'Hello? What kind of plushie do you think Mia has?'

"Hmm, the class of beaus that Vidomina represents is quite different from the Mia class and the Tisdale class, right? Although she dresses as if she read the dress code set up by a certain conservative dad, we can all still agree that this plushie is enjoying a very comfortable seat there, right? I, too, wish to have my consciousness imbued into this plushie in order to experience the softness mmmmmfff, mffff—" Although the Engineer took a big circle to get to his point, his intention was still detected easily by the radar, and he was quickly muted.

"My two cents? Try and find out what kind of food this girl eats normally Sir Hope, and cook the same for Mia-chan and the other girls so that they can also grow big and strong! After all, she was only a first grader, so how did she grow up to that size? I supposed this is the difference between the nutrition the Duke could offer — mmff, mfff—" The Paladin, too, suffered the Engineer's fate.

After both Walkers were muted, Baiyi entered the Duke's room in reality. He was greeted by a miasma of sinister smell — and no, it was not even the stench of the curse or anything evil. It was merely the stench from the combination of holy items, holy water, runes, formations, and whatnot.

'He didn't die from asphyxiation despite all these? The Duke is really something!'

The Soul Armature could not even control himself, and he quickly shoved open the tightly-closed windows with his mana. A breath of cold, but fresh, wind rushed in instantly, making the semiconscious Duke cough from his bed. Maybe this had woken him up a little?

"Father!" Vidomina dashed to the bed, snatching a mink coat from a female attendant, and wrapped it around the Duke. She helped him sit up slowly.

"Well met, Lord Duke." Baiyi nodded at Duke Wright, but the latter did not respond. His eyes were murky and glassy as though he was still in his vegetative state.

Baiyi created a small jolt of psychic energy and pricked the old Duke — finally rousing him.

"You are… Great Sage Hope?" His eyes as sharp a peregrine's.

Even though the first scene he saw immediately after his waking up was a strange Soul Armature standing before him, he did not panic the slightest bit. Instead, he was very composed as he quickly identified Baiyi.

Then, he turned to Vidomina. He ruffled her hair and muttered, "You've gotten thinner…"

'He seems like a normal father.'

"Please, let me conduct a check-up," Baiyi said.

"Please, do whatever you must. I can only… Apologize that you, Great Sage Hope, had to subject yourself to my current unsavory state," the Duke replied, feeling exhausted.

Baiyi quickly started. As he scanned the Duke with his psychic energy, he also removed traces of other foreign energies around the duke; it seemed that the Duke had already been subjected to many similar scans.

When he was finished, Baiyi took a step back and seriously looked at the frail man before him, who was already engaged in normal father-daughter conversation.

His scan revealed that all the Duke's organs had already degenerated, and they were on the verge of complete shutdown. The lower half of his body and nervous systems had already ceased to function, effectively making him paralyzed from the waist down.

He must be experiencing great agony every given second he was awake, yet in front of Baiyi, the man was calmly conversing with his daughter. If it was not for the unnatural twitch in his eyes at certain intervals, no one would have been able to guess that he was suffering from a serious ailment.

'Just a thought: whoever can climb up to a position like his must possess an indomitable will.'

"I admire your will, sir," Baiyi exclaimed earnestly.

The Duke loosened his grip on Vidomina's hand, turned to face Baiyi and replied, "Everyone says that to me, but what else can I do except endure it as much as I can…"

Baiyi was silent. He yanked a chair and sat on it and placed his hand under his own chin.

He started to ponder, but first, he shared the result to other Voidwalkers, "Alright? Does anyone have any leads?"

"I'm truly amazed," the Devil was the first to speak, "At how he was still alive. If it was someone else, they would long be dead."

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246 Doub

Vidomina had mentioned earlier that the Duke had his 200th birthday three months ago.

That would be an astounding age to reach back on Earth, but in this universe, it was not something unprecedented. This was especially true for people who manage to earn titles like the Duke. Even if Baiyi cast aside the possibility of life-extending spells or other miraculous means, the Duke — who had made a living as a renowned martial artist — was an exceptional powerhouse himself. Baiyi deduced that the man was at least really close to Legendary-level when he was at the prime of his powers.

Another important fact was that Vidomina was born when the Duke was 185 years old. On Earth, this would have gone viral in all manner of news, but in this universe, it was simply a norm for elites and powerful people. Most of them only realize their need to pass some heritage or gene around the age of 200. There are even cases like the Scholar, who never got married, even at the ripened age of 300 years old. Of course, due to the Scholar's power cultivation, she still looked as young as a 20-year-old maiden, but for some reason, she just couldn't get herself into a relationship…

For a healthy man who had attained Legendary-level power, the Duke looked like he was around 40 years old even though his real age was 200 years or so. It would still be considered as his adult age — but the Duke was not showing any signs of equivalent vitality. His face, which was as wrinkled as an old tree bark, looked worse than the elderly dragon Yosef.

Not only that, when Baiyi was scanning the Duke with his psychic energy, he found no combat chi response from the man's body — effectively making him no different from a common man who had never practiced any martial art. All the years of power cultivation — during his times in the wars and battles — lost in the wake of a painful illness.

His body had gone way beyond the limit of restoration, it seemed. Baiyi was afraid that even the elderly who had control over the time-based secret technique would not be able to save the man.

The Fifth Walker's discussion with the Voidwalkers had been going on longer than expected. Meanwhile, Vidomina and the Duke did not make a sound to disrupt his train of thoughts; they waited patiently.

He finally raised his head. "Lord Duke, have you ever had an encounter with a demon from the Abyss?"

It was probably the same question every physician had asked, but the Duke patiently replied with the same answer, "No. I never had any contact with the demons."

'Then where could this Blood Curse have originated from?' A curse this strong required a demon to sacrifice its own soul. What event could have prompted such hatred? Killing your father in order to ascend the throne?

Baiyi initially suspected that the Duke may have made a Faustian pact in his past so that he may use their power to get to his current position as the Duke, but he had not found a single trace of such pacts in the Duke's body. And now, the man had denied any contact with any abyss demons, so how did he even end up contracting this curse?

Baiyi asked a barrage of questions: did he ever come in contact with some odd weapons? Had he ever visited an exceptionally inauspicious place? Had he ever taken a shortcut in his training?

The answers were nothing far from what a normal person would answer!

'It can't be that a depressed demon wanted someone to suffer a sort of torment after the demon itself committed suicide, right?' Baiyi shook his head at his own ridiculous conjecture. He asked again, "According to my result, your curse only started… a few years ago, yes?"

That was something else that was strange with the Duke's plight: normally, a Blood Curse would always be invoked for the aim of being passed to the victim's kin; in other words, it could eradicate the victim's offsprings and heirs, even after a very long period of time. Dying by the curse was an agonizing torment. The curse was designed to keep the victim on the line between life and death for a long period of time. When the victim grows so desperate to save themselves, they will remember that their beloved, too, will suffer the same pain and same cause of death…

This inhumane curse was designed to act very slowly so that the victim suffers a lot, but the Duke still had the strength to make a baby 15 years ago. This may mean that the curse had not yet activated back then, or else, why would he choose to suffer that much just to have Vidomina? Just this fact alone made the Duke's affliction different from all other common Blood Curses.

However, this curse was spread to every member of the Wright family! Something only a Blood Curse could do.

The paradoxes and contradictions were really messing Baiyi up.

'Huh. Now that we mentioned it…' Baiyi seemed to have found another problem, and so he waved at Vidomina and gestured her to come over.

The girl obediently loosened her grip on the Duke's hand and rushed to Baiyi. Without much actions or words, Baiyi immediately launched his psychic energy to scan her body.

"Ahh!" Vidomina cried out softly, and her beautiful face reddened all the way to her ears. Baiyi's sudden action was too crass; it was no different from being forcefully stripped.

Even then, with tears in her eyes, she still managed to endure that burning shame and stood stubbornly before him, looking like she was waiting for him to do whatever he pleased.

'Girls nowadays are exposed to way too many materials! Where do they even get this much unhealthy information from?' Baiyi shook his head and retracted his psychic energy after detecting soft traces of a curse in her body.

'Oh, but her body's secondary maturation truly is… um, amazing. How the hell can someone cultivate such a sexualized woman within a young girl's body? Man, I wish I know the secrets just so I can use them on Mia.' The wisp of an incredulous idea suddenly crossed his mind.

Just as Baiyi was going back to his discussion in the Void, Vidomina rubbed her reddened eyes. She did not return to her father's side, and instead, stood beside him, watching him in concern.

After a long while, Baiyi spoke again, "I may need a lot more time than I initially thought. Lord Duke, please, return to sleep."

"I see. Well, you do as you see fit, I'll—" The Duke did not get to finish his sentence before Baiyi knocked him out with a Hypnotizing Spell.

"Every time he is awake, he suffers. I don't want that, so I forced him to sleep," Baiyi clarified his action to the girl.

"I understand, Mentor. Thank you," she replied in a low voice.

After all, beneath the Duke's bed was a powerful hypnotizing formation. If it was not for it, he would have trouble sleeping. It was also because of that formation that the Duke had trouble waking up.

'Or maybe his body no longer wants to wake up.'

Suddenly, there was a soft rapping at the door. Then, she entered the room without anyone's response.

Even a man like Baiyi who had shown no desire so far was stunned.

This person was a goddess-like beauty draped in an aristocrat's dress. Her features rivaled the breathtaking appearance of the Fairy or the Warrior, as well as their ethereal-like countenance. She stood there silently, and her presence brightened the room. It was almost like she was the most wondrous scene that a pair of eyes could feast on.

The gloomy room seemed to have brightened up at her arrival.

"Mom!" Vidomina cried, and then with pat-pat-pat, she leaped into lady's embrace.

'Her mother, huh? No wonder Vidomina is so gorgeous. In fact, no wonder the Duke wanted a child even at the age of 200!'

Baiyi exclaimed as he enjoyed the sight of two women who resembled lilies amidst a vast range of common green, without a single impure desire.

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247 Mother, Daughter

"You are Master Hope, right? Meeting you is fortuitous. I'm Vidomina's mother, Harllotte."

The woman, whose very appearance was a test to a man's self-discipline, bowed slightly towards Baiyi. Her viper-like graceful body even managed to turn an innocent action like this bow into a weapon of fatal attraction; Baiyi just could not take pull eyes off her.

Judging by her appearance only, the Duchess may not be any different from the ladies around Baiyi, who each possessed their own distinguished style of beauty. However, none of the little girls around him would be able to replicate the bewitching and seducing qualities that this woman possessed. Even the older girls he had met, such as Undine and Aya, could not compare to the Duchess' mature countenance as a woman who had had lovers.

'This woman would mark the end of a man's control over himself! She's even more beautiful than women who have been supplemented with dark arts and sorcery on Earth! If one even knew her title and position in society — as well as her daughter who had greatly inherited her mother's look, albeit with an additional air of innocence — I'm pretty sure that after the Duke's departure, there would be many who would jump at the opportunity to take over the family, right? Well, probably for oyakodon or whatnot.'

Baiyi had lost control over his deviant fantasies, and just as he was about to continue reviewing the immortal attraction which the Duke's woman possessed, he felt an intense gaze burning through his neck in the Void.

He cleared his throat, stood up from his chair and declared, "Nice to meet you too, milady. I am Hope, Vidomina's mentor."

"I hope that you, the fabled savior of worlds, can save my husband and my family…" the Duchess said and turned to look at the sleeping Duke.

Her expression was wrought with anguish and grief, with an expression which gave sorrow a newfound beauty.

"My apologies, but I would need more time," Baiyi replied earnestly. The curse was proving itself to be even more perplexing than every situation and case scenario which the Voidwalkers had come up with yesterday; no one had any lead as to what they were even facing.

"I understand. If it's alright with you, Master Hope could stay here for a while. I have already prepared a room for you," the pained expression that would have pierced even the hardest of hearts faded from the Duchess's face as she uttered an irresistible offer.

Baiyi wanted to decline it, seeing as he still had to take care of a lot more kiddies at home, but Duchess Harllotte seem to have seen right through him. She gently placed her hand on Vidomina's shoulders and said, "You're Vidomina's mentor — a man respected and revered by all. Please, accept our gift so that we may return you the appropriate amount of favors."

Baiyi froze. Then, after a pause, without agreeing or declining outright, he said, "Please allow me more time to search for clues, okay?"

"I see. Do what you must. Please allow me to talk to my daughter. If you need anything, just give the orders to the maids." The Duchess turned and held her daughter's hand in hers. Vidomina waved gently at her mentor before happily leaning her body into her mother's side, and the pair of lilies left.

Baiyi stared at their silhouettes. "You got her looks, and you will even surpass her voluptuous body one day; however, you're still a child at heart, huh?"

He turned to look at the slumbering Duke. "Aren't you a lucky man?" Baiyi sighed.

After a little contemplation, he turned to the two maids in the room who had been standing there silently all along. "If you may, can you tell me about Lady Harllotte?"

The maids stared at each other, with similar startled expressions. They had not expected their Lady's charm to rub off on this legendary Great Sage, even when he was just a Soul Armature!

They did not dismiss his inquiry, however. They answered, but their stories were just normal accounts of the daily lives of the Duke and Duchess, how much they had loved each other, and how faithful the Duchess is to the Duke, despite his days being numbered…

No scathing expose, and no scandalous secrets. The image of the Duchess became more and more vivid; she was the perfect embodiment of pure-hearted female, a gentle and beautiful wife, a compassionate and soft mother, and a generous and kind woman to serve. As the maids recounted stories of the Duchess, their eyes shone brightly, and they seemed mesmerized. They earnestly love and admire the Duchess, who they had painted as an avatar of the Goddess of Hearth, effectively making them fangirls.

In the end, one of the maids added, "The only time I have seen milady livid was the time she rejected the advance of Lord Marquess. That was the first time, in more than 20 years of my time here, that I saw milady angry…"

There was no doubt that this was a warning to Baiyi to refrain from getting any funny ideas about the Duchess. However, the Fifth Walker did not feel he needed to remind the maid that many people surely would have been jealous to the Duke, so they would have sought to take advantage of his wife, seeing as the Duke himself was battling for his life, but the Duchess had not given any of them the slightest possible chance.

'Alright, she's too perfect,' Baiyi thought.

After signaling to the maids that he had understood their words, he went back to thinking hard.

Suddenly, from deep within the Void, he heard a shrill, sarcastic voice saying, "Tsk tsk, would you look at that? Great Messiah, Great Sage Master Hope, thinking hard and pooling his soul into his current task, huh? The rewards are too sweet to resist, right? A soft sniff of her skin… or you could do even better and kiss both the mother and daughter, right?" The Assassin remarked mockingly.

"Hmph!" a chilly, scornful sneer that could freeze Baiyi right from the core rang out in the void.

"What kind of person do you all take me as? Do I look like someone who would take advantage of people who are vulnerable? Hmm? I'm just trying to help my student!" Baiyi leaped in to defend himself—not from the Assassin's, but the other person who sneered.

"Just you watch out…" the Warrior replied in her ethereal-like voice, then returned to silence.

'Watch out? Watch out for what? Hey, don't leave me hanging!'

He redirected his focus back to his task.

By the time Vidomina returned to his side to invite him over for lunch, Baiyi still had not figured out anything concrete. He examined the Duke's body again and then set up his new and improved Curse Monitoring Formation.

The formation was first invented by the Church to monitor and prevent any sorts of hexes and jinxes, with the additional ability to track the caster themselves. Seeing as they always battled the forces of wickedness, the Church's knowledge in such areas were certainly reliable. After applying suggestions for improvements from the two Walkers who were muted earlier, the formation abandoned its original effect of providing shielding from the curse, and in return, it gained an exponentially-enhanced accuracy and sensitivity.

Baiyi even had to use some of the materials he had saved from his other expeditions. For example, about the Angelic Feather he turned into a protective necklace and gave to Laeticia, well — he had to ask for that back, even though he was the one who had gifted it. After he used it, the rare material was no more; the previously crystal clear feather had darkened completely due to corruption.

An Angelic Feather was hard to come by. Laeticia loved the necklace so much, she never wore them, and instead, she kept them in her pocket. Of course, when Laeticia heard that the necklace would be crucial to saving Vidomina's father, the kind-hearted and generous girl gave it up immediately.

To ensure that his new formation worked normally, Baiyi had to clear the room of the spells and formations which the previous physicians installed — Curse repellant, healing theurgical talisman, whatever those junks were.

Baiyi knew that these formations had been helping the Duke live on.

In other words, now that he had removed them, he had even less time to solve the mystery before the Duke died on him.

Yet, with all these risks and the utilization of rare items, the effect of the new formation was still too far below Baiyi's expectation. The only thing this showed was that the Duke was thoroughly afflicted with the curse and was about to die. Baiyi could not even trace the source or the caster, and this really puzzled him. Without knowing the source, he could not even devise the way to break the curse.

Baiyi's plan was to have the formation work as planned so that it would point towards a certain area in the direction of the Abyss — where the caster had cast the spell. Then, when the source was found, the Devil Walker could deduce whose area that was, what kind of powers the demon possessed and devise ways to counter its curse.

But the glyphs that were supposed to show the caster's location did not have a single reaction. No source — no trace.

The Fifth Walker was starting to become desperate. He lowered his ego and poked the Fourth Walker's consciousness — despite considering him nothing more than a fake and a fraud. However, perhaps he may have some insights...

"You there?"

"No, fuck you!" the Oracle replied with one of his preconceived memory, finally one of the few times that he speaks like a normal person.

In the end, the almighty, all-powerful, spectacular-amazing-uncanny Fifth Walker squatted before the formation, feeling helpless, without any idea on how to defeat one small curse. His student beside him, who had been calling him to have his meal found him so unresponsive, so she had to shake his shoulders to rouse him.

"Mentor, would you take a rest? Mom's waiting for you in the dining hall, too," Vidomina said.

'Why do people always assume that Soul Armatures can eat?' Baiyi thought helplessly.

Nevertheless, he had no idea on how to fix this curse, so maybe he could talk to the beau and retrieve more clues.

After having that thought, Baiyi stood up again, and just as he was about to leave, Vidomina's eyes turned towards the new formation. "Mentor, what is this? I don't get it, but it looks powerful!"

"I'll teach you that when I get the chance," Baiyi said, monitoring the changes in the formation, when Vidomina crept closer to it. He nodded knowingly, and then out of habit, he patted her head. "Alright, let's not keep your mom waiting."

When they had both sat down at the table, the Duchess asked immediately, "Master Hope, any progress?"

"Yea, a little."

"Just as they had said, Master Hope of the legends!" A smile of relief radiated from her beautiful face.

Vidomina, too, happily chimed in, "My mentor is the best!"

Baiyi did not have the heart to tell her that the Voidwalkers were already started hatching an escape plan, because, well — they had removed all of the life-extending systems installed for the Duke, which may how sped up the time the Duke would die, making the situation even more painful. In the future, the student would probably approach him later on as the avatar of vengeance, right?

'Please don't let that happen!'

Baiyi did not even look at the food they were served. He was occupied with asking them more questions — questions he had asked the Duke previously — and to his dismay, the answers he got were no different from the Duke's.

Since Vidomina's brothers were not around, the dinner party were sitting on a smaller, cozier table. The distance between him and the attractive Duchess became smaller than expected, and he could perceive her; not just the smell of her equally enchanting perfume, but also her powerful aura.

The maids from before had also told Baiyi that the Duchess was not just some random, common woman; she was also a capable fighter.

"Lady Duchess, may I ask? Your power level...?"

She chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed. "Quite unremarkable, actually. Before my marriage, I was at the Legendary-level, but now, without practice, as well as the curse's effect, I think I have regressed a lot more."

"My most sincere pity," Baiyi replied casually.

He examined her face again. She had no wrinkles and still appeared young and beautiful. She could even call herself Vidomina's sister, and no one would bat an eye. He heard from the maid that she was about to be 60 years old. Can someone really look so good at this age?

Powerful people could fight the corrosion of time on their appearance because of their cultivation. However, as someone gets older, could their face stayed completely untainted, even by a single mark of time? Well, men would still be influenced by age, but Baiyi could not tell for women…

He poked the Scholar in the Void and asked, "With her innate strength, is this possible?"

"What troubles you, hmm? Did the possibility of her sudden, exponential succumb to age — especially after you take her hands in a nuptial ceremony — scare you, hmmmmm?" Even the Scholar was not being kind in her words.

"Hey, now, don't get defensive. I'm being serious."

"What a dull mystery you forced me to crack. Think! She is a woman who was gifted with exceptional wiles and charm at birth, and gifted with wealth and resources at marriage; Frugality was never necessary! She could easily obtain, for instance, crushed behemoth bones to combat her wrinkles. You may also remember that she no longer needs to fight, so she could spend all her surplus mana and time in banishing even the first hint of age or unsavory facial flaw."

She paused and then added, "When I was at the tender age of 60, my appearance would fool many to consider Mia as my senior instead!"

'Oh man, an old woman trying to fight a young girl in beauty? Gosh, no wonder you can't get into a relationship…' Baiyi thought.Dude! It took me a while to trace the term from the original, and turns out it's not even a Chinese term, but borrowed from Japanese hentai. For those who are not in the know (those who are — whoa!) it denotes a protagonist who manages to have their sexual way with the mother and the daughter at the same time and ends up with the both of them.Holy shit, a 60-year old that looks tender…?!

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248 Left On His Own

Since he having an impromptu discourse on the tricks and tips of make-up with the Scholar, Baiyi had not started talking with the two ladies in reality. The Duchess, however, quickly came up with a topic

"So, what's your power level, Master Hope? Immortal-level? Holy-level?"

"Huh… Well, just Master-level," Baiyi replied simply.

Quite unexpectedly, the belle who was well on her way towards becoming a widow covered her mouth lightly as she chuckled heartily, "Master Hope has such penchants for jests! You just haven't gotten the chance to sit for a Strength Level Exam, have you?"

'That exam isn't the point! The point is — why would someone still be able to smile so joyfully when her own beloved husband's life was hanging by a thread?'

Baiyi had not seen Vidomina smile this happily before.

'Has she found herself another man already? But with this Blood Curse looming — which idiot would throw away their healthy life to enjoy her; thus, contracting the curse? Unless…'

A thought flashed through his mind, and he acted on it immediately, "Lady Duchess, you mentioned that you're also inflicted with this curse, right? May I examine it as well?"

His psychic energy had already begun moving towards her before he asked.

Suddenly, the Duchess's expression darkened. She expelled his jolt of energy, and with a slight annoyance and dread, she said, "Master Hope, I urge you to show more respect. Many female physicians have conducted similar examinations multiple times, and the curse really exists within me, too."

She emphasized on "respect" and "female" with her tone — a hint of the fact that she had considered Baiyi's suggestion a mockery.

He caught on and apologized, "I understand. I'm sorry for my boorishness."

That was an inevitable minefield. To ask a woman to be subjected to a thorough psychic scanning as a man was no different from forcefully stripping someone and gawking at them. Vidomina only allowed him to do it previously because she was his student, but obviously, he could not pull that off with her mom!

The ambiance had really taken a downturn.

After the meal, the three returned to the Duke's room. Upon entering, Duchess Harllotte noticed the unique formation that Baiyi set up. She crept close to it curiously and asked, "What is this, Master Hope?"

"A formation that will detect the source of the curse. I re-invented it," Baiyi replied simply; his focus was directed at the minor changes that the formation displayed, while the Duchess came closer. He further explained, "My intention is to find the original source of the curse, analyze the components and structures of it, and then find the perfect solution to it."

"I see…" She replied quietly, stepping back a little, and placed her arms behind her back. "Many had done the same, for the same purpose. But they have found nothing — tell me, are you different?"

"Nothing at the moment," Baiyi answered truthfully.

"Then, explain why you removed all of the life-supporting runes and formation around my husband."

Her voice was dangerously edging on hostility. "Are you trying to kill him?"

Unlike the impressionable Vidomina, the Duchess could see just exactly what had changed in the room.

"Please calm down, my lady. I'll quickly revert it back to its previous state," Baiyi lied.

"If you can, please do so right now."

Her face was already cold, losing all semblance of warmth and welcome. To her, Baiyi's action was no different than a medical student coming into the ICU to forcefully remove the patient's oxygen supply. The only reason why she had not yet commanded her subjects to take him away this instant was because of the rumors of his powers!

First, he sought to sully her, and then when she was not paying attention, he sought to speed up the Duke's death. If it was someone else other than Baiyi doing this, it would not have been a surprise to find her shredding him to pieces, right?

Vidomina could hear the fury in her mother's voice, and she also became reasonably suspicious of Baiyi's action. Facing doubts, the Fifth Walker could only stop the formation that he had spent precious resources on, and he started recovering the destroyed life-supporting systems.

The only good thing that had come from this was — that the formation had done its job.

After the Duchess left, Vidomina stayed behind to watch. Baiyi pondered for a while before he signaled the two maids to leave them alone.

After closing the door, he asked the girl a very odd question: "Does your mother… treat you alright?"

"Of course! She's the best person in the world, and she's the person I love the most!" Vidomina replied without any hesitation.

As he continued his restoration work, Baiyi continued asking Vidomina a little of this and a little of that — all centered around her mother. He finally managed to garner new pieces of information that the maids had withheld from him.

For example, this beautiful Duchess was actually the Duke's third wife. His previous two spouses were normal girls with not a single power. After the Duke's second wife bore him his third son and succumbed to age, growing older, the Duke abandoned her. His longest relationship was the one he had with his current wife — the belle with a considerable amount of cultivation.

Great, the situation had gotten even more complicated. There were now even more possibilities surrounding the source of the curse because any family member would be capable of spreading the curse. The Duke had three wives and four children, and Vidomina's three elder brothers all had their own families already. The sons of the two eldest brothers were also married. The Wrights was a big family, and any member could be the problem. If anyone of them managed to tell a lie, it could easily complicate the whole investigation.

It was fortunate that Baiyi had had a reliable conjecture regarding this problem. He went over to the Duke's side and re-examined his status carefully. Then, he asked Vidomina to come over again. When she did, he said, "Let me check your body again, okay?"

Her face was flustered, but she nodded very hesitantly. She swallowed the shame of having her body thoroughly scanned and examined.

When the examination was over, Vidomina released the grip on her own chest and asked very timidly, "Mentor, how was it? Was it serious?"

"It's good. There are no signs that suggest that your curse has been activated. However, your mother's—"

"Sir! My father isn't dead yet!"

Baiyi was taken aback at her sudden burst of anger.

"Do... Do you only care about my mother? You keep asking about her!" Vidomina vented in fury, with tears rolling in her eyes. She found it hard to see Baiyi so obsessed with her own mother. "I have met a lot of people who just wanted to be my father, but you are supposed to be different. I respect you a lot, so I don't want you to go as low as they did!"

With that, she angrily shoved open the door and slammed it shut, leaving Biayi alone.

Bang!

Baiyi could only helplessly mutter, "Fuck. Do I really look like that sort of person?"

"Now what?" He said, this time in the Void. "My student now hates me."

His entire evening was spent alone in the room. When dusk fell, Vidomina slowly opened the door again.

She stared at her father, who was furrowing his eyebrows with a pained expression, then she turned to a helpless Baiyi with an expression of disappointment.

"Mentor, are you done? If you really can't do anything more… Maybe we should return first."

"I'm so sorry, Vidomina," Baiyi replied in a low voice.

"It's okay." A bitter smile flashed in her face. "I…I'm already used to this…"

She walked to the side of the bed and gripped the Duke's dried hand like she was holding a withered tree branch. Tears started streaming down her face, and when she spoke again, her speech was mired by a lump in her throat. "The entire family… has gotten used to this… F-father has already written his last will, a-a-and Big Brother has a-a-already prepared himself to in-in-inherit the title… B-b-but, I… I still…"

She could not even finish her own sentence, as she laid her head on the bed, before bursting into a fit of sobs. Baiyi was her last hope — and now, even the man who was named Hope had no way of solving this. All she could do was to endure this desperation.

"I'm really sorry," Baiyi said as he walked past Vidomina's side. "I'll go back alone. You stay here, and keep him company as long as possible."

In the end, he walked to the coach alone. As he prepared to depart, only the Duchess had come to see him off. She bowed deeply before him, seemingly calm despite their previous tension. She said courteously, "Please help me keep an eye on Vidomina."

Baiyi nodded quietly and closed the coach door.

When the coach dropped him off at the door of the Sorcerer's Association building, he produced the communicating slab.

On its surface, Tisdale's face quickly appeared, followed by Mia's, who appeared to be peering curiously, and then Nota's witch hat, which was rocking from side to side.

"I'm not coming home tonight, girls. Take care of yourself, and be careful while on your own," Baiyi said.

"Huh? Trouble, sir? Something that even you can't handle, sir?" Tisdale furrowed her eyebrows. They all knew that Baiyi's official business involved going to Vidomina's place.

"Yea… Quite a heap of trouble." Baiyi scratched his head. "Whatever it is, take care of yourselves!"

"You too, sir! Please be careful!"

Baiyi put the slab away and looked at the direction of the Wright's country estate. He muttered, "Today, it looks like I'm fated to do something my student would never forgive me for."

The moon was bright and beautiful, and its light dispelled the darkness and gloominess of the sky. It also illuminated a black silhouette that had crept into the Wright family's country estate. The security was not tight, seeing as the shadow evaded the sleeping guards very easily.

And finally, he entered the Duchess's room.Generally: everyone has the rights to refuse any examination that may make them feel uncomfortable, yo. Vidomina made a choice to have her teacher inspect her (the intention wasn't malicious, of course), but she had every right to refuse such an inspection, too. It wouldn't be wrong even if Baiyi is her teacher or occupied another form of authority. We all have our body agency…Take care of yourself properly, and respect will come! Hee hee.

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249 Fatal Attraction

Moonlight poured through the ceiling-to-floor window, cutting through the semi-transparent satin nightgown that the Duchess had put on. The moonlight's trajectory ended up on her supple skin. Her every arch, flex, jut, and slit combined into a figure that could easily pierce through every restriction that man had imposed upon themselves in the hopes of being separated from beasts.

Under the moonlight, the belle seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. When she turned her body, the symbol of her feminity — a woman's most vulnerable secret, her most primitive gift, and her most potent weapon — was left bare to the intruder.

After a while, however, fleeting dark clouds rushed over to block the white moonlight. The latter's rays descended lower and lower into the room until darkness had rendered voyeurism impossible.

That was when the Duchess suddenly opened her eyes.

She stretched her arms and her body, crossing her lean, soft legs to assume an inviting posture. She said to an empty chair, "Seen enough, Master Hope?"

"Not for a beauty like yours, my lady."

His silhouette slowly but surely appeared on the chair. He crossed his legs, and then he crossed his hands and placed them on top his knees — just like an art aficionado enjoying a woman just one satin away from complete nakedness.

"You truly are beautiful, my lady," Baiyi couldn't hold back his sincere comment.

"Well then, for such an experience, Master Hope — what are you willing to pay?"

The Duchess retained her posture — a posture that could incite every primal instinct of men. Her countenance, however, differed from how it was during the day; no longer was she the graceful and chaste Duchess, who had guarded herself against wily men, staying by her dying husband. On this very night, her actions and expressions were that of a seasoned harlot.

"Well, that would depend on what you want to see," Baiyi replied, feeling impassioned.

She shook her head in dissatisfaction. Her delicate hand — which looked like it had been carved from ivory and jade — pressed lightly against her forehead as if she had suffered a headache. She cooed softly but calmly, "I'm disappointed with Vidomina's choice of mentors. Such a disappointment. The price of being a voyeur can only be repaid with your life. "

At the last echo of her words, the same soft hand that had been supporting her forehead made a sweeping gesture at Baiyi, as if trying to shoo away a nuisance.

However, what she had flung weren't metaphorical woes, but a flying dagger made of pure flame, making a crimson trail as it sped unobtrusively towards Baiyi's mask.

The Fifth Walker raised his left hand at the right time and caught it. Then, with a hard press, the flame dagger crumbled into shimmers and sparks of flames, which got engulfed by the darkness that had enclosed the room.

"My, my! You erased a fully-formed sixth-grade magic with just your psychic energy? Master Hope really is quite formidable! Are you sure you're only Master-level?" Duchess Harllott's face was colored by a sudden admiration as she exclaimed.

To any common sorcerers, this scene alone would have made them cheer in awe. If someone was able to catch magic using their bare hands and destroy it with psychic energy upon contact — especially when the magic was something as complicated and highly damaging like a Flame Dagger — it becomes obvious that the feat was not the work of special effect; it was as a result of true power. It was suicidal to touch attack magic with your their own hands. Those that managed to live through the ordeal, albeit with one limb gone, would tell other how dangerous the stunt was, hoping that the others wouldn't make the same mistakes that they did.

If Mia and Tisdale dare pulled off a stunt like this, Baiyi was sure to wallop them hard!

Yet, the Duchess was not the slightest bit perturbed by Baiyi's display of skill. She even had the composure to make a remark about Baiyi's technique, with an apparent dismissal of what the feat had implied of his power.

This meant that the woman had the confidence to face even an opponent with Baiyi's level of power.

"Being able to cast a sixth-grade magic in an instant... you're more adept than normal Legendary-level beings, my lady. I suppose I'll have to do more to make a mess out of you," Baiyi replied in a boorish manner.

"Oh, Master Hope, are you forcing yourself in?" the Duchess chuckled as an icy blue formation manifested behind her.

Baiyi simultaneously leaped up from his chair and performed a backward somersault in mid-way, as deadly icicles burst out from the floor and pierced through where he had been a millisecond ago.

"Hmph. So, you want to take the lead," he sneered.

The Saint Quartz staff had already appeared in his hand, whisked out from the storage pouch, and in the next instant, the staff caught and deflected a large, incoming fireball out of the window. The deflected fireball slammed into the courtyard at max speed, causing a loud racket.

"Not so loud, Master Hope! Do you really want Vidomina to wake up and see your savage state?"

"Don't you worry. I watched her before I came to see you. She's sleeping so soundly that I doubt that she would awaken from the noises we've made."

"Oh, so my sweet, impressionable daughter is also a target. Have you already dreamed of playing with the two of us together?"

"An exciting suggestion, but I don't want the Duke to come after me."

The two continued their flirtatious exchange as they threw dangerous magic and spells at each other, and one seemed to dominate the battle. The Duchess was nowhere as weak as she had proclaimed, for her speed in shifting elements and spell-casting was so seamless and rapid, there was just no way she was an ordinary Legendary-level fighter.

She was pushing Baiyi into corners the entire time.

The weirder part of their battle was the fact that, even with the entire room being torn apart under loud rackets, no one came to see them, let alone offer the Duchess help. It was as if everyone was already privy to the woman's plan for a secret meeting.

The two exchanged devastating sixth and seventh grade magic at each other, and eventually, their fight moved from the Duchess's room to the garden outside. Jolts of electricity and flames had marred the delicate decoration of the garden, leaving it complete disfigured. The garden now looked as though a behemoth had trampled it.

Shards of broken pots and disturbed leaves scattered. The air was filled with fleeing pieces of petals—inadvertently creating an ambiance of elegance.

For some reason, the two had been very discreet in the choice of their magic. So far, their attacks had been confined to singular-target, local-area projectiles instead of attacks that could have easily decimate an entire large swathe area.

After putting some distance between them, the Duchess could no longer contain her curiosity, and she spoke loudly, "What are you holding back for, Master Hope? At least show me the same power that captivated the Church!"

"Because I don't want Vidomina to lose both her father and her mother," Baiyi replied gravely. "That would be too much to ask of the girl. Please, ma'am, turn yourself in."

"And, what makes you suspect that it's me, hmm? Why do you think that it was me who cast that curse?" the woman implored, apparently interested enough to dispel the icicles hovering beside her, looking as if she was ready for a negotiation.

"There is a difference in the 'curse' within you, Vidomina, and the Duke." Baiyi stuck his Saint Quartz uprightly on the ground in front of himself. "It's a very, very minute difference, to the point that no one else noticed it. More importantly, despite the legends, no one had ever seen a real Blood Curse in practice. It's simple; it's not a curse any common man would be able to meet in their lifetime. I would have been fooled, too, if not for the odd reactions that my formation had displayed."

"That curse detecting formation?" the Duchess's mesmerizing eyes narrowed a little. "How dangerous, being able to detect a difference that small. Moving close to that formation was a foolish mistake! But alas, women and their lethal curiosity…"

"You were already on my list before that," Baiyi replied. "I heard stories from the maids. You were too perfect and too calm. Even if your beloved husband is in dire danger, you still act as if it causes you nothing more than a ripple. That isn't normal."

"I didn't want my suspicion to be spot on. I didn't want that reality for Vidomina, so I spent the entire evening, trying to find other leads. I couldn't. But of course, you must have noticed my discovery, didn't you? And to welcome me, you set up a large area Drowse Formation. It works so well that no one has even woken up, yet."

It was a deliberate mental trap. The Blood Curse was an infamous curse that no one, not even someone with as much resources and power as the Duke, could cure. Thus, when the Duke was inflicted with an incurable disease, everyone naturally imagined the worst-case scenario, attributing his disease to the curse that can never be remedied.

Then, the Wright family went quiet; they were even absent from the important banquet earlier. This reinforced the idea that the curse was worsening.

However, the truth was that no one had seen a real Blood Curse, not even the Voidwalkers. The demons had always been a bunch of death-fearing cowards who only dared to harm the weak. The possibility of them even cursing a mortal had always been low!

So when Baiyi, through his formation, determined that the curse on Vidomina and the Duke was not the same, he had finally gotten proof that he was not dealing a Blood Curse at all. Even the data from his formation seemed to support that too. The detector that was set up to pinpoint the source of the curse did not go haywire. It did not point to any direction because the caster was in the same house.

Thus, Baiyi pretended to leave, only to come back to make one last confirmation. By that time, his opponent was waiting for him.

"You're truly amazing, Master Hope." a contented smile formed on the Duchess' lips. "Do you know why didn't I want you to alert everyone else?"

"Because I'm such a ladykiller?"

The Duchess chuckled at his words. Her jaunty laughter was like a moonflower blooming in a quiet night.

"You're right! You really are a ladykiller, Master Hope! I think I've fallen in love with you. Won't you work together with me? All I ask for is just your sincerity — and in exchange, me, my daughter, it doesn't matter; we'll both be yours to take. Isn't that what you desire?"

The moon was finally freed from the shackles of the dark cloud, and its light engulfed the sky and the earth once more. The Duchess' supple body was once again visible under her see-through satin nightgown's soft caress.

What a fatal, yet primal, attraction…

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250 A Tough Problem

Baiyi was faced with a temptation that would cause any man to give in to their deepest desires. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head sideways with utmost determination. "Thank you for your kind intentions, my lady..."

"W-what? But...why...?" the Duchess's face was one of genuine surprise and confusion. She was incredibly confident about her bewitching appeal; its effectiveness had been proven throughout the years, be it on a common man, or on a Soul Armature. However, Baiyi was so, so determined. It was not like he was playing hard to get. She truly believed that this piece of armor was not interested in her beauty, at all.

"Perhaps Master Hope... is only interested in younger girls?" the Duchess questioned beseechingly.

"Ah, no no no... I do think that you're incredibly beautiful! I actually think that you're incredibly dangerous..." Baiyi quickly explained himself, but there was still a thought concealed within his mind, 'There exists a lass in the Void who has degenerated into a piggy which only knows how to puff out a "hmph"; a piggy who, somehow, just started watching me like a hawk… What's more, the lass is just as incredibly stunning and beautiful as you…'

"Oho! Men! Don't you all like these dangerous, exciting games?" the Duchess teased. She activated some sort of mechanism, and the sheer, translucent gown around her body was suddenly opaque, obscuring the curves of her voluptuous body, denying Baiyi the chance for a longer glimpse.

"Oh well… a determination like yours sure is commendable; best save it for all the preaching and gospel-sharing of the Church. What a pity, though. I am more interested in men as fine as you..."

"Save your breath, ma'am," Baiyi shook his head and raised the Saint Quartz to his chest. "You have a husband that loves you, and you are blessed with an adorable, well-behaved daughter and a status envied by many. You should be enjoying your blissful life as it is, rather than engaging yourself in such dangerous games in the midst of the night!"

"Blessed? Blissful...? Hah! Hahahah!" the Duchess let out a shrill laughter. She laughed maniacally, and her chest trembled with every breath she drew, stopping only when she was forced to gasp for air. Two rows of tears were already streaming down her face as she struggled to find her words, leaving her voice a bizarre concoction of amusement and anguish.

"When I first married him, I did have the naive thoughts that you currently have... Even after those sons of his took their turns with my body, the broken dream I had of a happy marriage still lingered in me; this, however, was more worthless than the so-called reputation that he placed above anything else..."

"Yes, I am indeed a woman who just happened to be good-looking, but when compared to his heirs, and the family's reputation, how much am I worth?" the Duchess sobbed. She lifted her head, and as she gazed at the moon hovering within the night sky, she quickly rubbed away the tears which portrayed weakness.

"Sir Hope, am I wrong for taking my revenge upon this family — these...these beasts?" She continued.

Baiyi was at lost for words. Somehow, he had already presumed that this woman had experienced some kind of tragic, troubled past, and he knew for a fact that the noble circle was rumored to be extremely hedonistic and debaucherous. Still, news like this was shocking indeed.

Years of abuse had left her in this state. She was now unfazed by whatever the future offered, becoming fearless enough to do anything imaginable.

To his relief, most of the Voidwalkers were single their entire lives; and even if they weren't, they were prudent enough to not overstep ethical standards, thus saving him from seeing contemptible memories that were similar to the Duchess's pitiful experience'.

"I am very sorry for you, ma'am... but..." Baiyi stopped short. He felt that it was inappropriate of him to get involved, especially now that the events had turned out this way.

"I don't need your pity," said the Duchess coldly. She stepped backward, and her silhouette slowly seeped into the darkness.

Baiyi gripped the Saint Quartz tightly, but it was no longer needed. He silently sent her away with his gaze until she had vanished beyond the shadows.

"Thank you, Master Hope. With your true potential unleashed, I know I am not a worthy opponent for you, after all." The voice of the Duchess slithered out from the darkness. As her eyes slowly disappeared beyond the backdrop of nothingness, she glanced at the shadow behind Baiyi knowingly and uttered at the very last moment.

"Take care of Vidomina for me, then..."

With his guard up, Baiyi remained motionless for a period of time before letting out a long, helpless sigh.

"She's gone..." He murmured to the darkness behind him.

Vidomina was already crying like an injured kitten when she shuffled out of the shadows. She quickened her pace and rushed into Baiyi's embrace and bawling pitifully against his chest plate.

Her howl was filled with so much unbearable sorrow, it would implore heartfelt pity from anyone who heard.

As the daughter of the Duke, she should be enjoying a blessed life envied by many; but right now, in this precise moment, she could not even compete against the most common child in the entire nation. What she really desired, and what she really worked extremely hard for... those normal children could get it simply with the tip of their fingers — but to her, it was only a treasured, dream-like illusion.

Vidomina bawled and bawled; her eyes got swollen from tears, and her voice croaked as she spoke.

"M-master, what s-should I d-do...?" she asked between sobs when she could no longer draw any tears.

Baiyi did not know what to say; after all, her question was a tough one indeed. He could only give her momentary solace by caressing her hair and embracing her with a secure hug, hoping that he could give this poor girl a little warmth.

"M-my mother... she..." Vidomina began with another question when Baiyi did not give a reply to her previous question. The answer to this particular question was an extremely daunting one; hence, the complete question never left the tip of her lips.

"She still loves you, don't worry," Baiyi quickly explained. "The curse she left on you wasn't the real thing. It was only a wave disguised as one, so you will not be harmed. I was only able to discover the truth through that little clue..."

His answer temporarily relieved the stress in Vidomina's heart, and she felt slightly better than before. She rubbed her face against Baiyi's chest plate repetitively, as she brooded in a pool of self-blame.

"M-master... I feel that you shouldn't have taken me in as your student... and I shouldn't have invited you over..."

"The truth cannot be concealed by lies forever; you'll have to face the reality one day," replied Baiyi solemnly. "But, now that I'm here, there might be one last chance to save your father."

At the mention of her father, Vidomina instantly retreated back into a solemn mood. The relief within herself was inhibited by the mention of this undesirable subject. She shook her head numbly with a dazed expression and mumbled in a low voice:

"My father... Should I call him my father, or my grandfather...?" she asked, with a pained expression.

That was another heavy topic to be addressed further, and Baiyi did not know how to give her a proper answer for now…

He could only offer his solace by holding her hand and leading her back to the Duke's room. He destroyed the Slumber Formation cast by the Duchess earlier, and the two maidservants, who had been fast asleep, were roused from their deep slumber gradually. They gave each other puzzled looks and shot a bizarre gaze at Baiyi and Vidomina, who had just entered the room.

"We're very sorry, my lady! We don't know how we just fell asleep in the midst of our duties..." The two maids threw themselves onto the ground and kneeled as they apologized.

"Wake the Duke, then leave us be," said Baiyi.

"Sir Hope, what is the meaning of this...?" One of the maids glanced towards the windows, realizing that it was not yet dawn. They looked at Vidomina in a perplexed manner, but Vidomina only nodded her head solemnly.

Hence, the two maids woke the Duke in a hurry and left them to their own privacy. They wanted to report this incident to the Duchess, but she was nowhere to be found.

The Duke, having been roused from his deep sleep, was finally awoken by some energy channeled by Baiyi. He glanced at the late night visitors by his bedside curiously and asked, "Sir Hope, Vidomina... what seems to be the matter?"

Baiyi cast a soundproofing enchantment to risk the participation of any eavesdroppers. In an impatient, urgent tone, he spoke, "Look, I have a way to save your life, but it involves a lot of danger. The riskiest part of this all might involve some of my secrets, so if you are willing to honor my privacy, I might just save your life..."

Baiyi no longer sounded as pleasant and courteous as before. To be honest, if it was not for Vidomina, or the political benefits, he really couldn't care, neither would he waste his time on this arrogant fellow. It was too bad that this sorry-excuse-of-a-Duke was still an important pawn to the Voidwalkers, so Baiyi could not do as he pleased this time around.

The Duke's eyes glinted with a flash of hope. "Sir Hope, you seemed to be a little too heavy on your speech... but I swear on my family's namesake and reputation that if you could heal me, I will never mention anything to anyone about you, or whatever affairs you're involved in. I believe that Vidomina would agree with me!"

Just as he finished speaking, he turned around to look at Vidomina and noticed her unusual expression; the reddened, blotchy eyes of hers were particularly noticeable. It was at that moment that he seemed to realize that something was not right, and he was about to make some sense out of it before Baiyi cut him off.

"Your family's reputation is worthless in my eyes, and your promise means nothing to me," Baiyi retorted without holding back. "This little secret of yours that you're trying so hard to hide — I know all about it. So, what do you say? This secret of yours, plus the lives of your heirs... in exchange, you'll have to keep my secrets from the world and provide reinforcements should I ever request for them. A deal like this is pretty hard to pass in my eyes; I would recommend that you give it some consideration."

A flash of anger flitted across the Duke's face when he heard Baiyi's imposing opinions. He was about to give Baiyi another piece of his mind when the thought of Vidomina's bizarre mood caught his attention again. He reached out to his daughter to pull her close, but Vidomina flinched and took a few steps back away from him, hiding behind Baiyi instead.

At that precise moment, the Duke finally had a sound speculation about what had transpired in the hours before, and the calm, stoic facade that he forced upon himself collapsed instantly when the epiphanic thought slipped into his mind. Mustering every last bit of hope in his heart, he begged to know.

"Where is your mother, Vidomina?"

"She has already gone," replied Vidomina distantly, and then she turned her head away from her father, with her back against Baiyi's, unwilling to lay her eyes on him for another second longer.

The Duke looked like a punctured balloon as he sprawled across the bed, with every last inch of energy expelled from him. His bright, alert eyes earlier were now glazed with a layer of anguish as he whimpered between sobs. "S-sorry...I am... s-so sorry..."

Baiyi only shook his head in response. He walked to the Duke's bed and posed a question to him:

"Now then, Your Highness... that proposal of mine, have you given it some thought?"

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251 Let’s Exchange Some Secrets

Ethically speaking, Baiyi was literally taking full advantage of the situation by discussing the terms of the deal with the Duke at a time when the noble was mentally and physically exhausted. This was not how Baiyi usually acted, but this family was really too abhorrent for him to deal with. Thus, he ditched the neutrality of an outsider long ago, no longer interested in advising or reasoning with them.

From the words of the Duchess herself, it seemed that the Duke actually had the chance and the power to put a stop to this family's tragedy before it deteriorated into such a dire state. Instead, he chose to close his eyes to that and stifle any trouble that occurred in the household, eventually leading to such a tragic outcome.

The Duke tried his best to muster up more vigor when he heard Baiyi's question. "I am truly sorry for letting you see this... unpresentable side of the family, but you have to know that it was all done in the name of blood. I know that I've caused her much pain... but..."

"You have the audacity to just describe this violation of human rights as unpresentable? Furthermore, those events didn't only happen once, did they? I am appalled to think that it happened right under your nose..." Baiyi spoke in a disgusted tone. "You are very lenient towards your sons, however! I'm really—"

His tirade of insults stopped when his hand was held by someone who suddenly appeared behind him — Vidomina. She did not utter a word, but Baiyi knew she was begging him to put a stop to his verbal rant. Hence, he shrugged his shoulders and sat by the Duke's bed.

"Fine, I have no interest in discussing your family affairs, anyway. Let's talk business, instead. I take it that you have no objections or negotiations towards the terms I proposed earlier, eh?" Baiyi continued diplomatically.

Although Baiyi's attitude and tone of voice were awfully vile, even close to threatening, he still managed to keep his emotions in check, out of respect for the Duke's royal upbringing.

Unlike common people, Baiyi had a firm control over his feelings. Furthermore, Baiyi was not a normal person at the beginning, either, so his control over his emotions was far better than a normal person's. When the Duke saw that Baiyi was ready to negotiate, he, too, swiftly readjusted his state of mind to one of calmness.

"I have no qualms in keeping each other's secrets. But, this assistance you mentioned... can you be more specific?"

One could tell that the Duke was trying very hard to maintain a courteous and civilized manner towards Baiyi. He had no other choice, really; Baiyi held the key to both his cure and his demise. He had to comply with Baiyi's demands despite being a powerful Duke with widespread influence.

Well, although the social circle of the nobles was infamous for these kinds of drama and debauchery, most of them usually only involved the husband and the wife having affairs behind their spouses back, not two generations of men sharing the same woman — because decadent court or not, there were still a few lines that should never be breached. Before meeting the Wrights, Baiyi had only witnessed this type of drama in art and literature works.

"You don't have to worry about this. It will certainly be within your capabilities — strength, and power-wise," said Baiyi. This was one of the reasons why he chose to stay to help the Wrights. A Duke's extent of influence was very wide, and Baiyi was not going to pass up an opportunity like that, especially one that was served right up his doorstep.

In the end, he still had the poor Duchess to thank. Her grand schemes of revenge were ruined by him, along with any chance she had at vengeance towards her family. Come to think of it, it was pretty disgraceful. Speaking of which, there was nothing wrong with her motive — it certainly contained a good reason; however, her manner of execution was too... extreme. Baiyi could even sense a very familiar scent in of all of this; she must have had the help of some 'acquaintances'. The signs were obvious — the sudden increase in power, the mysterious enchantment that seemed like the Blood Curse... a normal person could not have created such levels of enchantment, and they were obviously beyond the capabilities of the Duchess.

Baiyi should have paid more attention to her. He could have found a familiar tattoo of the Black Flame, or the Strength Insignia, or something similar to that on certain parts of her body…

Well, she was fated to be Baiyi's enemy, anyway. All is fair in love and war, so seizing and usurping was part of the deal naturally. These thoughts made Baiyi felt less guilty about what he had done.

At present, the Duke was carefully considering the terms of this deal, perhaps deliberating if the deal was some sort of trap prepared by Baiyi. Moments later, he agreed to it.

"I accept."

Oh?" His response was just as expected, and the situation was handled as smooth as expected. "Ah, another thing — Vidomina wants to come along with me. I take that it shouldn't be a problem for you, right? It's not part of the deal, after all."

"Ah, about this..." The Duke slumped into back into hesitation, but as he took a glimpse of Vidomina, he relented. "Of course, of course, with such a powerful tutor like you, it is truly her honor..."

It is quite obvious that the Duke was still adored his children so much — pampering and spoiling them even — that he chose to close an eye towards his sons' heinous misdemeanors.

"Now that I have agreed to the terms of the deal, perhaps Sir Hope would be gracious enough to reveal how you plan to lift the curse within my body? If there are any rare ingredients you require for the process... do let me know. I'll have someone prepare it at the quickest notice."

"There's no need for so many complicated materials; we can just complete it on the spot. As for the method of lifting this curse... it's also the most effective way to lift ANY curse, in fact," Baiyi turned and stared straight into the Duke's eyes, explaining with a slight snigger. "When a person dies, the curse would disappear, naturally..."

"Y-you!" The Duke's face lost its color, his chest heaved in protest, thinking that Baiyi was messing with him.

"Don't think that I'm joking with you; I'm serious about this," said Baiyi solemnly. "The curse will disappear when the physical body dies, but your soul would live on, so you will not be truly dead...yet. All we need to do is just to reattach your soul back into a physical body."

This method of lifting the curse might sound ridiculous — like it was some miracle cure for a thousand sicknesses — but it was very possible in reality. With good control — and as long as the soul was still present in the physical world — there should not be any issues.

However, controlling souls was the most forbidden act in this world. Summoning demons could be still executed with supervision these days, but controlling souls was an untouchable territory. Whichever soul the Church wished to get rid off would be exiled to the void, allowing the void to carry out the honor; the Church would not obliterate the souls with their own hands.

In reality, a concept like Soul Armatures was deemed acceptable by humans only after a long period of time. The acknowledgment given to the Soul Armature Practitioner was also something that could happen long after his death. Nevertheless, soul armatures were still controlled by their practitioners, with special traits and limitations unique to each soul armature they owned. However, the key matter was this — there was not a definite way of summoning. No one could summon specific people as they so pleased. Although a successful summoning was more probable between blood relatives, with better and more stable rates of success, that, too, was not absolute.

It was pretty obvious that the concept of souls was still a sensitive and controversial topic to this world; the idea of Soul Armatures was an uncharted territory to the royals and dignitaries. After all, no one wanted to be responsible if the one true puppeteer behind all these was summoned... Undine's summoning of her uncle was a small feat. No one dared to suggest that the Duke to be summoned into a piece of Soul Armour due to its risky, unfamiliar nature It will be too great a responsibility to bear if it failed.

However, Baiyi was different. A Lich, the master of soul control, walked among the Voidwalkers. Baiyi never imagined a day would come when he would need to get his hands dirty with the Lich's evil tricks, but here he was, getting involved with the dark arts.

This was the reason why the Lich was one of the most despicable beings in the world. Besides necromancy, which was deemed as an evil and brutal practice, liches could carry out what the Church could not — obliterating souls completely from this world. They could also control the presence of souls and rouse the dead through a secret method; and for the most controversial, taboo practice of all — they could even orchestrate complete resurrections. Hence, the involvement of soul armatures was pushing against the limits accepted by humans with regards to the business of dark arts.

This was the game plan — Baiyi would choke the Duke to death, and use the Lich's tricks to secure his soul the instant it leaves his body. After ensuring that the body was unharmed, healthy and still lively, he would reattach the soul into it.

This was a tactic invented by necromancers — the ultimate forbidden spell. It was used as a way to switch identities swiftly to avoid assassination, and over the years, its functions had expanded into something bigger — which, in this case, was to resurrect someone who had just died.

However, the most insulting part was — this was something unachievable by the Church which claimed to be the ultimate savior of those in need, but it was something the evil Necromancer had succeeded in, instead.

Hence, without further ado, Baiyi informed the Duke about his plan, and was greeted with a series of very interesting expressions in response, 'This famed savior of the world was actually an evil Necromancer, after all this time?' The Duke felt like he was losing touch with all his senses, and his heart flooded with a bad feeling.

Vidomina had a similar expression. This little lass could not get her head around this, at all. This unassuming tutor of hers, who cared and nurtured students to the best of his abilities, who would try his best to calm and console, who would caress their heads, and who enjoyed a little gardening occasionally...was a Necromancer? The impression of Baiyi in her head became increasingly distorted.

Will I be nurtured to become a Necromancer one day, too? A bizarre idea popped into Vidomina's mind out of the blue. She shook the idea out of her head as instant as it came. She would not become a rat-like Necromancer; after all, pretty skirts would become out of the question if she ever became one!

Baiyi noticed the shift in both their expressions and commented laughingly, "What was on your mind? You thought that I was a Necromancer, eh? Think again! Would Noel the Cleric choose to be friends with me if I was one?"

"Mm... well, there's that..." The Duke expelled a sigh of relief. He wanted to live a little longer, but even with his life on the line, he would not want to risk being involved with a Necromancer. This would cause him a lot of unnecessary trouble.

"How did you know about this, Master? These... forbidden spells, I mean..." asked Vidomina timidly at a corner.

"Ah, about that — I learned it, in secret, back in those days when the Door of Conundrum still had collections on the Undead," lied Baiyi.

This was a well-knitted lie indeed, and there was no way this could be unraveled easily. According to the Apprentice, the Door of Conundrum had received materials on dark, forbidden magic some time ago, but it was destroyed eventually for various reasons. However, the main point was — such material had truly existed in history. Even till this day, Baiyi still firmly believed that a bunch of forbidden material was still hidden amongst the mountain of books in the library.

Whether or not these contained necromancy... that was no longer significant. Ash and dust were all that was left of it now; who would know about this?

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252 Don’t Scare Yourself Shitless, Okay?

Looks of relief graced the faces of the father and daughter — or maybe grandfather and grandchild — pair. The Door of Conundrum had always maintained its ground that there was no knowledge too sacred or profane to be learned, hence a Great Sage possessing a certain degree of forbidden knowledge was not out of the norm.

The Duke started to feel lucky that Baiyi wielded a certain forbidden power that had now become the only power that could save him, so he stated, "Of course I believe the Church, and I believe in the Apostle, and most importantly, I believe you, Master Hope."

'Gosh, the Cleric's lasting reputation sure was the best tool I have ever had! Of course, the man himself has become corrupted that he has no dignity left at all!'

Yet, even if Baiyi could come up with a reasonable excuse, most of the world still would not accept the notion of him using such an evil technique. This was especially true if one considered the societal position that Baiyi now possessed, so this particular secret, to the Duke, was good enough to be used as a bargaining chip.

The Duke felt much more relieved now that he held one of Baiyi's darkest secrets — a secret that could easily destroy his reputation. With that newfound confidence, the Duke was willing to continue their bargain. 'In the end, everyone is always trying to protect their reputation. This is a fair trade, after all.'

However, the Duke was merely trying to see the Fifth Walker through his own lens. The truth was that the latter did not give a damn about reputation, which is something a man, such as the Duke, who had chased after fame his whole life would not understand. He certainly had no idea that this "secret" held no value to Baiyi, so he had not minded the Duke knowing at all. Compared to the real secrets the Fifth Walker held from the world, the fact he knew necromancy was nothing.

They continued their parley, clashing on the temporal terms. Baiyi wanted the procedure to be carried out immediately, but the Duke wanted to wait until his sons had returned home.

The Duke was so easy to be read, and Baiyi was not going to let him have his way. He clapped on his shoulders a little harder and said, "Hey, Vidomina is right here, isn't it? If I wanted to harm you, I would just leave you as you are now, right?"

The Duke nodded, admitting his reasoning, but he still wanted to wait for his sons to return before starting his procedure.

Baiyi was getting impatient, so he stood up. "So, lemme guess, you think you got a hold on me just because you know a little secret of mine? You probably have forgotten the fact that your pathetic life is now in my hand; maybe, you think that only the money and power owned by the Wright family would be able to fulfill all of my needs, or maybe, you are thinking of finding another docile necromancer to heal you. Well, whatever floats your boat, then."

Baiyi turned and moved towards the door, but before he opened it, he added, "Oh, just to fill you in: the curse your wife left is quite mysterious; it is nothing like I have ever seen. I am not sure if she can increase the might of the curse in a manner of seconds — from wherever she currently is — or if she could just make the curse activate immediately. Hmm, maybe you can take that wager using your own life? That way, at least, I would be able to garner some firsthand information about this curse from you. Good luck!"

The Duke was drenched in cold sweat because of Baiyi's comment; he had no idea that his thoughts would be read completely by the soul armature. He summoned every last strength he had and shouted behind his back, "Master Hope, no! Come back! I'll do as you say!"

Baiyi returned to the Duke's side. "Oh, that's good. Trust is the foundation of every cooperation, right? We should really trust each other," Baiyi said jokingly. "Alright, let us begin."

Just like that, he placed his hand on the Duke's neck and started squeezing. The old man's eyes widened, and after his body convulsed for a few times, he died.

Vidomina watched in terror, stepping back a few times. She struggled to keep quiet, placing her hand over her mouth so that she would not scream out loud.

"What are you scared of? You don't believe me either?" Baiyi said, crossed, as he grabbed the Duke's soul, which was quickly escaping his body, using his necromancy technique.

"S-sorry, Mentor, it's… it's just kinda s-s-scary…" The girl muttered in a low voice.

Baiyi ignored her as he examined the Duke's body.

After making sure that the curse was subsiding after the Duke's death, Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief. If the curse stubbornly clung to the body, it would have been problematic; the Duke could only become a Soul Armature, then.

Seizing the moment, Baiyi drew a sinister formation on the ground and tossed the Duke's body at the center of, finalizing his preparation.

Before Baiyi started his spell, however, he inspected the soul in his hand again; or more specifically, he sensed it carefully. The Duke had only died minutes ago, so his soul had not fully awakened.

In other words, the man's soul was completely vulnerable, like a cattle awaiting its fate. 'I could do so many things to him right now…'

It was almost dawn when the ritual was completed. The Duke opened his eyes and stared at the same ceiling he had been watching for years.

However, this time it was different. Gone was the feeling of chaotic agony and helplessness; this time, he woke up with a brand-new sense of clarity and control. Even his mind was completely crystal clear, and the pain that had latched on his body and tormented him for years was nowhere to be found — as if it had never happened.

He was so exhilarated he could sing!

"I… I can sense it! A breath of life coursing, pumping, rejuvenating me from the inside! I felt like I'd been given a new life!" The Duke declared in ecstasy.

"Nope, " Baiyi replied snippily. "The curse may be gone, but most of your organs are already disintegrated or broken down. The only reason why you can still live right now is because you have the money to craft this entire life-supporting system which has always been good at situations like these. As long as you're still alive, these things would be able to keep you alive. That feeling of vitality you're experiencing? That's the Life Recovery Formation working."

"Uh, still… Thank you, Master Hope." Although the Duke still had his reservations about the deal they had struck, the gratitude in his voice was still apparent.

"Good. Now you're gonna have to be confined to bed for a few months before your organs are all fixed. My job here is done," Baiyi said. "Now, as the first phase of payment, get me some materials. That Angelic Feather is mandatory, while the rest — well, I trust that you would do your best."

Now that he had relieved the man's disease perfectly, Baiyi had every authority to ask for payment.

"But Master Hope! My sons! What about my sons?"

"Why are you worried? They are just feeling a little under the weather — nowhere near your past state, are they? Look for me again when they are finally close to death," Baiyi replied nonchalantly. "Shouldn't deals be carried out in phases?"

"T-this won't do!" The Duke started to panic. He even managed to sit straight up on his bed. It seemed that with his curse lifted, the man had more strength to spare.

"Why not? If you ask me, having them all endure the torment you had makes for good character building. Might make the world a little safer for the girls," Baiyi snapped. "Besides, do you really think it's a good idea to have me come in contact with the souls of every Wright family member?"

That last line really set off the Duke's deepest fear. His face darkened instantly as his sharp eyes bore through the Soul Armature. "You! What have you done to my soul?!"

Baiyi did not deny nor affirm his accusation. He just gave a knowing smile and said, "What do you think?"

The Duke went speechless. The anxiety and terror of this uncertainty swirled in his heart prompted him to not ask for Baiyi's favor on lifting his sons' curse again. After all, he knew the technique to cure themselves already; he could probably just hire a lich to do that for them.

Maybe that was not a good idea. Maybe he could instead find some dependable idiot to learn those necromancy techniques!

Yet, although it may be easy to find an idiot, it was still hard to find an idiot who had learned necromancy well enough to perform what Baiyi had performed.

Furthermore, how would he explain away the connection between a necromancer and his family? And when the idiot had finally finished learning the techniques, could he still be trusted? 'What about this powerful man right here… what is he thinking now? What about that witch? What would she do?!'

The more the Duke thought about it, the more terrified he became. Baiyi's simple "What do you think?" had successfully triggered the fear and insecurities every man who had held power for a long time secretly harbor — a technique more potent than concrete threats.

In the Duke's mind, Baiyi had become synonymous with the Devil.

Watching the Duke sweating cold like that almost made the Fifth Walker laugh. 'Have I become like the Devil now?' Not that it mattered; the real Devil was even scarier than the Duke could imagine, as well as being so much more clever in striking a deal…

"Alright, for the rest of your time, I'm gonna yield it to Vidomina so that she may have a word with you," Baiyi finished as he politely pushed open the door, and left the girl and the Duke alone.

It took a while before she came out from the room, with her head lowered. Quite surprisingly, her eyes were dry.

She held onto his hand gently and said very softly, "Mentor, take me away from here please."

"Alright! Let's go home." He nodded. He did not ask her about their conversation because he did not need to.

Vidomina returned to her own room and undressed right in front of Baiyi, putting the robe she got from the Doors of Conundrum back again. She looked back longingly at the gigantic closet that had occupied her entire wall, and her eyes gazed at the beautiful dresses and shoes.

She examined them, but she did not take any of them out and closed the closet quietly.

Finally, from her inner pocket, she grabbed the Wright family emblem and placed it on top of a table.

She looked at Baiyi, forcing a smile that looked surprisingly relieved and said, "Alright, Mentor, let's go."

She had said that she wanted to pack some things up in her room, but she never took anything from her room. She left the country estate with nothing from her family. Even when the distance between the coach and the house she once called home got farther and father, the girl did not even look back at it.

She just leaned on Baiyi's side closely, like a kitten, for this man was the only one she could trust.

The Archmage could only exclaim in the Void, "She's stronger than you gave her credit for."

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253 The Numbering for the Last Chapter Was Wrong Again

The coach passed through the streets of Breighton as the afternoon slowly rolled in. The finance and political center of the North had started coming alive, and laughter and chatters seeped out from within the coffeehouses and tea rooms at the side of the streets, implicitly informing every outsider that this was the time when the locals enjoyed high-teas.

Vidomina opened the window and watched the streets wistfully. She knew that it would be a long, long time before she could return to this beautiful city she had grown up in. That realization had incited a feeling of sorrow, so she closed the window again and edged closer to Baiyi, rubbing her skin at him for comfort.

Then, in a pang, she seemed to remember something and asked, "Mentor! What should I call you from now on?"

That caught Baiyi off guard, so he tilted his head to a side and replied her question with a question of his own, "Why ask something like this?"

"Because I'll always be by your side from now on! So I thought, maybe… Maybe I should call you something with a friendlier title? Right?"

Her mother had left her, and she had left her father. She was never even close with her brothers, so when they were leaving, Vidomina realized how lonely she was. She needed someone to rely on. She wanted that someone to be Baiyi.

The Fifth Walker easily understood her underlying trouble, so he started brainstorming. "Gimme some time; I'm on it."

'Father? Nope, no, no way.' He had not gotten official custody of the girl, so he could not nab someone's daughter like that. 'Adoptive father? Uh, sounds so antiquated yet extant. Not friendly enough, too. Daddy? Uh. Next, please. This term has that connotation of decadence.'

"How about 'godfather'?" Baiyi chose a title that sounded quite normal, even if the term itself had a little religious overtone and relations with the mafia. 'Well, am I not a force of unlawfulness in the eyes of law-abiding societies?'

"Alright, Godfather!" A small smile etched on Vidomina's face; she probably already wanted to call Baiyi that, did she not? The term was not as religious as it sounded back on Earth; in fact, it was one of the more common titles between a senior and a junior.

Someone in the Void still managed to poke fun at it, though. "Is it me, or are all of your suggested terms father-related? As if there was no such thing as 'uncle' or 'master'!"

Whoever the original commenter was, they had been careful enough to say it anonymously. The bigger problem was that it hit the mark — Baiyi did not have a single good rebuttal for such a question!

Therefore, to avoid being forced into a corner, the sly Fifth Walker forcefully changed the subject, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let us conclude our result from today's mission! Mm-hmm, not bad; we did not expend too much time or energy, and we easily obtained the strings on an actual Duke! Wooohoo! With his resources and wealth as our foundation, I believe we're even closer, closer than ever, closer-like-we-have-never-been-closer-before, to our ultimate goal of escaping the Void! So much winning!"

"My child, why are you panicking? You're rambling," The Archmage pointed out, feeling confused.

"Ha! We all know your biggest gain out of this — another bloody beautiful maiden as a student!" The Paladin snapped in envy. "Goddamn it, how do you keep doing this, you sorry piece of junk! Why are all of the girls attracted to you?!?!"

"That's because I'm warm, gentle, understanding, reserved, dependable, and full of inner beauty," came the reply with the utmost confidence.

"Oh, aren't you a thick-skinned m*therfu*ker!"

"Thick enough to be used for a border wall!"

"And with that thick skin, he would probably ask someone else to pay for that same wall!"

The Void was instantly filled with a tide of mocking remarks.

"Alright, alright! You people shouldn't bully my apprentice so much! He's always having it rough, so sometimes he just needs to let off some steam by stroking his ego, yes?" The Archmage had to jump in to help his favorite student. "But it really was pretty good, objectively. You made a lot of good decisions on a lot of points — decisions that I wholeheartedly agreed with… Except for one pretty important part. I'm just worried that it might come back to haunt you."

Baiyi knew exactly what his teacher was referring to; the Duchess' escape was only possible because Baiyi had let her.

If he had made his choice without a shred of sentiment — instead only relying on cold, hard facts as well as pure logic — Baiyi should have captured the woman right there and then.

After that, everything else would be all up to Baiyi and the Voidwalkers' plan. The lightest treatment they would dole out was to detain her, but they could also monitor and control her, or even torture her during interrogation to squeeze information out of her. Every detail implied that this woman was more than who she seemed; she might even be connected to their old friend, the Godsfall cult — especially the way she had hidden her true strength; it seemed like it had been ripped from their playbook.

For the few rounds they had faced off against each other, Baiyi could tell that the woman was not very accustomed to controlling her own power. Although she was formidable, she had not exactly practiced enough either, so she could have brought even more hell. From her performance during their battle, Baiyi could surmise that the Duchess may have been in a much weaker state prior to receiving this power from elsewhere, or else she would now have let the Duke's sons had their ways with her.

Yet at the same time, she had been through Legendary-level.

Baiyi could probably guess the outline of her life: before marriage or even before being raped, she was still a powerful fighter. Then, for some reason, after her marriage, she had become weaker and weaker — probably not out of an organic reason such as indulgence and ignoring training, but because she was being fed with some sort of slow-working mana-exhaustion poison. Otherwise, she would not have lost so much power that quickly!

It was obvious who could have done such a thing; however, and most importantly, the Duke, who was without the curse or any other major ailment at the time, should have known what was going on to his new wife. With his wits and how well he knew his sons, there is almost no excuse for his ignorance. Yet, at the onset of tragedy, he had chosen to let his sons do whatever they wanted.

'Why would the Duke allow that happen? Why was he okay with being a cuckold? Or maybe he gets sick kicks out of it?' Whatever the reason was, Baiyi decided to just think of the man as a sociopath.

Afterward, the Duchess received help from somewhere else in order to avenge the shame and defilement she had suffered. That sort of experience most definitely elicited the Fifth Walker's sympathy, hence the leeway.

Besides, Vidomina was right behind him at that moment. She may not be a long-time student of his, but she was an important tie to the Wright Family — a safeguard to ensure that the Duke does what he was told, even if she was no longer part of the family. Baiyi could not possibly dismiss her; after all, she was going to be instrumental in their grand plan.

That was why even with this turned out, Baiyi was still pretty satisfied. Letting the Duchess go was not completely due to sympathy; it was the best decision at that moment.

As for the Duke's sons? Oh, who gives a crap, if they managed to survive the Duchess' wrath enough to come to him, then maybe he would think about them.

The only problem left was the force behind the woman. They had helped the Duchess so much that they even let her use their new curse, but Baiyi was willing to bet that it had nothing to do with pity. There must be an ulterior motive behind this, and with Baiyi suddenly interjecting their plans and snatching control of the Wright Family into his own hands, he was probably causing another stir…

There really was no such thing as the foolproof decision in any world, eh?

Not that he was worried. The best gifts to evil forces that lurk in the shadows are hard punches and brutal power — something Baiyi had in abundance. Come and get him.

"Too bad I did not have the time to really examine the Duchess' body to make sure that she is a pawn from the Godsfall cult," Baiyi said.

"Below her belly button, I saw a black flame tattoo," A quiet, airy voice suddenly echoed out a quick answer. The Warrior had always liked curt answers.

'Oh. Below the belly button.' Baiyi rubbed his own stomach and felt relieved that he was not bold enough to look there. But, when or how did the Warrior see it? Because they are all women? So, she had observed her even more closely than a man would?'

"Hmph!" That sneer came back.

Oh, come on; another one of your 'hmphs' again? It's as if you'd turned into a hmph! sound effect track. Isn't it better to describe explain things instead?' Baiyi lambasted her in his mind.

At that moment, Vidomina, in reality, shook Baiyi's shoulders hard. "Godfather, can we stop before that street? My favorite confectionery is right there, and I wanna buy something for Mia and the others before we leave."

"No problem," Baiyi replied as he nodded, signaling the coachman to stop. "Brought enough money with you? Do you need me to come along?"

"I've got enough. And it's fine, I can go alone." She narrowed her eyes. "You really are sweet and gentle, Godfather. I'm so jealous of Mia…"

"Hey, it's alright. From now on you're one of us, too."

Vidomina forced another smile again, and as soon as the coach stopped, she took off and joined the queue outside the confectionery.

Baiyi too took the chance to get off from their ride and walked up to the coachman. Pretending to be chatting with him normally, he said in a hushed voice, "You did well this time. Perhaps I can loosen up some of these restrictions."

"It's a pleasure to serve Master Hope," the coachman replied in the same hushed tone.

Oh yes. Baiyi could not possibly finish all of his tasks alone, such as waking up Vidomina despite being under the Drowse Formation's effect; or finding the Duchess' room, or knowing when the Duke's sons would not be at home.

Baiyi had planted a sleeper agent into the Wright family long ago; the Legendary-level elderly who had helped summoned a lindworm for Vidomina back during the final exam fight against Mia. After Baiyi's savage beatdown, which ended with the elderly losing all of his powers, he had been demoted to being a coachman for the Wright family, even if he was not completed kicked out of service.

He had experienced so much since falling from grace — so now, in a hunger for his glory days, the man would do anything to get his powers back!Also, it makes for a killer cliffhanger for a future arc. Adventures won't die if you always let a mouse escape in the end!I guess you were very distracted?

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254 Just Stick To What You’ve Been Calling Me

The only reason why Baiyi's plan did not hit any stump was because he had the help of a competent sleeper agent who was on the inside. So, as a reward, he loosened up the restriction on the man's powers so that he may return to Master-level.

"You have two choices now. You can stay by the Duke's side with your Master-level strength and Legendary-level experience, I think you're gonna earn quite a living with him. Alternatively, you can leave on your own and find a new way to live," Baiyi told him in a hushed voice.

"I don't mind working for you as long as you're still honoring your promise," the elderly replied sincerely.

The elderly was originally a wanted vagabond. He had only turned over a new leaf because of the Duke's willingness to bring him in as Vidomina's bodyguard. From that alone, one could tell that the Duke trusted him, and in return, the elderly were loyal to him. When Baiyi had requested help from him, the elderly had promised his cooperation as long as Baiyi does not harm the Duke in any way.

The Fifth Walker had agreed, and he had not broken that promise by resurrecting the Duke in a pretty unorthodox way.

"Oh, I'm keeping that promise. All I did was to ask him for some money and resources. I would never ask for his life, or I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of saving him."

The elderly nodded lightly. He did not have the ability to guard the Duke's money and property; plus, his top priority has been to regain his original powers. It was not like the Duke was low on cash, either.

"Well, that settles it. You stay where you are with the family, and wait for our future plans," Baiyi finished, turning back to the coach before Vidomina returned.

"W-wait, Master Hope." Came the elderly's voice behind him. "If… If you may, please, treat Miss Vidomina well, alright? She's a kind, good girl, without the common flaws aristocratic girls her age always seem to possess. Not only that, she's still very young. C-can you… Can you not take away her innocence just yet?"

The elderly had forged an affectionate bond with the girl back when he was still her bodyguard, but he had not been able to see her after his disgraceful fall. He even managed to evade her notice while being their coachman through disguises like a big straw hat and a face mask. Nevertheless, his sentiment was fully understood and appreciated.

"What do you mean by 'taking away her innocence'? Do I look like that sort of person to you? Why do you think that way?" Baiyi's asked in a dangerous voice.

"Um, well, there are rumors that you heavily favor young, beautiful maidens, and afterward, you keep them away from the opposite sex, which isn't normal… Of course, there's no way I would believe those calling you a sexual deviant or whatever," the elderly replied in a hushed tone.

'Then what was the whole thing before you said, "There's no way…" Who doesn't like young, adorable, and docile little girls? Isn't that normal? And also, when have I ever kept them away from the opposite sex! I just haven't found a worthy member of the opposite sex that I should not keep them away from!' Baiyi's mind was filled with such tirades as he went back to the coach.

After a while, Vidomina returned to him with a stack of boxes, carried by the confectionery staff. It seemed that the little girl had gotten everyone a gift of their own.

'Hmm… At least, when it comes to gifts, this child expresses commendable acumen. She is so much better at picking out gifts — which is unlike the things Mia and the others present as "gifts"; for example, a green cape, a decorative feather, animal-themed tin boxes, letting me kiss them for a while… can these really considered to be gifts? You guys can't possibly fight Vidomina!'

The problem was, after a whole night without a wink of sleep and sobbing her heart out, Vidomina finally fell asleep in the coach for the first time since they left the Sorcerer Association building. The coach they rented had refused to carry the presents, so Baiyi had to make them float in midair and drag them back home, like a circus trick.

When Baiyi pushed open the door, he found himself looking at his students doing homework in the living room, instead of playing outside. That was a very remarkable display of obedience; if only Baiyi could get them to do that without having to leave them with a whole pile of assignments.

When they spotted the two returnees, the students surrounded them and peered at the sleeping Vidomina, who was being carried in Baiyi's arms, curiously.

"A lot has happened to her, so let us just let her rest in her room," Baiyi said to the curious eyes.

Vidomina was carried to her room and covered with her blanket. Attie passed a warm towel to Little Mia who carefully wiped the tears off Vidomina's face. Looking her swollen eyes, Mia felt a twinge of anguish and muttered, "She must have cried very hard just now…"

Attie laid down at the side of the bed and turned to Biayi, "Did you spank her, Master?"

"Well, since that it involved some private issues, I'm just gonna give you guys a rough outline of it. So this is how it went..."

Baiyi began to recount the story as much as he could without spilling the private details.

The students were very invested in the story. Mia, Attie, and Nota the fairy were resting their heads at the side of the bed; Tisdale and Laeticia stood behind him, and the great fox, who had the owl perching on its head again, was also listening intently.

Meanwhile, Sunny the Sunflower was dancing in a very strange way atop the headrest of Vidomina's bed; apparently, its dance could put people at ease.

When Baiyi finished the story, the girls were crushed; their eyes were red. Little Mia stuffed her own hammerhead shark plushie into the sleeping girl's arms so that she could sleep better. The great kitsune licked the girl's cheek softly, trying to comfort her.

The warm and sticky sensation of its tongue woke the girl up. Her eyes were treated to the concerned gaze of everyone present, which gave her a hint of what had just occurred.

She gave a bitter smile. "Thank you all for your concern, but I'm fine." Then, when she looked down and saw an extra plushie in her arms, she cried out in joy, "Sharkie!" And started rubbing her face on it.

Mia, who was really concerned, asked, "So… Vidomina, what are you going to do from now on?"

"Well, I'll be staying with my Godfather for a while, I guess! Or maybe I'll find a reliable man and marry him?" She replied casually, implying that she, too, had no concrete plans for her future.

However, Tisdale noticed the change of address. "Vidomina, did you just… call Sir 'Godfather'?"

"Oh yes! My father had passed me to Godfather, so I supposed I need to use a title that denotes that sort of relationship," the girl explained as she gave Baiyi a thoughtful glance.

"Damn it! That's so sly... And so, so smart…" Tisdale grumbled under her breath. She watched Baiyi pat Vidomina's head gently and thoughts started bubbling in her head again.

'Me too! …I mean, I only have Sir as my guardian. Shouldn't I call him something else, too?' Tisdale thought.

Baiyi led everyone out of the room, giving Vidomina some space to rest. Tisdale deliberately lagged behind until she was the very last to leave.

Before the Soul Armature could close the door, she softly but surely cried out, "Dad…?"

Baiyi froze, and his grip tightened, turning the wooden doorknob in his hand into sawdust instantly.

"Wh-what did you just call me?" He turned stiffly, his eyes falling on the girl who was hanging her head low and clutching the hem of her skirt. She was very anxious, seeing as the grip she had on the hem of her skirt was so tight, her knuckles had turned white, and her hands shook so much that Baiyi could almost see the part that her black stocking was supposed to hide.

"W-w-why can't I… call you that?" Tisdale muttered in a soft but shaky voice; she seemed ready to burst into tears. "Vidomina already calls you her Godfather…"

Baiyi stepped close to her and enveloped her into an embrace, letting her chin rest on his shoulder as he softly stroke her back.

"Don't get too caught up with a title, my student. Our bond is more than just what we call each other, do you understand?" He said reassuringly.

She nodded, feeling dumbfounded. She really did not understand at all.

" We are already used to the names we call each other, so there really isn't any need to change it." Baiyi loosened his hug and placed his hands on her shoulders, gazing deep into her beautiful eyes. "Besides! Do you know that I adore the way you pronounce the word 'sir'?"

"Really?!" Tisdale replied, half-believing. "Well, okay, Sir."

"Good, that's it!" He ruffled her hair. "You should get back to your assignment. You haven't finished them yet, yes?"

"Got it. I'm… I'm gonna have to wash my face first." Tisdale's face was scarlet, so naturally, she needed something cold to extinguish the heat between her ears.

As she took off to the bathroom, Baiyi looked at the doorknob he had just destroyed. Neither of them had noticed a pair of brightly-lit eyes that had watched the entire exchange from a distance.

That night, Baiyi was alone in his room, marking the submitted assignments. He made comments, wrote tips and solutions, and recorded the students' progress in a little notebook. He wanted to use these notes as a reference for his curriculum.

Suddenly, a soft knock came from the door.

Baiyi opened the door with his mana and found Little Mia standing bashfully outside.

"Mr.Hope? I can't sleep," she cooed pitifully. "Sharkie's with Vidomina at the moment…"

'I don't think she's hoping that I tuck her in,' Baiyi examined her curiously. Her clothes were still in a good state; her short skirt, her blouse, her coat, and her black stockings were all still in their place.

She did not look like she was about to go to sleep at all, yet she had already decided that she could not sleep. 'She's just looking for an excuse to be coquettish again, isn't she?'Dude. That sort of "permission to kiss as a gift" thing is very… unsettling. I mean, sure, arguably that's also how daughters threatened their papa when they were small, withholding their cheeks from being kissed unless he did something nice to them (/cough/ my sisters /cough/), but… well, you're not really their dad, ya know? And they are kinda old already… Just saying, I kinda get where those rumors come from, dude; and that's coming from someone who's unofficially part of the Void! Haha!

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255 The Wholesom and the Sinister

What would Baiyi normally do when his favorite, youngest child, asked for his attention?

He would put down the work he had at hand, stand up from his chair, carry the little princess back to her own room, and place her on her bed.

This was exactly what he did. "Get yourself changed, then we can wash you a little," the Soul Armature said and turned his back at her.

"Mm!" The girl replied happily, and soon, the sounds of clothes falling to the floor was audible. After a while, Baiyi turned around and saw that she had already put on her nightgown. She just sat the side of her bed, with her tiny feet hanging off its edge, grinning at him.

"How many times have I told you to put your clothes back to where they belong?" Baiyi stared at the scattered clothes. With a sigh, he bent down to pick each item up, folding them into shapes. He placed the folded pieces of clothing on the chair close to her bed, including her black stockings.

Her clothes still emitted the fragrance of a girl's body.

"If you don't look after yourself properly, you won't be a good wife, you know? And no one would want to marry you!" Baiyi tried to scare Mia with one of a Parent's Classic Threats.

"Ha! If no one wants me as their wife, I guess I'll just be Mr. Hope's!" Mia retorted in jest, but her face suddenly reddened.

"Oh my, just listen to yourself!" Baiyi replied with a chuckle, poking her cheeks. The dim lighting in Mia's room concealed the blushes on her face.

Of course, he easily dismissed her words; Mia was still a child, after all. Her words had no serious implication; at least, that was what the Soul Armature believed.

Next, he summoned a wooden basin that was placed at a corner of her room with his mana and filled it up with water through magic. Then, after heating the water with his own magical flames, he placed the basin under Mia's feet. Usually, this was part of the students' daily chores, which also doubled up as their chance to practice magic.

However, since Mia seemed to be exceptionally cute today, he would just give her a little more leeway.

"Hee hee!" Mia chuckled lightly as she dipped her feet into the hot water. With a contented "Ooh, so comfy!", her fair feet began moving in the crystal clear water like a pair of jade fish.

Baiyi did not stop his task, however. He unfashioned the girl's hairpin and let her twin tails down. Then, out from nowhere, he grabbed a piece of towel and rubbed her face.

After washing, Mia climbed into her cover. Baiyi walked to her side and stroke her head, and then he bent down to press his mask on her forehead lightly. "Now you're all set to go to sleep, right?"

The little girl was different today; she actually shook her head sideways, signaling that she wanted more. She wrapped her arms around his gauntlet to stop him from leaving.

"Mr. Hope, can you talk me to sleep? We haven't talked like that for a loooong time," she said sweetly.

He froze.

He remembered the times when the two of them had just met. The two of them had to live in the same room in the girl's dorm. Mia was not as close to him back then, and she was always so busy with her classes and school curriculum. Back then, they did not have the time to talk to each other as frequently as they do now. However, Baiyi had needed to bond with her as soon as possible, so he always had to wait until night in order to spend some quality time talking with her.

Back then, they had a lot to talk about: Mia would tell him the things that had happened in her class, and in return, Baiyi would tell her stories about Earth, which always made her laugh.

However, the two would often spend time thinking and planning about the future. Mia would always count the money she had saved in her kitty purse and tell Baiyi how she had met a really handsome Soul Armature somewhere; she would also tell Baiyi that she was saving up to get a set of new armors for him. Baiyi would tell her that with great power comes great benefits, like lots of lots of money and the ability to travel to all kinds of places.

Eventually, they moved into the Aegis mansion, and the number of girls Baiyi had to look after increased. Money became less of a problem, and their living conditions became better and better.

However, they never had those nightly chats again.

"Mr. Hope, do you remember this?" Mia produced her kitty purse under her pillow and shook it in front of him.

"Hmm? You still kept it?" Baiyi had prepared a number of storage pouches for each girl, so he did not expect Mia to still need this purse.

"Of course." She nodded and opened it. Inside the kitty purse was a few silver and gold coins; however, the amount could not be compared with the allowance Baiyi normally gave them.

"Back then, I used to save all the time. Now, they don't really mean much anymore; however, earning them and saving them had been so difficult, I can't bring myself to spend it… even till now," Mia added quietly. "You know, I think I'm pretty silly, right? I can't even think of a single way to earn a lot of money, so all I could do was to save as much as I can. But Mr. Hope is so different. You can make money out of everything!"

Baiyi stared at the coins in her purse, and an image flashed in his mind: Mia, counting every piece of money she had just to buy him a new set of armor. It was those moments that had moved him.

He was silent a while because he was lost in his memories. Mia, on the other hand, closed her purse and placed it back under her pillow.

She lifted his gauntlet and placed in on her cheek, and said softly, "Mr. Hope? A clumsy girl who can't even keep her clothes clean, who also doesn't have good looks like Big Sister Dale and the rest… no one would ever be interested in a girl like me, right?"

"Are you kidding me?" Baiyi pinched her cheeks. "Mia's so adorable; there must be a lot who already had their eyes on you."

"Well… Do you like me then, Mr. Hope?"

Baiyi smiled. "Of course I do. I like Mia the most." He tapped her forehead. "Alright, time to sleep. You have classes tomorrow."

"Mm hmm! Good night, Mr. Hope," Mia said, pulling her blanket up to her chin. Baiyi curled every corner into her blanket until she was wrapped into a roll; only then did he take the basin with him, leaving her with a sense of assurance.

As Baiyi was having a peaceful family bonding session, on the far corner of this world, a majestic, towering cathedral stood.

It had the same structure as a regular cathedral; however, instead of being painted pure white, it had been painted with a decrepit grey color.

In the center of the cathedral were eleven gigantic stone pillars, supporting the dome overhead. With a bright, magical illumination being emanated from four directions in the hall, the color of each pillar became visible, along with different glyphs etched on their surface.

The glyphs looked simplistic, yet there was something about them that made them seem much more than they looked.

The pillars encircled a lone white pillar, which was at the center. Beneath this lone pillar, there were three figures hidden in the shadow it cast. For some odd reason, despite the light in the room, the attributes of the three figures could not be seen clearly. No one could even tell if they were humans.

The beautiful Duchess stood before the three figures, clad in a long black robe that hid her seductive body. On her face was a semi-transparent white that shrouded a little part of her dangerous attraction.

She was recounting the encounter she had with Baiyi to the three figures in a hushed voice. When her story ended, she lowered her head, awaiting their response.

The hall was completely silent for a long while, then the leftmost figure broke the silence. "Novice Butler Harllotte, you have failed the organization despite all the investment made."

This figure was speaking the human language, and his voice sounded it was coming from a synthesizer. There was no tonal difference, no inflection, and most certainly, no emotions; no one could discern the sentiments hidden in his words.

"My deepest apology, Lord High Reverend," the Duchess replied hurriedly, her voice audibly shaky.

This was her first time meeting the High Reverend of the Godsfall cult. Pressure compressed her, exerting itself on every cell in her body, piercing her with a chill that she could never shake off.

'These three are not of this world! They are the manifestation of nightmares, terrors, fears!' The Duchess thought that with the help she had received from the cult, her level would have long since passed the mere Legendary-level; yet, at that moment, she still could not summon enough power to lift her head.

She had met Grand Butlers, who all wielded powers far beyond her own, before; however, never had she ever felt so fearful and nauseous in the presence of one of them. One could not even compare Master Hope with these three figures; before these three High Reverends, he was nothing but a pathetic maggot. He could not even defeat her. At least, that was what Harllotte told herself.

However, the three figures obviously held other opinions.

"Describe the fight between you and Hope again. In details. I'll not tolerate any missing piece," the second figure said.

The Duchess froze. She was confused. Why would a godlike figure occupy themselves with the details of a battle between two maggots? Is such a battle not supposed to mean nothing more than 'kids fooling around' to these beings?

The figure seemed to had read through every thought that had crossed her mind, and he impatiently snapped, "Begone with your annoying curiosity, woman. Just answer my question."

His words seemed to hold literal weight, crashing down onto her body, engulfing her and pushing aside the air around her.

Her knees buckled, and down she went. As a knee landed on the ground in a subservient manner, she quickly blubbered out the details of her encounter with the Fifth Walker.

Every excruciating detail, every inch of her memory; she sang them out like a canary, even including parts that would normally mean nothing, like how he had been interested in her body and how he had secretly scanned her more times than was warranted.

Her encounter had been short, but the description was properly elaborated.

The three shadows listened to the Duchess without interrupting her, acting as if they had all the patience in the world.

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256 It’s Impolite To Talk Behind Someone’s Back, Mmkay?

Her account went on and on for a long time, yet the three figures before her never once made a sound. No one could tell if they were still listening to her contrived narration.

"... finally, I came back here, to the Basilica, humbled and humiliated," the Duchess finished.

Despite describing everything perfectly, the pressure in the air refused to leave her. She could not lift her body up.

The third shadow spoke with the same mechanical voice, "He let you go. Why?"

"I don't know," She replied gushingly. "Maybe he had fallen in love with my appearance? Maybe he didn't think he could beat me? With the organization's help, I'm no longer who I used to—"

She did not get to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by a sneer that rang out from whatever abyss that the third figure used to produce his mechanical voice. An unnerving, mocking, mirthless chuckle pierced the air before he said, "You actually thought that Hope was the same as those pathetic animals you're used to seducing? Is that it? Or, you think you're even more powerful than that worthless trash, Thaas?"

The suffocating pressure intensified, and this time, both her knees gave way, and she slumped to the ground in a kowtowing position, just like a frightened dog. Sweat oozed from her body out of terror.

"What are you hiding from us?" The second shadow's voice boomed with compulsion.

She relented, her jaw loosening instantly, "I… I have a daughter, and she was just right there watching us. He is my daughter's teacher, so I think… I think he just didn't want to hurt me in front of her."

Perhaps, the three shrouded figures decided that the woman had said everything she could, because immediately she had said that, the pressure vanished. The Duchess was relieved, but the aftermath of her terror stopped her from standing up.

Thus, she remained in her pathetic kowtowing position, with her head close to the ground as she begged the figures before her. "O Most Eminent High Reverends, please, I beseech you — leave my innocent daughter out of this. She is all that I have left in this world! The punishment should be on me, and not on her. Please, just leave her out of this."

Every Godsfall cultist swore to uphold the secrecy of their organization. An exposed identity could only result in two outcomes: suicide, or murder of the eyewitness.

In other words, Vidomina had already made the cult's hitlist.

The three figures were quiet for a long time.

Then, the first shadow suddenly spoke, "Rise, woman. What sort of organization do you think we are? A force of evil that delights in the culling of innocents? Or a flock of liars hellbent on disillusioning the masses? You're the only one who has survived a battle with that Hope; that already makes you a little more worthy than others."

The Duchess did not expect the figures to be this compassionate. She stood up, her face a canvas painted with disbelief and relief. If she was considered worthy, then her Vidomina would still be safe.

"I'm indebted to your grace, High Reverends," she replied, with nothing else to say.

"Who's your superior?" The third shadow asked.

"Grand Butler Quentin."

A small part of the black miasma-like fog that had been enveloping the third figure suddenly broke away from him and formed the shape of a large raven. It circled the dome twice before it descended next to the Duchess and turned into black smog.

From within the black smog, a man clad in a black robe emerged.

"O Most Eminent Reverends; Quentin, at your service." The man bent in a subservient greet to the three figures, and after raising his head, he scowled at the Duchess beside him as if he was looking at a boar. He turned back to the figures, and with the same low, hoarse voice of a middle-aged man, he asked, "Had my bumbling subject failed you, Lord High Reverends?"

"Arrange her into a safe, new job," one of the figures said.

"I heard that the youngest son of the North Duke is a famous libertine. Shall I arrange her to meet him?" the Grand Butler offered suggestively.

The Duchess' body shuddered uncontrollably. She had only just managed to leave the source of her suffering, but at that moment, all she could imagine was herself being taken against her will again — being savored by other savages, over and over again.

Her legs clasped tightly together. She wanted to fight back a fate this cruel. However, before the four men who decided where her fate lied, she did not have a single shred of mettle to speak out.

She did not need to say anything as the Grand Butler suddenly knelt down onto the floor. From the Duchess' angle, she could see a rapidly wet spot caused by sweat on the man's back; he, too, was being subjected to that terrifying pressure.

"I said, a safe, new job." The voice was still unnaturally mechanical, but everyone could sense the impatience within it.

"Do you think we can only rely on the bodies of women to subjugate the world?" Another figure hissed.

"N-no. I'll have her be our broker. I-it's the safest job I have," the Grand Butler's replied in a shaky voice; his body was already teetering like a ball balanced atop a pyramid.

"Go."

The first figure lifted the pressure, and the Grand Butler heaved in a deep nostril-full of air. He turned away and quickly strode out of the hall, and the Duchess followed suit.

Only after leaving the stiffening hall did the Grand Butler turn to face the Duchess. "Get over to my location as soon as possible!" He said. Then, his body suddenly turned back into a formless black miasma, which condensed back into a raven and returned to the hall.

This was actually a special communication technique between cultists. The raven-shaped black fog was called Corvine Messengers; they were used to summon any cultist at any time. The Corvine Messenger would assume the target's face, with their soul imbued into it; this enabled the target to see and hear whatever the raven did. Even the pressure placed on the raven could be felt to the Grand Butler, who was at least a thousand miles away.

If any of the High Reverends so wished, they could easily flick the switch off any of their members through the Corvine Messenger.

The Duchess was drinking the air outside the hall after she took off her veil, revealing a bit of her beauty. She made it through this time. This time... and it was because Master Hope had let her go.

"You really did find yourself a good teacher, huh, my daughter?" She muttered

The hall of the Basilica was still quiet and seemingly unoccupied; however, the three shadows were still there, and there was no indication that they would be leaving any time soon.

After receiving the returning raven, the third shadow spoke, "Those idiots under us really have a deep misunderstanding of our organization, don't they? They even consider themselves cultists. How pitiful."

"Those who join us as cultists are ignorant and incapable of understanding the glorious purpose of our organization. It is hardly surprising that the lowest pawns lack the faculty to understand our great work," the second shadow replied, indifferently.

"But, these idiots kept squandering the powers we invested in them! A ragtag band of imbeciles!" The first figure added in frustration. He was visibly displeased with his own subordinates.

"It doesn't matter; it never did. The useless ones will always try to salvage a piece of dignity from those who are even less competent than they are…There is no need to waste time playing with these fools. Before our ultimate power, nothing matters. Remember that history is written by the victors, and we will be the victors," the second shadow said. "Besides, many of those imbeciles have been cleared out by the ever-so-helpful Church, no?"

"Thanks to them, on the surface we seem to have been dealt a crushing blow. Many of our affiliated bodies have been hindered," the third shadow pointed out.

"Suits me just fine. Cultists are dispensable." The second shadow displayed a sense of unamused nonchalance as if the Church's cleansing activity had only managed to scratch the cult's foot through the sole of a shoe.

"It's that Hope I'm worried about. Who is he? Thaas may be an idiot, but he was a powerful idiot; nevertheless, Hope eradicated him easily and hid this achievement from the public. He even spun a fib so shaky, it crumbled at the first line of serious examination," the second figure added.

Back then, Baiyi kept saying that the enemy was already in an internal warfare against each other when he appeared, and he had taken advantage of that.

However, the Godsfall cult knew he was lying; they had no idea just why a man would lie like that. The opportunity was the perfect way of gaining wealth and fame, so why would one choose to talk down their true power before the world?

"He must possess a secret that would debilitate him. A secret so instrumental and important that he was forced to pretend be a weakling, playing Happy Family with his little girls," the first figure said. "I heard that he really loves little girls, yet he wouldn't just let that be his prime obsession. No, he had to ruin our plans, again and again! This is the third time our plans have been rendered moot by that disgusting ephebophile!"

"We must find out what that secret is. Perhaps… The Duchess would be a good pawn to be used," the third figure replied. "Yet, somehow, I have a feeling… that Hope is not exactly our enemy."

"What a strange hunch. Your instincts have always come to the oddest of all conclusions," the second shadow said. "But, Umbra has already mobilized a team of assassins, so let us kick back and watch just how good this Master Hope really is. If he lives, perhaps we should pay him a visit."

"Umbra? I don't think those twinkletoes can put a dent on him."

"Yes, they are very unremarkable, but this time, we had secured their elite."

"Oh? Interesting. I can't wait to see what happens next."

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257 Are You Really Just A Sorcerer?

It was late at night when the Soul Armature balled himself into a corner of the lab, with his mind replaying the old memories of Little Mia, and his hand worked on the necklace for Laeticia. He still had not gotten the Angelic Feather from the Duke, so he was just fumbling with the skeleton of the necklace.

Just as he was working on his task, he felt something different in the air. He stopped his work, dashed to the yard, whipped out his Saint Quartz staff, and struck the air.

Piiiiiiiing! Sparks exploded out in the air as metals clashed.

A figure shrouded by pitch black cape — betrayed only by the glint reflected from his eyes — took a few steps back. The same eyes stared at Baiyi as if it sought to bore through him.

On the hands of this intruder, who looked a bit like Baiyi's old alias, Sven the Rogue Knight, were daggers gleaming with an emerald luster — the color of a lethal poison.

The frontal clash had twisted the daggers, so the assailant tossed them aside quickly and produced two new daggers from his back.

"Littering! That is frowned upon in society," Baiyi tutted, but his eyes noticed the grass, which was flattened by the tossed daggers, blacken in a matter of milliseconds; then, the blackened area began to spread out like a plague.

Baiyi ignored the man in front of him. In a flash, a sound barrier encapsulated the entire mansion, and almost simultaneously, Baiyi fired two arrows made of ice; one towards the roof, and the other towards a corner in the yard.

The targeted locations were instantly frozen, and two humanoid shapes previously hidden there showed themselves.

"My, my. Only three of you? Your contractor has quite an astounding amount of faith," Baiyi sneered, watching the three assassins hurl themselves at him from three directions.

In a second, the silver flashes from the blades of the enemies enveloped Baiyi.

The blades could not break into his armor, however, because Baiyi began twirling his Saint Quartz staff around him, forming a sphere that had an impenetrable defense. By spinning his Saint Quartz staff so rapid, Baiyi was able to throw the attacks directed at him off course.

Suddenly, the staff seemed to have found an opening in one of the assassins, before any of them realized it, and it seized the opportunity to strike the vulnerable assassin's waist with a hard smack. Ke-rak! The bone cracked, and the assassin was sent flying off into the distance.

The remaining two wisely stopped and immediately stepped backward in large strides; their alert eyes showed their mental reevaluation of the sorcerer's unexpected capability in melee fights.

"Get lost, kids. A voice in my head is kinda begging me to let you all live," Baiyi announced coldly, and he stuck his staff into the ground in front of him.

The reason why Umbra was feared was not because of their frontal attacks, but because of their ability to hide in the shadows, and finish off their targets without a trace, using poisons. A face-to-face battle automatically turned the tides against them This was similar to the current situation; Baiyi did not even need to rely on Void energy to deflect their assaults.

That was what a real assassin should be. A real assassin would never go out in the open with their mission. That guy in the Void, who wielded a claymore on his left hand and a two-handed Danish ax on his right hand, charging right into the people screaming like a hurt orangutan, was somehow able to call himself an assassin? That one was just a weirdo who appeared once every century.

Unlike most assassin leagues, Umbra — a neutral organization that only accepted work on monetary terms — never believed that it was compulsory to complete a mission with one strike, and most definitely not at the cost of their lives. According to the Assassin Walker, Umbra assassins would seek a way to flee and preserve their life as soon as they concluded that their mission was on the verge of a failure, instead of tossing their life away in a foolish attempt to complete their mission.

After all, if one managed to stay alive, they would still have the chance to plot their next attempts; however, if one died, they would get absolutely nothing. Umbra was no jihadist, anyway.

Baiyi had only chosen to test them out a little because the Assassin in his head kept nagging him with her consciousness to let the losers live.

The problem was, the leader of the group seemed pretty terrible at reading intentions. He responded to Baiyi's goodwill by hurling a flying dagger coated with poison.

Even after Baiyi's effortless deflection, the assassins persisted, hurling secret weapons at the soul armature in rapid-fire speed — about seventeen strikes every two seconds.

Regardless of how awesome the attacks were supposed to be, they quickly became lame because they kept getting deflected off course by the Sorcerer Walker's famous Molocchian Tanoura. Not only were the weapons flung off course, but some were also reflected back at the assassins, causing the three to shift their feet in an attempt to hide from the raining weapons; their zany dodges made them quite pitiful to look at.

These three were really just novices. In fact, that was the real reason why the Assassin Walker was nagging Baiyi to have mercy on them; they were just weaklings who had no chance of beating him.

Finally, someone else spoke. A stern voice boomed from outside, saying, "Enough! Can't you three see how humiliating you all are?"

The three assassins stopped immediately. Suddenly, they bent forward at Baiyi a little, as if to show gratitude for showing mercy.

The three then sprinted outside the yard and stood behind a silhouette that had just sprung out from nowhere. Then, very quietly, the three said, "Sorry, Mentor."

Baiyi was the one who was aghast by this point. He held his Saint Quartz staff before his chest, assuming a defensive standby stance because unlike those three, he had not noticed this man at all.

"Okay, you kinda have to be careful about this one. He's got a carving on his hand," the Assassin Walker commented eagerly.

At her behest, Baiyi immediately moved his gaze to the newcomer's hand.

Surprisingly, the opponent noticed his sight, and in turn, flashed his right hand for the Soul Armature to examined carefully. There were no weapons in his hand; only a black gauntlet that had five carvings.

"One carving equals the successful completion of a 10 million gold mission, you know? This means that this guy has completed finished five of such missions! He's gonna be a pretty annoying one to tackle!" The Assassin Walker added helpfully once again.

Baiyi chuckled at her reminder, laughing, "Hey, if I'm not mistaken, you've only got like, one carving, right? No wonder you only bought those sort of clothes and jewelry; you didn't make a lot of money, did ya? I mean, even this guy has five carvings while you had only one. It's kinda embarrassing!"

"You're actually saying such crap at a time like time?! Gods! Gods! You're soooo annoying!" The Assassin Walker cried out in shame and irritation. She unleashed a barrage of pokes with her consciousness and shouted, "I'll poke you to death! Poke. You. To. Death!"

Obviously, the senior assassin, who was in front of Baiyi, had no idea that his target had been talking to his great-great-great-great senior, yet he was not impatient in making his move, either. His eyes observed and took in every action that Baiyi made as though looking for an opening, and then...

Suddenly, he disappeared.

Baiyi did not waste any time to think to swing his staff backward on a backhand turn and blocked the assassin's attack, which had come from behind. A fiery red formation suddenly bloomed beneath the Assassin's feet within seconds.

Seeing that his strike did not land, the seasoned assassin did not launch more attacks at Baiyi; instead, he leaped backward, high into the air, and almost at that same moment, a pillar of flame shot up from the earth in a straight line, almost charring the edge of his cape. The flames had erupted from the red formation that had appeared below him only moments ago.

If the seasoned assassin had been a second slower, his face would have been right in the way of the flame…

Baiyi did not return only one welcome gift. Before the veteran assassin could land back on the ground, his peripheral vision caught Baiyi extending five fingers towards his direction. Five icicles instantly formed in the air, with their business end facing their target.

Baiyi closed his hands into a fist, and the icicles shot themselves towards the assassin. Still hovering in the air without a ground to garner any means to defend himself, the assassin seemed to wait for the icicles to tear through his chest!

At that precise moment, the assassin disappeared once again.

The icicles slammed onto each other and burst into icy shards and scraps. The only things the icicles managed to nab were a few strands of fibers from the veteran's cape.

"Hmph. You're pretty experienced!" Baiyi tilted his head to one side right in time for his eyes to catch the assassin suddenly appearing by his right.

While he was talking, the Fifth Walker's Saint Quartz Staff had already moved, stopping accurately to block a dagger. Baiyi even managed to examine the opponent's weapon in interest; it was a normal dagger that was not coated with any poison nor any decorative design.

It was sharp and streamlined — the best weapon for an adept assassin.

"Same to you," the seasoned assassin replied humbly, putting some distance between himself and Baiyi again.

It was an odd move to make, especially to the three novices who had become spectators for this fast-paced battle. Even if the sorcerer they were facing was fast, there was still no need to put that much distance between them and the target!

Yet, Baiyi seemed to have guessed what that move entailed. He took a single step forward without attacking.

The seasoned assassin froze. He quietly stepped backward.

Then, Baiyi took another step forward.

The seasoned assassin now seemed alarmed and stepped backward again.

This happened three more times, then the seasoned assassin blurted out in a low voice, "How? How do you know the Umbra's signature move?… Who are you?"

"Hmm. Looks like you didn't learn this technique as well as expected?" Baiyi sneered, and then suddenly, the Fifth Walker himself disappeared.

The natural instinct of impending death, honed by his experiences of finishing five high-grade missions, compelled the seasoned assassin to subconsciously flip into a ground roll, avoiding a lethal attack that had been aimed at the nape of his neck.

The seasoned assassin lost his veil, though; the tip of the Saint Quartz staff had managed to lift his mask away, exposing his face. It was a face so average and nondescript that no one would be able to find him if he was let loose in a sea of people.

"Impossible! How could an outsider like you possibly learn Coup de grace? That is the Umbra's secret move!" The veteran assassin cried out, feeling as if his view of the world had come undone.

He was in a state of complete confusion. A sorcerer who was equally good in melee combat was already far-fetched, to begin with, but now there was one such person who also happened to know their secret technique as well?

Baiyi shrugged and dismissed his answer, but the name had triggered a memory in his head.

'When the Assassin Walker came to the Void, her gauntlet only had one carving. However, that was only because she had just switched out her old gauntlet; her previous gauntlet had to be tossed away because they were so marred by so many carvings, the gauntlet ceased to act as a protective gear…'

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258 Mercy

Coup de Grace had been deemed an ultimate secret technique within Umbra's own league of assassins. The formation was just as demonstrated by the seasoned assassin earlier. The technique allowed the user to spawn at a location close to the desired target, providing the opportunity to carry out a sneak attack or a close-ranged melee.

The method for using this ultimate move was quite straightforward. First, one would enter a concealed mode, through an illusionary technique unique to the assassins. This was followed by numbing the opponent's senses in the shortest time possible, and within less than a second, the unique chi of the assassin would be accumulated and spent to create a move similar to teleportation, causing the attacker to appear right beside the opponent in a flash to deliver the final blow.

The entire process was abnormally quick; it was as though it happens in the blink of an eye. It was even faster than traveling via actual teleportation, and it was unbelievably silent. Additionally, the numbing effect used on the opponent earlier would lower the speed of their response; even the quickest champions could not overcome this response-delaying effect. An undeniably invincible tactic, indeed.

Although the principles behind this ultimate move were not too hard to grasp, it still required proper understanding because the move would be quite predictable without proper understanding. However, when these basic principles were paired with a smooth, strategic synchronization of the body, the assassination power created would be astonishingly invincible. The might of this effect could even best Dance of the Shadow, which was heavily embedded with visual trickery.

Nevertheless, talk is cheap; handling and mastering this ultimate technique perfectly was not an easy task. Using an assassin's unique chi in such a teleport-dependent technique was already an extremely difficult feat which took around a decade to master; teleportation was not even the core of this technique. The key to mastering Coup de Grace was actually the illusionary techniques applied to lower the reflex abilities of the opponent. Although illusionary techniques only caused a slight, delaying effect, the illusionary techniques used were basic entry-level skills for an assassin; thus, getting high-level enemies to fall for such a basic technique was not an easy task, either.

Ultimately, all these had to be done in the matter of milliseconds and kept hidden from all senses, simultaneously, in the process; thus, not a wisp of aura was to be emitted before the target was achieved. Killing auras, especially, should be concealed strictly. Not even the sound of the brandishing of a weapon should be emitted, or else, any wisp of aura released could cause the illusionary numbing effect to lose its potency.

Baiyi did not use a standard dagger to perform the technique. A swing of the Saint Quartz staff produced a swaying momentum that cut through the air, piercing through the effects of the illusion, causing the seasoned assassin to sense the impending danger. This prompted him to respond accordingly, swerving away from the fatal blow.

Of course, Baiyi's mercy did come into play as well.

This technique was created by a gifted assassin who went by the code name 'Phantom'. Despite being a woman, she was crowned the most talented assassin in history, and she was accepted into Umbra when she was six years old. She completed the entire assassin training schemes at age ten, accomplished individual missions by twelve, and had her first gauntlet carving at age sixteen. The fastest carving she ever acquired happened when she was almost twenty-eight years old.

This very same girl invented the infamous Coup de Grace — the ultimate technique for assassination. It made her become the most talented and most outstanding assassin in history.

However, for her, being an assassin was not her true interest, for it was only a way to survive in this world. Instead of being an assassin, she was more interested in owning her own bakery, where she could dress up attractively during her free time and gaze across the streets, ogling at handsome male passersby. Having the delicate, easily-likable appearance of a beautiful girl, perhaps it was not too much of a fantasy for her to dream of a passionate, romantic affair in such a life, right?

She had planned to retire as soon as she had saved up enough money to start her own bakery. However, a mutiny broke out within Umbra when she was twenty-eight, and she was ordered to eliminate the mutineers. She was betrayed by her most trusted ally during the process, and her soul was exiled into the legendary Void.

That was how this gifted assassin was sacrificed, without even a chance to put on those pretty dresses and accessories she had secretly kept in her closet for the longest time. To commemorate this female Assassin who invented the Coup de Grace, Umbra decided to name those in the league who could master this technique 'Shadow Assassins'.

And now, the consciousness of this gifted female assassin was pestering Baiyi incessantly…

Contrary to the usual patrons of the Void — who were usually stale, old men and elderly virgins — the little Lady Assassin Walker entered the Void at a fairly young age, looking like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old maiden. She did not give the stoic, morbid impression of a typical assassin, but instead, she exuded a joyful personality; eager to discover new things, her mind brimmed with the curiosity of a little girl. Even Baiyi was a little taken back after they exchanged memories. 'How could a beautiful maiden like this be exiled into the Void? Was she that much of an impressive assassin?'

After witnessing the fancy techniques she used to kill during her missions, Baiyi truly understood that, before genuine talent, neither appearance nor personality was a determining factor of character. She was petite and adorable, but powerful all the same…

"Ugh, I wanted to quit being an assassin a long time ago, anyway! But now that I have become a Voidwalker... that's not too bad, eh? It's like a career change..." The little Lady Assassin Walker may seem a little reserved, but she was very open towards the affairs of the Void. She even took the initiative to exchange memories with Baiyi. His memories on Earth were particularly interesting, and she was drawn to it with an almost fatal attraction.

Back then, Baiyi had been really bored. He noticed that Little Lady Assassin Walker, who was the newest arrival at the time, was adorable and open-minded, seeing as she was jesting and playing around with the others already.

"You want to exchange memories so quickly? But, this exchange... it's equivalent to sharing all your secrets with the other party. Do you know the meaning behind this?" Baiyi had asked her back then.

"Whatever, whatever! Quick, quick!" The Lady Assassin Walker insisted impatiently.

To women in the Void who had not engaged in a romance before, Baiyi's little joke might be interpreted in a very wrong way; exchanging memories between a man and a woman was an intimate affair that was only done between couples. Thank heavens that neither the little Lady Assassin Walker or the Warrior walker had shifted their thoughts towards that direction... 'they wouldn't, would they?' At least, that was what Baiyi presumed.

Alright, let's get back to the present. Baiyi did not understand why the little Lady Assassin Walker kept poking him with her consciousness, without issuing any verbal instructions after the pokes. Had she been rendered speechless because she was too.... emotional after seeing her descendant? The pokes got annoying after a while, though, so Baiyi finally responded to her pestering by returning consciousness jabs back at her.

"Aiiih!!" She yelped and stopped her little jabs.

"How about that? Still want to continue?" In reality, Baiyi put the Saint Quartz away, and he smirked at the seasoned assassin on the ground, who seemed to be in a sorry state.

"Ugh... thank you for the mercy, Sir Hope..." This time, the seasoned assassin was too ashamed to even think of hitting back.

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259 The Bar A Master Assassin Should Achieve

If it was up to him, the seasoned assassin would have never accepted this mission. He knew of the target's identity through the Church's massive endorsement and the Intelligence Agency's extremely revered feedback, which stated that Baiyi was the one true master, who had resolved two major events just recently. Although the seasoned assassin was a hired assassin, whose only goal was to eliminate the target in order to fulfill his mission, he, personally, still possessed a moral baseline. Hence, when he was given with such a high-profile target, who was revered publicly, the seasoned assassin's first thought was to turn down the mission.

The organization insisted. As a hired assassin, his only option was to accept the job.

However, the mission had been very bizarre, to say the least, looking at the way the organization had arranged its procedures or the events of this assassination itself; it all made him feel so embarrassed…

Although the client had forked out a huge sum of money to hire Umbra's best assassin to complete the mission, it was as if the client had anticipated this failure. Besides being assigned three assassin apprentices to accompany him so that they could 'gain some experience out of this', the seasoned assassin was also bombarded with advice, prior to the mission, like: "prioritize your own safety, do not force yourself, do not mess up, and get out of there if things get out of hand". It was as if they already knew, right from the start, that this mission was a lost cause. It was very different from the others jobs with high rewards.

The target was really as intriguing indeed as the masses had perceived. The mission was more of a practice match than an assassination attempt; both the seasoned assassin and Bayi seemed like seasoned opponents, instead. The seasoned assassin was not dumb; he could tell that there was a lot of restraint being shown by the target and by Umbra. He considered his performance too embarrassing; faced with a target like Baiyi, his skills seemed no better than the three apprentices he brought along.

To sooth the awkward atmosphere and the questions on his mind, the seasoned assassin decided to initiate conversation. "Sir Hope, I would like to know... How did you learn about the Umbra's ultimate technique? You seem so well-versed in it. How are you able to handle it better than me...?"

"Hmm, I learned it from a friend of mine; an adorable lass so beautiful, you would never think that she was an assassin, at all," Baiyi spewed out lies like it was second nature. "By chance, I happened to helped her out, so she taught me this move in exchange."

When she heard that, little Miss Assassin started pestering him again in the Void, nagging him in a peculiar tone, "Just what do you think you're saying?!"

'Can this lie get even more blatant…' the seasoned assassin mulled internally. 'What is this? A soap opera?' However, he did not press Baiyi any further on the matter; thus, making the atmosphere even more awkward.

Although Baiyi's earlier Coup de Grace missed its target, the seasoned assassin never believed that it was due to a lack of skill. He clearly understood that the miss was a mercy shown by his opponent. Not only was Baiyi's weapon not appropriate to execute the technique, but the distance Baiyi had placed between himself and the Master Assassin was a single step short of than the distance required to execute the technique.

Although the difference between Baiyi's distance and the compulsory distance was as minute as one step, that step was required to make the technique work; otherwise, it would be impossible to perform.

The best distance to activate the Coup de Grace was twenty steps away from the opponent; this was not too close, neither was it particularly far. The technique did not require some form of manipulation on the physics of the world, and it did not require a special chant from a sorcerer. Twenty steps apart were simply the most optimum distance for chi teleportation, for it allowed the user a good margin of control over the teleportation's destination. This Twenty-Step Rule was also important because the effectiveness of an illusion depended on how well the caster estimated the distance; if their target was out of a certain range, the illusion would lose its edge. This was especially true for unique techniques like this, which observed an even stricter, and more demanding, requirement.

The Twenty-Step Rule was a discovery made after countless trials and errors from multiple assassins; it was the standard rule prescribing the most optimal distance to perform Coup de Grace. If one wished to perform Coup de Grace with fewer or more steps, they would have to relearn and remaster chi teleportation techniques from scratch, because Coup De Grace was not like the plain teleportation tricks used by the Sorcerers. To execute a technique faster and more elusive than common teleportation spells demanded an acute control over its execution. Meanwhile, if one tried to perform Coup De Grace outside of the standard twenty-step rule, then they would have to make extra efforts to reconfigure and recalibrate the technique to restore the effectiveness lost for foregoing the golden distance. In other words, they would have to spend even more years to train.

Mastering the Twenty-Step rule was already an incredible feat on its own. Extending that distance, however, was something no normal person would consider possible. The seasoned assassin got his first carving when he mastered the Twenty-Step Rule, and that was ten years ago. The number of carvings on his gauntlet had since increased to five, and yet he had not invented and mastered a second distance from which he could perform Coup De Grace.

Even the current strongest assassin in the organization could only perform Coup de Grace within two additional ranges — eighteen steps and twenty-two steps — and he had yet to master performing Coup De Grace from these additional ranges. Nevertheless, this seasoned assassin was already considered the best at controlling the distance necessary to perform Coup De Grace — second only to the founder of the technique herself.

Since the seasoned assassin knew just how challenging it was to have such a control over distance — and after he had observed how Baiyi lept back and forth with ease — Baiyi's feat was enough to make the seasoned assassin warily take a step back.

In the Master Assassin's mind, Baiyi's steps had become similar to a demon's stomps; his ability to perform Coup de Grace from only nineteen steps away completely shattered the bravado which the Master Assassin had put up. The seasoned assassin finally understood that there was a whole level of difference between himself and Baiyi; no longer did he dare make any brash actions towards Baiyi.

However, after hesitating for a bit, the seasoned assassin decided not to press for the truth; this was not entirely impossible, after all.

There were, indeed, a few pretty assassins within Umbra's ranks, but they mainly carried out special missions. It was quite possible that one of these gorgeous but deadly female assassins really had mastered the Coup de Grace. However, after the rebellion, the organization was stricter on its borders and the personal records of its members; thus, an old geezer like the seasoned assassin could not claim to know every member of the organization, so he could not be sure if the aforementioned charming lass, who taught the Coupe de Grace to an outsider, ever existed or not.

The seasoned assassin could no longer maintain the reserved and silent composure of an assassin. He could no longer help himself; he voiced out the biggest question in his mind.

"Sir Hope, assuming that this is really how you learned the secret technique, how could you even activate it in nineteen steps? You should know that distance is the core determinant in pulling off this ultimate technique successfully; so, just how did you manage to do it?! Even we who practice it every day cannot even…"

Baiyi seemed distracted when the seasoned assassin asked the question, but this was only because he was conversing with Little Miss Assassin in the Void; thus it took a while for the question sink and for Baiyi to reply.

"Actually, that assassin from Umbra invested Coup de Grace as a secret technique for her own personal use only; it was not meant for everyone because it requires a lot of talent and synchronization to work successfully."

While they were talking, however, Baiyi's body vanished from its original position. The seasoned assassin then felt a tap at the back of his neck, which he could not even attempt to avoid, undetected by his sharp senses.

The expression on the seasoned assassin's face was one of shock. Earlier, before they began conversing with each other, the distance between them was reduced a little more; this could only mean one thing: Baiyi could handle three distances!

However, Baiyi still seemed unsatisfied. By the time the seasoned assassin turned his head around, Baiyi had vanished from his original position once more. The seasoned assassin then felt a slight knock on the back of his neck with the hilt of a dagger; he could not even respond in time.

The distance between the two had already closed to the point where they were directly facing one another. Technically speaking, it was close to impossible to activate the Coup de Grace with a distance like this, but Baiyi seemed determined to completely eliminate all doubts in his opponent's mind by succeeding again.

Baiyi lept back, and the seasoned assassin's eyes instinctively followed his movements; however, he suddenly felt another tap at the back of his head.

The seasoned assassin's back broke out in cold sweat. If this was a real battle, he would have already died three times. Giving himself the benefit of doubt, the seasoned assassin did let down his guard slightly while they were having a conversation, earning him the first strike. However, it was undeniable that he was fully focused on Baiyi the second and third time — especially the third — his eyes could barely follow Baiyi's silhouette before he was hit.

'Could it be that... my eyes can't follow his speed?! '

Something within this well-experienced seasoned assassin crumbled at that thought.

"H-how is this... possible?!" He slumped to the ground weakly, landing on his knees.

"Activating the Coup de Grace in such a close range was challenging on its own, but.... h-how could the distance be so controlled?! Why wasn't there a cooldown between the activations? Even the highest ultimate techniques could not even be used continuously like that... j-just how?! How...?!"

When they heard the seasoned assassin's howl of disbelief, the three apprentices waiting outside in the yard stood on their toes and threw curious glances towards the source of the commotion. At their level, they could not comprehend just how formidable Baiyi seemed to their Master, so they had not reacted too much.

"Didn't I clarify earlier? The key to this technique lies in pure talent and synchronization," boasted Baiyi as he stood before the seasoned assassin. "I must be an excellent candidate for the role of an assassin, huh?"

He would never tell his opponent the truth. The key to mastering the technique was actually the illusionary abilities taught by the Charlatan, along with his own profound knowledge in the fundamentals and principles of teleportation. It purely stemmed from a wide range of knowledge and had nothing much to do with talent, at all.

The seasoned assassin kneeled on the ground, panting laboriously for quite a while before he recovered his energy. He did not attempt to stand up straight away; instead, he continued to kneel on the ground as he implored, curiously.

"Sir Hope, can you tell me… who are you, really?"

"Can you tell me who your client is?" Baiyi retorted.

The seasoned assassin was stunned silent. Then, he proceeded to stand up. "Sorry to disturb," he said respectfully. Together with the three stone-faced apprentices, they all vanished into the darkness.

To an assassin of Umbra, the ultimate rule — which was second to none, even when one's life was in jeopardy — was complete secrecy on all matters regarding their clientele.

An incomplete mission could be abandoned or refunded; it was only a matter of capability. However, revealing the identity of the client was a matter of principle. As a neutral organization in this industry, a lack of skills could be trained and nurtured; but, lacking in reputation meant bankruptcy. Umbra had only been able to sustain itself till the current day because of their reputation of integrity towards their clientele; this had always been the foundation of their existence.

As Baiyi's gaze tailed the silhouettes of the four retreating assassins, he found himself having another conversation with Miss Assassin.

"It did seem quite pitiful, though. Having spent ten years worth of intense training to learn the ultimate technique, only to be overwhelmed by the opponent, using the very same technique… technically speaking, he did look like he was on the brink of madness, didn't he? However, he handled the situation unexpectedly well, being able to recover like that… He even remembered to uphold his little secrets."

"Secrets are just part of our culture; upholding them is a practice carved deep within the bones of every assassin from Umbra, so it will not be foregone so easily. The fact that he had five scars on his palm meant that he had experienced despair and desolation more brutal than you could ever imagine, so don't you ever undermine the upbringing of Umbra's assassins. You should never confuse a person's thoughts and emotions with their call of duty; this is how impressive Umbra's assassins should be!" Miss Assassin proclaimed proudly and jabbed Baiyi's consciousness two more times; as if this was some sort of game.

"Hmm, you made it sound pretty professional, but it sounds eerily similar to some form of mental disorder, though. It's not easy being an assassin, really; and, what's with those jabs when we're just talking!" Baiyi hit back a few times in revenge.

"Hehe!" She giggled. Perhaps the energy channeled by Baiyi this time was not that strong, so it was ticklish more than painful to her, resulting in a series of giggles, instead.

"Hmm, speaking of which — I truly understand your sentiments and your... concern for your descendants, but isn't this a little too much? They're here to kill me! Showing them mercy was fine by me, but I still had to entertain them by talking to them nicely? You even expected me to put on a performance. Don't you even care about how I feel?" Baiyi complained ruefully. "Furthermore, wasn't the whole reason you were banished to the Void because of Umbra? The people in that organization that betrayed you; have you forgotten? Not only did you not take the chance to get your revenge, but you wanted to look after them?"

"A traitor... so what? Does it make them all bad people by default? Should I kill them all?" retorted the little Miss Assassin emotionally. She sounded conflicted and pained as she continued to lament.

"And how could I not care about you? Do you even know how big of a trouble you'd cause if you killed him? A top-notch assassin like him is a treasure to any organization; if you killed him, you'd turn an average mission into a blood feud with Umbra! You'll get pestered by a storm of assassins every day later on; is that what that makes you happy?! Do you even know how many of them are out there, lurking in the shadows? Do you really think you can kill them all?!"

"Kill, kill, kill; is that all you know? Murder? Idiot! Dumbass! You ignorant fool!" The little Miss Assassin spew out a torrent of insults. She suddenly went quiet, no longer pestering him with her consciousness; she must be extremely pissed off.

Baiyi was at lost for words. 'Really, I'd say I'm a pretty reasonable person, but what's with the sudden temper? Did I somehow step on her tail?'

"She might have the most renowned talents and even be the best assassin in the world, but the truth is — she didn't enjoy killing at all." A hollow voice rang in his ear suddenly. "Don't forget, her biggest dream was to become the owner of a bakery…"

'Eh? Am I imagining things? The Warrior... actually uttered so many words at once? And in such a clear manner, too; not the usual grumble!' Baiyi exclaimed in his mind. Was this a form of support for a sister-in-arms? He knew, for a fact, that the few female Voidwalkers came together occasionally for a leisure chat — usually about girly affairs — and had fostered quite a good relationship between themselves because of that.

"Now, now, how rare of you to talk so much at one go..." Baiyi simply said, almost amused.

"There is no need for words between two people who truly understand each other," replied the Warrior nonchalantly. "You are stupid, though."

'Wait, wait, wait... how am I stupid? Didn't you hear them call me Lord Savior of the World? Didn't you see how I showed off the Coup de Grace back there? Except for the Bard's wimpish techniques, I handled every Walker's knowledge and skills perfectly; so, how exactly am I stupid, huh?!'

"Hmph!" The Warrior produced another one of her signature huffs before ignoring Baiyi just as little Miss Assassin did.

"Alright now, my apprentice, there's no need to bargain with those unreasonable women; let us sit down and analyze the situation instead!" The Sorcerer quickly said, bringing Baiyi's attention back to the key issue.

'My own master is still the most reliable!' Baiyi thought it private. After erasing the soundproofing enchantment in the mansion, he retreated back into his laboratory and spent the night discussing the assassination with the other male Walkers.

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260 Would Anyone Believe Me Even if I Come Clean?

As relative peace returned to Baiyi's location, in a far, unknown corner of the realm where the Basilica of the Godsfall cult stood, sounds of frantic wings-flapping echoed through the air.

Three pitch-black ravens oozing thick black mist flew into the empty grand hall. They circled the hall once and landed, emitting even more black mist. When the thick cloud of black mist dissipated, three figures were standing in the same spot that the three ravens had landed.

"Umbra has come to inform us that they have failed their mission, and also, that they have no interest in retaking it in the future. The money was even returned," the second shadowy figure spoke first.

"Giving up right after their first attempt? Have they discovered something?" The first figure asked.

The second shadow did not answer his question directly. He just continued, "There's a very interesting factoid about the way they handled this mission, though. Umbra sent out one of their very best assassins and three apprentices, who had not even completed their training. Hmm-hmm, isn't that interesting?"

"They are protesting against us in such a way? Very interesting indeed! They, somehow, saw through your little ploy, didn't they? I suppose they even discovered our agent within their organization?" The third shadow replied. Even with his mechanical voice, one could still hear the amusement in his tone.

"I supposed it was expected of Umbra, though. When were they established? Who founded them? All everyone knows is that they have always existed; for millennia, even! An organization like this must possess their own brand of wisdom, don't they? It's not ridiculous that they saw through our scheme easily."

"Oh no, my friend. This was no scheme. It was an open deal; at least, as open as an organization like Umbra could manage. As long as they still need business, they will always accept a mission. They worked nicely as our litmus test, gathering as much information about that Hope as we pleased," the first figure said. "We did not even need to send any of our own. Wasn't that just the perfect deal?"

"Unfortunately, however, such great deals only last once. Umbra has reiterated that there will be no second time, neither will they accept any job that revolves around that man," the second figure explained.

"I see, but that doesn't matter. They must have discovered something, didn't they? What were their excuses for aborting the mission and their complete resignation?" the first figure asked.

"The target is out of their league. He also appears to have some history with the organization themselves; this was the explanation that Umbra gave," the second figure replied. "They weren't being very elaborative, but I'm sure it was enough."

"Ha. Will you look at that; a sorcerer adept in Ancient Rohserlian formations, who also mastered the war druids' melee prowess, who was the Apostle's best friend, and now has some connection with Umbra?" the first figure's amusement sounded barren, even in his synthesized voice. "Oh, let's not forget that he is also from the Doors of Conundrum. Could someone like him even come from a group of street-dumb scholars like those people?"

"With these individual pieces of information, I'm sure his true identity would easily come to light, yes? How many people would fit all of these descriptions in eons?" the second figure said. "The most potent power that Hope has is the mystery involving his identity. He conceals everything about him, and hides his true strength from us; these little things make the two of you feel some form of unrest. However, once we strip that mystery off him, he will be nothing but another incredible pawn for our master strike."

"I agree that it's great we earned a piece of his puzzle through Umbra, but this has cost us our partnership with Umbra. They may no longer accept our requests, which—considering the distant future—may not be very smart," the third figure cautiously warned the second figure.

"Oh please. Umbra is just an underground organization. Before our power and money, they should be grateful that they could even be considered lackeys in our plan. Why would you care about the opinion of such unimportant characters?" the second figure retorted indignantly. "Besides, Hope is our greatest enemy. As long as we can vanquish that man, why would we care if we lost our partnership with such a little assassin organization?"

"It's infuriating that we cannot directly participate in this with our own power, seeing as our men are too incompetent; if not, we would not have to keep watching that contemptible rat tear our plan apart piece by piece!" The second figure's malice was evident in his mechanical voice. It was certain that he harbored nothing but abhorrence for Baiyi.

The third shadow, however, seemed more reserved in his opinion. He did not comment on the second figure's sentiment; instead, he asked, "What about those assassins? Did they die? Did you successfully started a blood feud between them and the target?"

"No! Those four sorry pieces of trash were let off in one piece. Hope has let someone off the hook again!" The second shadow snapped.

"Maybe he, too, realized something was missing. The assassins that Umbra sent after him were too atypical, so that may have served as a hint. Of course, this shows that he really does have some connection with Umbra, because he knows them well enough to understand them," the first shadow said.

"Then we will continue drawing out his secrets. Once he is completely bared before us, it'll be our turn to strike him right where it hurts the most," the second figure concluded their meeting.

Black smog began to leak out of them, and soon, the black smog reverted back into ravens. The raves then melted into the shadows that enveloped the Basilica.

Meanwhile, the very man that the three enigmatic figures had been talking about was sitting in his own lab, with one leg crossed on top of the other, as he wrapped up his speech to the Voidwalkers, "So that's what I think this was. Those assassins weren't here for my life; they were here for information on me. I mean, I'm not sure what anyone can find from someone with as a clean a slate as I have; however, I think it was settled pretty well in retrospect; all thanks in no small part to our very own Assassin Walker."

He divided a little of his consciousness to lightly jab the lady Walker who was holding her own conversation. Her only response was a sharp stab back without any verbal replies. She was probably really mad, cause she was acting like an enraged kitten biting the hand that pats.

"All I'm saying is: Miss Assassin was right in her rationale. I have no reason to enter a feud with the ever-so-secretive Umbra. However, showing off a little of my skills, and leaving the door open for negotiations between both of us may very well work to our advantage in the future. We might not need their strength, but we can count on their accurate, efficient, and complete intel to plan our next moves," Baiyi continued, hoping to provoke a verbal response from the Assassin.

The girl, however, was either tired of retaliating against his endless pokes, or she realized that her retaliatory jabs did not deter Baiyi, seeing she stopped responding to his pokes and let him did whatever he wanted.

"You may be right, but don't you think showing off Umbra's own assassination technique adds more unwanted attention to your true identity? Everyone is starting to work on figuring that out, you know?" The Engineer interjected suddenly.

'Whoa! This was one of those rare times he isn't saying out what his balls are thinking!' Baiyi thought, feeling impressed with the sobriety that Engineer had displayed; hence, he explained patiently, "Don't worry. Those people would have to go through all sorts of plausible or implausible theories first before they even think of the Void. And that is if—and that's a big if—they believe that people can survive the Void and becomes Voidwalkers."

The consensus had always been similar: the Void symbolized eternal darkness and coldness, the purgatory for all souls to vanish on its own, and the absolute end zone for all manner of life. According to the Church's teachings, only the most contemptible of scums, the worst of the worst, the assholes, and the bastards would be sent into the Void, facing true death.

If these monsters managed to come back to reality by escaping that nightmarish prison, the consequence would be an Armageddon. Just think: those who got sent to the Void were already considered deplorable. What would become of them after they've faced eternal torment and darkness? These exiled being would not possess even a single shred of kindness and rationale anymore! They would look at Isythre—and other realms—in envy and fury, and proceed to destroy everything straight away! Everyone who crossed their paths would die; the deaths would continue until every world was gone!

Of course, this could only happen if any who was exiled to the void escaped from it. However, thousands of years had passed, and no one had ever broken out from the Void; including the heretics who had dared try to investigate, research, and study the Void in details, hoping to harness its abilities. If even these Void scholars could not come back from there, who else could?

To most people, the monsters that lurked in the Void were no more real than the ghouls and monsters that earthlings talk about. The monsters in the void were similar to vampires, zombies, aliens, and moderate fundamentalists; they sound creepy, but they were basically nonexistent.

"Look, my true identity is basically similar to an otherkin, you know? Even fewer people would ever imagine that there are a bunch of us who have been living in the Void for thousands of years. Every study has shown that it was impossible for anyone to exist in the Void — at most, we're just a backdrop for someone's nightmare," Baiyi explained. "Even if I ran on the streets tomorrow, telling everyone that I'm actually a Voidwalker, most would only think that I smoked something really good. It's like telling people you're a time traveler, you know?"

"Alright, I get ya," the Engineer replied, and after a brief pause, he asked, "You're… You're not really gonna tell everyone about your identity, right?"

"What? Am I supposed to be that daft?" Baiyi replied snappily. "I wasn't serious about exposing my identity! I still need to lie low—and lie, actually. If I don't suggest the Void, no one would even think of that; but once I do, well, the conspiracy nutters among them might just get some ideas. By then it would be uncontrollable!"

"If they realized that what they considered fiction was, in fact, real—the amount of terror that would arise right after the realization would be devastating," Baiyi added.

That was what salvation meant to Baiyi. He did not just want to rescue the Voidwalkers from the Void, he also wanted to rescue them from the discrimination and fear that these people harbor for the Voidwalkers. Doing that would need even more time and effort.

And just like that, the discussion-of-the-day ended. Baiyi turned his effort back to trying to appease the Assassin, and one of the efforts was to privately message her. "Hey, I reminded of your tremendous contribution to our last victory. Is that… Is that good enough?"

The only response he received was, "Hmph!"

'Bloody hell! Et tu, Miss Assassin?'Gosh, are we still talking about Umbra, or that bunch in Assassin's Creed?

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261 Why Are You Here So Early In The Morning?

The first rays of the morning sun soon arrived, and the first to wake up was the great kitsune. It got up from the mat in its room, stretched, and began grooming itself with its tongue. Then, it ran to the sunflower's room and lifted the disk underneath the potted-plant with its mouth, bringing the sunflower out to the sunlight.

After dropping the sunflower in the yard, the great kitsune ran around, scrutinizing every inch of the yard with its nose. Finally, it grabbed a bunch of shiny objects with its mouth and brought to Baiyi's side.

It opened its mouth and with a 'clang, cling, clang', daggers and secret weapons fell onto the floor.

"Oh, this? Er, last night, after you all fell asleep, some intruders came. Don't worry, I fought them off. I didn't have time to clean the mess up, though," the Soul Armature told the curious fox.

The fox's ears stood straight, turning from left to right and again, and its face donned an expression of suspicion that only a fox could make. 'How did I miss such a racket?'

"Well, they were very capable assassins, so it is normal for them to conceal their tracks and battles. But really, it's fine already; they will not come here anymore. Please help me clean up the grass, though. Oh? Sunny's already on it? Well, it's not good to have it doing the cleaning alone! Hmm? Oh, icicles on the rooftop? Er, well, I did that. I don't think we need to worry about those, though, because they are gonna melt after a while, anyway — right?" Baiyi started conversing with the kitsune in fragmented sentences. "What? You're worried someone's gonna get bonked on the head? Oh, perish the thought! I don't get many visitors here; plus, no one would be stupid enough to get hit by something this obvious..."

"Oy! Look at that sunflower! It can move on its own! And, also, it can sing! So awesome?!" Baiyi exclaimed. Suddenly, "Owwww!" A very familiar voice reverberated from outside. "Why is it raining ice cubes here?!?!!"

Baiyi and the fox looked each other with an identical awkward gazes.

After a while, Miss Undine, who had not been seen in a long time, stepped into the house with a swollen head. She did not even greet Baiyi when she entered the room, and instead, she kicked off her heels and jumped right onto his couch. She frowned, then grimaced, then rubbed her swollen bruises, before drinking a tangerine potion rather boorishly.

Undine looked like she had just returned home.

Baiyi could not even decide if he wanted to laugh or cry at her antics. 'Aren't you a legendary-level martial artist? How did you even get outsmarted by icicles? Or did the return to your family business automatically suppresses your martial art skills and turned you into a moe symbol?'

Even as Baiyi approached her, Undine did not seem to remember to readjust her posture. Her young, attractive body just stayed as it was; free for the Soul Armature to gawk at, especially the black silky socks tightly wrapped around her feet.

The silky black texture reflected the light of the morning sun, forming a very inviting vortex that would cause anyone to desire to rub them.

Although Undine still failed to notice the problem with her posture, she snapped, "Why were icicles on the roof?!"

"Maybe it's the weather?" Baiyi looked out of the window, seeing only mist. It must have been pretty cold outside.

"Are you joking? Sure, winter's coming, but it's not like we have reached the stage where ice cubes rain down from the sky!" She retorted, totally unconvinced.

Baiyi eyed her in her current state, but he was not awfully worried about her injury. She was still a legendary-level martial artist, so her pain should be short-lived.

Instead, he leisurely sat down next to her on the next couch and said, in a concerned tone typical of seniors, "Hey, now, if you knew it was winter already, you really shouldn't be wearing summer clothing, right? Your skirt is pretty short; aren't you bothered by the cold?"

"What are you even saying, Mr. Hope!" Undine suddenly sat up straight, putting her heels back on as her face turned serious. "Today, I am wearing the latest winter wear which hasn't even hit the shelves dude. I spent a fortune on this! Although I wanted my theme for this winter to be 'Dark and nimble', I yielded to the reality of the climate and closed up a lot of my upper body."

To illustrate her point, Undine even pointed at her chest. 'Fine, she's right. She is being far more conservative than usual today. At least the blouse wasn't opened all the way to her belly button. However, your shoulders are still bared!'

Undine's shoulder straps managed to cover her chiseled collar bones, and the straps intersected on her neck, forming a graceful bow.

"And look at my skirt! It's now pleated, and my knee-high socks have changed into leggings! Aren't the changes obvious enough for you to notice already?" Undine finished in a slightly upset tone. She could not believe that even after all the hard work she underwent to acquire the latest winter fashion, Baiyi still had not noticed any changes in her usual outfit.

She muttered quietly, "All he cares about are the little girls, anyway!"

"Uh… I… I really didn't notice all that…" Baiyi could only stammer, feeling awkward.

Suddenly, across the Void, Baiyi heard the Assassin Walker jump up, "Duh! Whenever there is a female in front of you, all you look at is the lower half! Is the skirt short? Are the legs lean? Ooh, what about the color of her socks? Would anyone expect you to notice some other parts?!"

For once, Baiyi had nothing of substance with which to refute her.

Unless he played the asshole card! "Well, do your legs look good enough?"

"Wh-what?! Why… Why did you..?! My… My body… didn't you see every part of it from my memory already? I mean, it's not as long as hers, but I've trained, too, so it's pretty curvy and lean, too; I mean, if I were to wear black silky stockings, too, I —"

Her voice kept growing softer, and soon, Baiyi could not hear her even if he wanted to. Soon, the girl stopped bothering him.

'Ahaha!' Baiyi smirked victoriously in his head. He did not really care about what she was talking about because her rebuttal had been too soft…

As soon he had beat up the Assassin in their little verbal spar, Undine had also finished describing "the awesomeness of my latest winter fashion", and she went on to admonish, "Don't be fooled by the skimpiness. I've got a lot of tiny thermal runs embedded in them!"

"Alright, alright, I made a note about them!" Baiyi replied. He was starting to feel dazed. "So why did you even come here early in the morning again? Just to show off some clothes?"

"Oh please, I've got better things to do than that! I just got bonked by an icicle or whatever that was, so my head's kinda spinning," Undine replied in a mildly aggrieved tone. "Got a mirror?"

Baiyi could only ask the fox to bring one of their mirrors, which had been polished so much that it now reflected light.

Of course, when Undine saw the fox, her eyes brightened, and she gripped on its pointy ears, dragging it towards herself. "What a beautiful doggo! Where did you buy it from?!" She cried out as she stroked the fox vigorously. "—owww! Why are you pinching my eeeeaaaars?"

"It's not a dog, it's a fox! And it's not just any fox; it's my new student!" Baiyi explained flatly, launching into a summary of his new students.

"Oh… I see. Sorry for the offense, Zakum the Sage."

The fox lifted its left paw and waved, signifying that it was okay.

Then, Undine turned to Baiyi, sporting a scarlet face, and said, "Um, Mr. Hope? I'll appreciate you letting go of my ear now. It's… quite a sensitive spot."

"Oh, right. Er, let's get back to the real business." Baiyi released his grip in embarrassment. Her ear had been quite smooth to the touch…

As it turned out, it was about the Doles' new business venture, providing goods from the Southern Land. The aerial route that they had developed required more transport, so the family was thinking of purchasing more of Baiyi's gliders at a much economical price. At the same time, Undine wanted to seek permission to develop the area that Attie's clansmen were situated into a massive rendezvous point for large cargo and goods.

After a few successful trades, the Doles also started bringing Northern goods to the Southern Land. They were typically raw materials that only the North could produce or high-class wares the Northern aristocrats use, and as they were immensely popular in the South, the Doles profited greatly from it.

The outcome was that the Dole's secret monopoly of the aerial route had been exposed to the public; not that this did not play into their plans. They needed more investment to properly expand the market, so they had decided to work together with the merchants from the Northern Land to maximize profits until their legs gave away due to the weight of their money.

Best of all, new beasts and human resources had been taken in from Gouve during their mass exodus to the South. The newly-arrived griffins and skycruiser rays quickly filled up the niche for the need to transport goods by air. This was especially true of the rays due to their gigantic size.

It seemed like everything was going great.

"Shouldn't the demand for my glider be lesser now?" Baiyi asked quizzically, combing Vidomina's hair as she sat on his lap. Little Mia was sitting close-by with her hair unkempt, waiting for her turn. As the two adults discussed, the humanoid students had started waking up.

Ever since the terrible event at her home, Vidomina had become visibly more clingy. The first thing she did after waking up was to cry out very sweetly to her godfather, asking him to make her hair. Meanwhile, Little Mia acted like she was facing some sort of threat, putting her own comb down and asking Baiyi for the same treatment.

Baiyi did not mind; In fact, he enjoyed it. Back when they were in the girl's dorm, he did Mia's hair all the time; he just had not resumed this practice since they moved into the mansion.

"Why would demands be falling? Dude! You forgot about those barbarians, didn't you? And those wild beasts that could easily kill the skycruiser rays? Plus, these rays aren't nocturnal," Undine replied, busying her hands with Tisdale's hair, as well.

"How about the dragon knights? You can hire them to protect your transport, you know? Come on; you guys got the pocket for something like that, right?" Baiyi said as he pinned an adorable kitty hairclip onto Vidomina's hair and put her back down. He picked up Little Mia next and started on her black hair.

The girl's eyes narrowed into two fine lines, and her expression was one of content.Er…. Climate change?/narrowed eyes/ Little girls…

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262 Do You Wanna Go Home?

Hearing the word "dragon knights" had set off a button within Undine because, almost immediately, her lips curled into a coy grin. She looked at Baiyi with a pair of knowing eyes, and then, she lowered her lips to Tisdale's ear and whispered…

"Huh? No!… I mean, it was a misunderstanding, really. That was what it was…?" Tisdale replied in a bemused tone. "Sir isn't that sort of person! It's all just gossip and rumors from bored aristocrats. It's just hogwash."

Although the girl was clearly trying to defend her teacher, Tisdale herself did not sound too convinced…

"Hee hee! What were you thinking, Dale? Your favorite Sir almost belonged to someone else!" Undine maintained her grin. "Besides, you've seen Aya, right? Damn; she was so gorgeous, and she had a little girl beside her, too! Not that she needed her to win him over; I heard that if Aya's age is converted to human age, it will be equivalent to yours, which would explain why your teacher here likes her so mu — accck!!!"

Her voice was hushed, but Baiyi could still hear her pretty clearly. Just like that, with a flick of the Soul Armature's finger, an ice bullet in the size of a small chalk was flung right at Undine's head; the same thing Baiyi did to any student who was not paying attention in class. Attie was quite an expert at that.

"Real business, Undine," Baiyi said, feeling a little impatient. "Or, I'm not listening anymore!"

"Oh, I know. I know!" Undine stuck her tongue out, with a grievance. "Your mistress' dragon knights — owww! Stop that! It was just a slip of the tongue! So, your girl, who is a friend, and her dragon knights demanded a price so high for their service, I seriously wondered if they had ever seen money in their sad, sad lives befo — ohhh! Why are you still doing that?!?!"

"I got bonked in the head by your evil icicle as soon as I came here, and now, you're bullying me with your ice bullets?! I shall duel with you!" Undine hissed out a thread, rubbing her red, swollen forehead as she hid behind Tisdale.

"Sure," Baiyi replied, impassioned. His hands were still onto tying the silky ribbon on Mia's hair.

"Hee hee hee! As if I would ever dare to do that, aye?" Undine's sly smile returned to her face again.

"Right, back to business. The dragon knights' price was too hefty, and they refused to work for a long term. We talked to them for a long time, but they only agreed to protect our travel once a month. And, well, anyone with a business acumen like you would know that if one travels through a trade route only once a year — can it still be called a trade route? So, we can't just shorten that route; we gotta expand it, too!"

"Hmph. Making multiple trips within a month, and then utilizing the aerial route every few days? That's money-making, alright. No wonder you wanted Attie's territory turned into a warehouse," Baiyi muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Baiyi's hands had just deftly finished tying up the purple ribbons onto Mia's braids, turning them into beautiful bows.

The little girl had assumed her adorable form once again. Baiyi carried the girl down from his lap and pinched her cheeks. "Thank you, Mr. Hope!" She exclaimed happily, grabbing the silver plate and looking at herself on it. "Wow! Mr. Hope is better in this than I ever can be! As a reward, I'm gonna wipe your armor clean!"

She dashed to the kitchen after making up her own suggestion. Vidomina, understanding the implication, took off after her, shouting, "Lemme help too, Mia!"

Undine watched the scene unfold, then she gave him a skeptical gaze. "You can now weave patterns with hair ribbons, too? Where did you even learn that? You did better than any girl I know, even…"

'Ha! Well, there is a Great Sage in the Void who would like to remain anonymous; she would always use the free time she had after studying and training to make new weaving patterns. Not only was she skillful at them, but she was also inventive! With her studious nature and her magic, she created so many styles; such as, "Blooming Flower", "Lazy Cat", "Big Bear", "Runic", and even "Tortoise shell"…'

'Of course, the poor woman had no one other than herself to admire her handicraft.'

Baiyi quickly returned to their original topic before the protagonist of his tale realized that he had been talking about her. "So, not only are you here to purchase more setpiece formations for the gliders, but you're also here to convince Attie to help your business? Wait... how is the situation with the Steppe Barbarians?"

"Thanks to you, it's in total chaos!" Undine chuckled lightly. "Their mightiest clans were dealt a damaging blow by you and the Alpine Barbarians, while the rest are too weak and uncharismatic to unite the others. Hence, now, everyone is basically fighting for their own clan's benefit now. Today, they are allies; tomorrow, they defeat other unions, and then the day after tomorrow, they betray each other. Oh man, there's no way they could form a unified power now!"

"Attie's clan is a different story, though. Thanks to your direct order, their territory was turned into an asylum in the steppe. Their lives are so relatively peaceful, some other clansmen would come seeking sanctuary and join them. Hence, after a while, they got pretty strong, too. As for those smaller, weaker tribes? They have all joined Attie's tribe. They even purchase weapons and resources from us using their herbs, minerals, and animal hides!" Undine was very excited as she recounted. "Three towns are on the way of being established! Ooh, that is why my trip to your place today is also about a negotiation with Miss Attie!"

'No wonder the girl had been excited to draw in as many partners as possible into this; the Northern Land and the Steppe together. This is a massive market right here, and one family can't possibly maximize it on their own. One would need help from others; nevertheless, the Doles just had to use their advantage as the pioneer to grab the juiciest part of the deal…'

"She's more suited to be a businesswoman than some Sword Saint, isn't she?" Baiyi said out loud in the Void. "Look at the speed at which her demeanor is changing! Previously, she desired to strip, hang, and whip 'Miss Attie', didn't she?"

"Hahaha! That's my girl! Our Dole gene is strong in this one!" The Merchant beamed proudly by his side. "Of course, Sir Hope, need I remind you that we probably should engage in money-making — a noble venture, shouldn't we?"

"That's debatable, but we can all discuss it later," Baiyi replied. The, he raised his voice, calling out to Attie. The Kitty Cat Maid had been preparing breakfast for everyone since she woke up early in the morning, and she had Nota the fairy by her side.

Attie obediently returned to Baiyi's side. She gave the Dole's heiress an anxious glance, and then she proceeded to give Baiyi a pleading look as he shook his elbow lightly. 'You're not selling me to her for her vengeance, right?'

"It goes like this," Baiyi said as he readjusted the girl's tilting cat-ear headband; it had been messed up because of her busy work in the kitchen. Afterward, Baiyi gave her a quick summary of the situation.

Attie was visibly relieved when she realized that she had not been sold; however, when she heard that the trading route and Baiyi's old command turning her territory into a haven that kept growing stronger in the steppe, she looked positively gratified.

'I knew it! Joining him was the right choice!' Attie thought to herself happily, with a sweet smile etched on her lips.

Undine picked up where Baiyi had left and started, "And, that is more or less everything about it, Miss Attie — or should I say, Your Highness. We still your help by..."

Although she said the sort of words one would use when asking for help, Undine's tone did not make her request sound as sincere and forgiving as one would hope. Instead, she sounded distant and almost skeptically chilly; a strong hint that Undine was still sore about the way she had been treated back in the steppe when the unified tribe was still under Attie's rule. It seemed that the only real reason why Undine was on her best behavior was because of the pragmatism of a businesswoman.

Attie did not seem to mind her, though. She nodded politely, replying calmly, "Miss Undine, I'm no longer the King of the Steppe, you know. I'm now only a mere servant girl for my Master. For your matter, you should probably ask our current chief."

'Oh, look at that loyalty!' Baiyi was moved by her words. 'Check out this amazing gift the War God had given me!'

Then again, Attie's tribe had become more powerful than they were when Baiyi last left them, while the other tribes were slowly destroying themselves or each other. With the skirmishes going on between other tribes, the establishment of the warehouse, and the aid and resources which the merchants were bound to supply in order to maintain the peace of their goods — will Attie's clan, the Chandra Clan, not grow more majestic in their bearing?

When that time comes, all Attie would have to do is to be a little coquettish and ask Baiyi for permission to play around with the War God's Sword — which Baiyi might just allow her to — wave the sword and return back to her people, and behold, the King will have returned! In fact, this time it would be different because she had been trained well by Baiyi himself; thus, her foundation would have become solid enough to really rule as a King…

Baiyi was startled at his own train of thought. 'Doesn't this just mean I've gotten nothing in the end? That it was just a big, big roundabout setup so that I can run errands for the War God on manners like Attie's education and the fortification of her rule?'

He could not help but try to verify that possibility. "Attie, your clan is getting stronger, huh? Do you wanna return to them? You can probably become King again!"

The girl's body jerked at the suggestion. Then, her gaze locked onto Baiyi's mask, and her eyes started to tear up and redden. The Soul Armature could see tears building up in them.

"M-Master? Y-y-you're kicking me out already?" Attie's voice was filled with the onset of a sob. "B-b-but, who's gonna make meals for Mia and the others? A-and who's gonna clean the house and the yard?"

"Naturally, it won't be easy on me, too," Baiyi pinched her cheeks lightly. "But, don't you wanna go home?"

"N-no I don't! I don't want to at all!" The girl bawled and buried her head into his embrace. Sobbing, she added, "I don't want to go anywhere, Master. This is my home, right by your side…"

She looked up at him, with her puffy cheeks and red eyes. Very quietly, and with a pleading tone, she said, "P-please don't kick me out, Master?"

Baiyi's heart melted at her action. As long as the girl was still by his side, he was sure everything was going to be fine.

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263 A Comparison Between Peers

Undine almost laughed out loud at Attie's antic. She was really beginning to wonder if this woman was even the same vixen who had ordered her men to hang her up in the tent for days.

Baiyi enjoyed this even more than the others. He patted Attie's head, feeling content, as Mia and Vidomina stood behind him with warm towels in their hands, cleaning his armor. Even his black cape had been taken off and was being washed clean by Laeticia.

If it was not for Undine's strong grip on Tisdale's shoulders, the girl would probably be rushing into his embrace, too!

Undine found herself feeling a little green at the scene and muttered, "Gosh, look at how much these little girls like him…"

"Well, in this case, I would write a letter in Attie's name to her clansmen, asking for their cooperation. Not sure how much that would help, though," Baiyi said, feeling relaxed.

At that time, Mia and Vidomina had finished cleaning his back. Both girls proceeded to lay on his thighs, with their face pushing into his chest. It looked a tad bit risque and suggestive, so Baiyi snatched the towels from them and said softly, "Go and have your breakfast. I can clean this part from here myself."

The fairy Nota brought in batches and batches of softly-baked cakes and golden-fried eggs atop trays to the family and the guest. Undine, the swordswoman-turned-businesswoman, enjoyed the hospitality and the student's cooking. As Undine ate, she mumbled between bites, "So, since we are talking about lowering the price of those glider sets…"

"Nope. You should be grateful that I'm not raising their prices!" Baiyi cut her off briskly.

"How could you do this to me!" Undine pulled her face down, looking as though she had been wronged. She shook Tisdale's shoulder and mumbled, "Help your sis out, please?"

The girl shook her head. "No! He'll spank me for that!"

"Hold on. You're the good girl model, aren't you? He actually spanked you?"

"Yes! And it hurts so much," Laeticia chimed in. "I didn't finish my assignment well enough that one time, and I got punished…"

Undine glared at Baiyi, who was watering his plant at a side, and said with a low voice, "Hey, how about a change of school? I know a place — an elite girl school for the upper-class ladies. I can get you guys there!"

They girls shook their head sideways without even considering her offer.

"Damn it. This guy is good at charming little girls!" Undine exclaimed. "Good thing I'm already a certified Adult Woman Who has Joined Society. I'm not that naive, ha!"

With all her matters taken care of, Undine was quick to excuse herself. As the heiress of the prestigious merchant family, she had always had a busy schedule. This was also the reason why she had to see Baiyi early in the morning, instead of a more normal time; every other time she had already been packed and planned with even more pressing issues.

Baiyi carried his little potted-plants outside as he sent her off.

"Oh, right! Almost forgot," Undine turned her head back at him after walking a few steps out of the door. "Is your gilder set formation... well, hard to imitate and crack-proof? To be honest, a few days ago, our gliders kept missing."

"You're welcome to find anyone to try." Baiyi did not seem to mind her news so much; he lined up the plants neatly in the yard, looking for the best spot for a good sunbath. Sunny, the sunflower, was dancing next to them, because, according to it, "it could help plants grow faster and stronger".

"Hmm, if you're this confident about that, I guess I have nothing to fear." Undine never had any doubt about Baiyi's skill, so she was easily convinced.

However, she still did not leave the house. Her two hands were fidgeting with the edge of her skirt, and her face reddened as if she was preparing for a confession.

"What's the matter? Anything else?" Baiyi asked without turning his head away from his new sprout.

"Well... That… That —" Undine's voice was very soft. "That guy in black who fought you before, has he not bothered you anymore after that? You snatched the War God's Sword from him. I don't think he's gonna let that go easily, right?"

'Why is this girl so obsessed with my alter ego?' Baiyi was bemused, but he replied, "Nope. Why? Do you miss him?"

"Miss him?! Miss that Stinky Bastard?!" Undine retorted. "It's… It's just that he saved my life, so I guess a proper thank you must be made… I never got the chance, though."

"I'm sure he knows of your sentiment."

"Oh, okay. I gotta jet now. Please be quick with those formations!" Undine replied softly before she dashed to a coach parked outside the yard.

"Sir Hope, come to think of it, isn't my junior here a very lucrative prospect, too?" The Merchant asked, with a quiet voice, from the Void. "She's beautiful, kind, and most importantly, she's got the funds — eh? H-hello, t-t-two most beautiful heroines — please, m-mercy. I was kidding, hahaha! Kidd —"

'What did he say to offend those two?' Baiyi thought curiously as the Merchant's voice trailed off. Baiyi stood straight after adjusting the pot, and then he spoke to the dancing sunflower, "This should be good for them, right? …Oh, that's great. Hey, take care of them well for me, please!"

Sunny flashed him a bright, assuring smile. The sunflower looked so wholesome and beautiful, until one remembered its original form and the manner by which it ate. 'Gods, suddenly this smile seems purely sinister.'

'Then again, the sunflower did say it could hear the thoughts of my plants — like their needs and wants. This makes Sunny the best caretaker for my precious flowers.'

"Does the issue of larceny concerning your gliders not occupy your mind at all, Sir Hope?" The Scholar suddenly asked.

"Should I even worry?" Baiyi replied quizzically. "I mean, you really think those fellas could decode my protective formations? Plus, I added Code 16035 on it, too. You do remember the joy and fun you had trying to solve that one for a loooong time, don't you?"

"You asinine rapscallion! That was no 'puzzle'; it was a crude, elaborative prank! A jab at all determined scholars!" The Scholar's voice was suddenly less friendly; it was as though she just remembered a humiliating defeat.

"That's quite a mischaracterization, though. By the time those sorcerers have spent their entire lives trying to understand the forbidden tricks and limits of Ancient Rohlserlian formations, in order to come up with a solution to decrypt my safeguards, the continents may already have shifted, right?" Baiyi chuckled.

In a noble's estate, donning the standard robes typical of the sages from the Doors of Conundrum, were three men with long white beards. They sat around a small table, and their expressions held similar grimaces.

"Are you sure? The three of you are the greatest masters in formations in this universe! Yet, seven days have passed, and you all..." said the man in an aristocratic attire. He was sitting across the table, opposite of the three elders, with a desperate frown on his face.

"My Lord, it is not that our own capabilities depreciated, but the guard used in this formation…." One of the old men trailed off, his face an acute picture of shame.

Before the three was a formation drawn on a parchment. It was taken down from a certain family's glider.

"Before the great master who set up this formation, we are nothing but apprentices," another elder added in grief. "This master's knowledge on formations and guards is far beyond our reach…"

"Please excuse our complete defeat," the last old man finished. With that, they stood up, preparing to leave.

"My Lord, we shall return the commission fees to you. We do, however, have a small favor to ask of you. Please grant that favor as pity for the amount of work we have put into your request, my Lord."

"Yes, we would like to request an audience with the master who created this formation. We would like to see who this unbelievable man is with our own eyes!"

"Agree. I even thought that the legendary Emperor of the Ancient Rohlserl Empire had returned!"

"At this time and age, Formations itself is a dying subject. For being able to study it so well to this level, we would very much like to be this man's disciples."

The nobleman's face darkened. He took a few deep breaths as words swirled around in his head. Then, finally, he opened his mouth. "My apologies, but the request will not be granted. I cannot breach a certain promise."

The three elders shook their heads in lamentation, but they did not ask anymore. Leaving behind a large sack full of coins, they turned away in shame.

After sending the elders off to their coach, the Earl hurried back into his estate. At a corner was his guestroom.

Three middle-aged men were sitting in the room; they all wore the standard robe of the Sorcerer Association.

They were a lot younger than the three elderly men, and they looked more relaxed, as well. One of them was fidgeting with the same parchment that the three sages had been working on previously, as he chatted with his companions.

"S-so, any result?" The Earl asked anxiously. "I am dying for some good news here!"

"Oh yes!" One of the sorcerers announced proudly. "We have contacted the headquarters. They said that it's easy to create runes with similar effects."

The Earl let a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face. "Good thing I have you competent sorcerers from the Sorcerer Association — unlike those nerds from the Doors of Conundrum. Now if the formation can be replicated into runes, I suppose the most difficult part of this over. Let us parley about the price…"

"Don't you worry, my Lord. We Sorcerers are economical," one of the sorcerers replied. "The cost of developing the runes is 20 million gold, and the runes that would be massively-produced after this? 5000 gold per set. The headquarters have agreed to this price, too! So, what do you say? Very affordable, right? It's the best price I can offer you!"

"You fucking bloodsuckers!" The Earl howled in rage, flipping his table in the process.

His spies in the Dole family had told him that the cost of the formation was a bloody 250 gold, but these greedy a**hats in front of him stole someone else's work, and then dared asked for a price 20 times higher than the cost his spies in the Dole Family reported!

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264 Is Master Hope An Animal?

A skirmish broke out in the crowded guestroom.

The Earl howled and barked, waving his arms wildly in the air as he decried the greed and shamelessness that the Sorcerer's Association had displayed. He was on the verge of punching them in the face, but the sorcerers calmly halted his acts with all kinds of magic.

Finally, an outstandingly courteous sorcerer patted the back of the Earl's head, asking in amusement, "Blown off all your steam yet, My Lord?"

"I. Do. Not. Accept. Such. A. Heinous. Extortion! No one would be fucking willing to accept this bloody extortion! I am going to sue all of you in the Sorcerer Association!" The Earl shrieked, but his body did not budge; he had been chained by the sorcerers' spell.

"You're joking, right? Suing the members of this Association over the price which the same Association has already accepted?" The same sorcerer replied scornfully, watching the fuming Earl like he was watching an idiot parading on the street.

The man finally calmed down at that realization. He shook his head in defeat and said, "This cooperation is over!"

"Oh, you're really giving up on it now?" That sorcerer raised his eyebrow. "I'll let you in on our plans: we have already filed a copyright request for the runes that we are gonna produce from this formation. With that, only organizations that obtain permission from the Sorcerer's Association can produce these runes. Other parties that use these runes and formations without permission, breaching copyright infringement laws, shall face horrifying consequences."

"From now on, this particular formation right here is registered right under the Sorcerer Association. What you have right here, you see, is already considered an unauthorized replica. You'll receive a notice shortly," another sorcerer, who was still playing around with the guiding formation parchment, added candidly.

"you...You!!!" The Earl could no longer form sentences in his mouth as fury filled his veins.

The sorcerer who had stood beside the Earl bent down, moving his mouth right next to Earl's ear. "A quick reminder? The sky has always belonged to the sorcerers. People like you should really learn not to be greedy; don't ever try to have a cake that was never yours."

Chuckling, the three sorcerers left the Earl lying on the cold floor, shaking.

Baiyi had no idea that his cake was just about to be stolen by some grubby fingers.

He was leisurely hopping in and out of magical vendor shops, purchasing raw materials for his guiding formation. Baiyi was only able to go out shopping because he entrusted his teaching sessions to his own teacher, The Archmage, who would teach the Elementary Formation Class in the form of the hammerhead shark plushie.

Being able to have the Sage Emperor of the Magi, as told in the legends, teach anyone was a royal, once-in-a-lifetime honor that no common man would ever have the luxury of experiencing. Back when the Ancient Empire of Rosherl existed, only sorcerers who were at least Legendary-level had a slim chance of attending his class; that was only if the Emperor even felt like giving classes. These fledglings had no idea how lucky they were.

Unfortunately, only Mia, Tisdale, and the other humans had seen the might of the Hammerhead Shark. The new flora-and-fauna students, however, did not seem to believe the capabilities of a mere plushie, especially because this was their first class. For instance, the kitsune even had the gall to try to bite the plushie with its mouth, and it became the first newcomer to experience the unique massage that only a feather duster could give.

When Baiyi returned home with his grocery bags packed, he was stunned to see his students all paying utmost attention in class. Nobody was daydreaming, and nobody was sleeping; everyone was paying complete concentration.

"Huh? I don't remember his class being this interesting! When he was teaching me back then, it was a torment of the mind and will, and it was especially grueling to fight off sleep. Has he finally change his approach?" Baiyi said to himself as he stood outside the room, which had been turned into a classroom, feeling curious.

Baiyi listened to the lecture a while and almost fell asleep himself. The Archmage had not changed his approach at all; and worse, now that he could not speak because he was in a plushie, he used his mana to scribble his words, lectures, and explanations in the air. His boring and complicated text was written all over each other, almost besieging one's eyes to roll over into the back of the socket. It was the perfect visual lullaby.

'So, how are these students managing to concentrate?' Baiyi still could not answer his own question. He stepped into the classroom and announced a recess of ten minutes.

The students, upon hearing this, let out a collective sigh of relief and immediately laid their heads on the desks. The owl even fell onto the desk with its legs pointing upwards, as though it had died long ago…

'Damn, all that concentration exhausted them, didn't it?' Baiyi thought as he took the plushie and sent the Archmage's consciousness back into the Void.

"Do you now see how it is done? Ha! Go ahead and give yourself a round of applause for choosing the best substitute teacher, aye? Did you see how focused your students were? They were even more focused than you were back then!" The Archmage beamed proudly.

When Baiyi had been trying to find a substitute teacher among the Voidwalkers, a few had volunteered; the Archmage, the Soul Armature Practitioner, the Explorer, the Sorcerer, the Scholar, and the Apprentice, naming only a few. Baiyi first rejected the offers from the Soul Armature Practitioner and the Explorer because he did not want his students to turn into beast-trainers or a gravedigger respectively. He also rejected the Sorcerer because that heretic would have probably taught his students how to cast Lumos while fighting with their fists…

In the end, when there were only three contestants remaining, Baiyi awarded the position to the Archmage; after all, the old geezer had the most experience; he was the man that Baiyi trusted the most, and he was the perfect choice for a class about formations. The Archmage practically invented formations! Choosing him should be no problem.

"Yep. I knew that choosing you would be no problem at all," Baiyi said, giving a little ego-boost to his teacher.

"Of-bloody-course, child! Because you are my student! Ahahahhahahah!"

Ignoring the guffawing old man, Baiyi approached Little Mia by her side. Seeing her rub her head, Baiyi caressed her hair quizzically, handing the plushie to her. "What's the matter? Don't you want Sharkie?"

"N-no! No Sharkie — !" She, surprisingly, cried out and raised both her hands, blocking off the plushie, as if she was guarding herself against a monster.

Baiyi maintained his awkward position and turned his attention inward.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing! Just what a teacher should do!" An indignant reply rang out.

After some interviews, Baiyi uncovered the truth; apparently, a class about formations had been forcefully altered into a Magical Resistance Training class. Next, every student who had the misfortune of being found spacing out or napping was subjected to the wrath of the plushie's magical attacks, ranging from electricity to ice to fire. There were no magical attacks considered too dangerous to be used in the name of discipline.

Thankfully, the Archmage was very deft in his magical manipulation, so his attacks were painfully effective; however, they were not so effective that it caused the students to really get hurt.

When Baiyi had gone out to shop for his materials, the classroom had been filled with cries and howls of fear and lamentation, causing the only two students who did not need to take the magic class to get goosebumps.

"And that was how you give classes?!"

"Is there something wrong with my content? Are you doubting my teaching capability? You may have my knowledge and technique, but you have not yet gained an understanding as deep as mine in formations! Do not be bested by your hubris, my student."

"Excuse me, but that wasn't what I was saying at all! I asked for the reason behind your physical punishments!" Baiyi retorted, a little hysterically.

"What? That's an issue? Don't you do that to them, too?" The Archmage replied, feeling puzzled. "I thought I was pretty reserved with the punishments. Back in the old days, if anyone were to be brave enough to drift off in my class, the punishment would be way worse than some second or third grade parlor tricks."

'That was why no one slept in your speech back then, huh?'

Baiyi had no words to his teacher anymore, so he turned to his fatigued and tormented students and announced, "My apologies, the Auto-Teaching Program in this plushie went haywire; I will adjust it as soon as possible! Please believe me when I say it won't happen again. Trust my professionalism, guys! I'm not those rated one-star teachers…"

Baiyi went on the declare the class dismissed, and the students loosened up later on after they had gotten some rest.

That night, when it was time for bed, Sharkie, the sleeping companion who had always been highly sought after by the girls, was lonely and wanted. Not even the original owner, Little Mia, wanted to rub on it.

That really made things awkward for Baiyi. In the end, he had to invite the Warrior to enter the plushie so that she may mend the broken bond…

This time, the plushie acted differently this time; it patted Mia's head gently, and it then rubbed her cheeks quietly. After some mother-daughter bonding session, Little Mia finally felt calmer, making evident the content she felt from the care. This made Mia decide that her Sharkie had returned to normal, so she went to sleep with it in her arms.

"Thank you so much for that help! You're a lifesaver," Baiyi said to the Warrior, who had just returned to the Void.

"As it should be." Came the calm and only reply, followed by silence.

'What a caring soul,' Baiyi thought to himself. For some reason, he felt a similar warmth that Mia did.

The next morning, Baiyi, who was immersed in his work on the guiding formation, sensed s new presence to his home. Suddenly, the morning's peace was disturbed by a long bout of forceful knocks.

"What's this? The water bill department?" Baiyi placed his work down, walked out of his lab and saw that the fox had already dashed to greet the guests.

Immediately, he heard a racket from an unfamiliar voice, "Gah! Master Hope is an animal? Owwww! not there, not there! Don't bite me!"

'Which idiots dared to infiltrate us?' Baiyi thought and approached the door.

He found Idiot #1, Undine, frantically trying to explain something to the fox. Furthermore, being squashed by the fox was Idiot #2, a nobleman, who was clad in high-class clothes.

It seemed that the annoyingly asinine comment had come from this nobleman, who was about to be ripped to pieces by the fox's fangs.

"Careful not to snap his neck too hard," Baiyi remarked steely and made to return to his room.

"Master Hope! S-Sorry! I was wrong! S-s-save me, please!"

After a while, a very depressed Undine and the embarrassed nobleman were sitting in the guestroom of Baiyi's home.

Baiyi studied their expressions and chuckled. "What's up? Did you come here so early in the morning just to call me an animal?"Where are the Earl's own people, knights, sorcerers, whatever? Gosh this Earl doesn't have his own security?Holy shit, the Archmage is one of those Professor Powerpoint!Aww! I mean, the Soul Armature Practitioner is one of those cinnamon buns in the Void! I don't even remember anyone else who's closer to wholesomeness than he is, probably except the Caveman? He's kinda burly and boorish, though; he would probably scare the kids.

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265 When It Comes To This, Everyone Can Reach A Consensus

The nobleman looked like he had just survived a hurricane. Even his apologies sounded frantic and terrified. When he finally got the chance to explain his own predicament, the nobleman was barely coherent or sensible. It was all thanks to Undine who acted as a semi-translator that Baiyi managed to understand his drivel.

This 30 years old nobleman was the young Earl Harold, whose title was apparently inherited. In the past, his family dealt in quarries and mineral exploitation, so his ancestors were quite well-off. After an unfortunate failure in expanding their business in a new realm, they lost a lot of fortune, and they lost their noble status as well. Right now, the family was not exactly poor, but they were very close…

It was fortunate that the family had pretty strong and good ties with some other families — such as the Doles. Undine found the nobleman and offered him a huge chance to restore his family status. He was to be one of the middlemen, and in order to invest into this, the Earl had salvaged every last ounce of money he could — the money he set aside for his wedding and funeral, for example — in an attempt to change his family's fate.

And, indeed, that was his primary goal. The Earl could not stand to see the Dole family dominate the ballpark, so he had plotted to snatch away the trump card from Undine's hand. He stole a few of the set formations of Baiyi's glider. Afterward, he summoned some people from the Doors of Conundrum and the Sorcerer Association to decode or replicate the formations.

And, of course, the rest was a tragedy.

Knowing he had been instrumental in a major fiasco, the Earl was understandably remorseful — especially because he had invested every penny of his money into this, and yet the business may not even work anymore. Everywhere else he looked to led to a bad end, so eventually, he confessed his vices to Undine, and that was how they both got to Baiyi's place to ask for help.

Baiyi was not very worried that his work had been stolen or bootlegged. Instead, he looked at Undine and asked, "I see! So, you dragged this treasonous bastard here so that I can take his life for ya? Well, to be honest, even if I wanted to, it will not be here. I've got my students' welfare to take care of!"

The Earl's knees went weak and buckled to the ground; he lowered his head and burst into tears.

"Uh. His family and mine have been partners forever, man. A friendship that lasted generations, or something like that, and apparently, our families have helped each other through a lot of hardships; so for the sake of my ancestors, my dad told me to let him off the hook this time," Undine replied snappily.

"Oh, I see? I thought it's because you like him." Baiyi grinned.

"As if anyone would be interested in a trash who can't even get anything right!" Undine cried furiously, kicking the kneeling Earl, making the latter hide in a corner.

"Aww, now what do we do?" After that display of violence, Undine reverted back to her pitiful little girl demeanor, sitting next to Baiyi and drawing herself close to him. She even mimicked Mia and the other girls' technique by shaking his shoulders.

"Master Hope, you kinda have to help us this time, you know? 'Cause if this business goes south, well, not only that will we not earn anything, you won't either. That's not good!"

"Please. You're an adult who has long since joined the society. Can you please cut the teenage girl act?" Baiyi remarked without mincing his words. "Show me the banning order that the Sorcerer Association issued."

Baiyi's usually would not even give the slightest crap to petty problems between merchants, but the Earl had bought the materials for Baiyi's formation — and even made a pile of the products already. Whatever it was, Baiyi was not keen to be beaten like that.

Plus, he was quite interested in having a little fun with the bold morons who dared to claim the Fifth Walker's possession as their own.

Undine produced a piece of paper and handed it to Baiyi. Then, she sat obediently beside him like a good girl, waiting for him to finish reading.

The piece of paper contained a ban notice. The ban was simple enough; the guiding program and the production of the glider's wing had been patented by the Association, so anything that worked similarly to the aforementioned would be classified as copyright infringement. These products would be banned. The rest was just a description of the runes and the functions of the patented products.

To have his guiding formation stolen was something Baiyi had expected; that was why he had placed encryptions on them. He just had not expected someone to copyright his plan, banning anyone else from making the same thing. He also had not expected the culprit to be a powerful, respectable organization like the Sorcerers Association. That was too low and despicable!

Baiyi considered a few ideas in his head for a while, then he said, "There's another force behind this. Have you guys investigated their motive?"

The Sorcerer Association was never an organization that needed money*; their services had always been in demand. Even if the air route was a lucrative business venture, it still would not be important enough for the Sorcerer Association to make such a despicable move. That was what hinted Baiyi that their might be other forces at play.

"We did, and it's bad. Looks like the Southern Duke is pulling the strings," Undine replied, feeling frustrated.

"Hmph! A vassal of the entire empire — interested in a small business between common merchants and lower aristocrats?" Baiyi remarked, feeling amused.

"Trust me, we didn't believe that either, but after a lot of investigation and follow-ups, everything just keeps leading back to the Duke. The only thing we don't know is if he himself had actually participated in this directly," Undine replied.

That was probably the reason why Undine was being so grumpy. This business was more than just the Dole's family venture — it was a mega-cooperation between merchants and the nobles. Although the size of both parties who were teaming up in this business venture was not small — seeing as the involvement of high-class members meant that this alliance was not gonna be a pushover — compared to that Southern Duke, the teaming parties were still at a huge disadvantage.

Who was the Southern Duke? He was none other than Link — the Duke of the South of the Empire. Like Duke Wright, who had his gruesome, decadent family incident exposed, Duke Link was one of the founding vassals. His territory was, as plainly reiterated, on the South. People group him with Northern Duke, Duke Wright, and call them the Twin Pillars of the Empire.

It was only recently that Duke Wright suffered from his curse which brought him ill health and made him abstain from politics, causing his political influence to wane. Because of that, the Southern Duke rose to fill the vacuum, making it seem as if he was the first admiral of the entire empire.

However, Baiyi had no idea how could someone could give these two such grand titles. One of them was a sexual deviant who enjoyed being cuckolded, while the other did not think it was contemptible to snatch meager business returns from common folks despite his own wealth. Twin pillars of the empire? More like two ends of the asshole spectrum!

"Looks like I still have to face dukes, huh?" Baiyi sighed.

Baiyi had been wondering if he really needed to get involved in this one, and honestly, he realized that he would have to; even though the troubles that came with a direct participation would be migraine-inducing, to say the least. Additionally, he naturally loathed political fights.

However, not helping seemed unwise. Not only that his profit would be eaten, but Undine could also probably get hurt.

Although Baiyi found himself inching towards lending his aid, he still thought he should ask the other Voidwalkers first.

"Ask us? Oh please, my student, what happened to that stubborn determination back in Gouve? Have you been softened by the tranquility of your current peaceful life?" The Archmage was the first to jump up, feeling quite displeased. He had been an emperor for the better part of his life, and so to him, all this hesitation was completely unwarranted.

"Must I remind you that you are my student, the Fifth Voidwalker, the agent of us all, and the heir to the throne of the Rohlserlian Empire! Is my heir seriously contemplating bowing his head before a mere Duke?"

'Oh, come on. Your empire went extinct long ago. Of all the awesome titles you just mentioned, none of them actually contain any substance…'

"I support your choice, as well as Sir Archmage's opinion," the Thane added. "Sir Hope, your attitude towards power and influence has been too meek to favor to our escape plan. You needn't ask us about this; after all, this is the best chance for you to show the world just how fierce and how much a leader you can be."

"Ha! If it were me, I would finish this with an assassination done with a cinematic flair!" The Hitman said, voicing his assent in a rather contrived way.

"I probably wouldn't get myself involved in this, but if you wanna do it, fine by me. Just don't go looking for pretty girls to woo again!" The Assassin's support speech was as teen-girlish as ever.

"For our future, you need to earn more money because I'm not very good at making money," the Warrior said calmly.

Even the Scholar, who had made a name for himself as the pacifist of the group, said, "In the grand scale of life, money is not the only fortune a man can recognize. Nevertheless, the respect that you and Sir Engineer deserve for your ingenuity must be acknowledged, even if the effort you placed in the construction was a bit negligible. Do not let larceny prevail. Ergo, I stand behind your decision, Sir Hope."

Baiyi did not even have to ask the Lich or the Devil at this point; those two were all about wrath and retribution, after all.

Wait — did the Voidwalkers just reach a similar conclusion?

Frankly, in the past, whenever the aristocrats or politics were involved, the Walkers were always been divided in their opinions. Now, this consensus that had been reached was quite novel, in comparison. Maybe it's because this time it involved their own profit, and suddenly, they became less "detached"?

'Looks like the Voidwalkers aren't a charitable bunch, either. '

With a unified consensus, Baiyi no longer had any reason to hesitate. He turned his focus back to reality and said to Earl Howard, who was still curled in a corner rubbing his waist, "Go to the mansion on this left side of this one and look for a butler. Tell him I'm looking for him."

Although Vidomina had effectively emancipated herself from her old family, Duke Wright still did not completely cut off his ties with her. Her army of maids no longer visited them every day or waited outside their gate every morning as they did before. However, they did not leave the neighborhood. They just occupied the house next door so that they could always come and serve their lady whenever she required them to.

It was obvious that the order came from the Duke; he still loved Vidomina, after all.

"You, go to my study upstairs and grab some papers. I'm gonna have to write some letters." Baiyi turned to Undine.

Then, after a hard soul-searching, Baiyi realized he almost forgot the most important matter. He summoned the big fox and said, "Go and carry Sunny over to the yard, so that it can water my plants."

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266 The Plot Thickens

The girls had not woken up from sleep. Baiyi wrote a letter using his mana, and when he was done, he passed it to the butler who had just arrived in a hurry. The man took it dutifully, then he tucked it safe between his coat and his shirt.

Before Baiyi left, the butler's ethos compelled him to ask, "Anything else I can do for you, Master Hope?"

The Soul Armature thought for a while. Then, he replied, "How about less meat in our groceries? I'm preventing them from getting too fat, you know?"

Upon hearing the unexpected request, the butler — whose default expression was of a professional, serious servant — twitched his eye. He nodded despite the discrepant expression on his face and left with the letter in his pocket.

Undine watched the butler depart with a curious expression on her face, and then she turned to face Baiyi, "You actually have a butler? How come I've never seen him before? He even looks so professional and haughty… It's like he serves a very high-class family or something."

Undine had no idea how close she was to the truth. Baiyi had not told her about Vidomina's true origin. Unlike other children of aristocrats, Vidomina herself did not display the characteristic flair and disposition used to show off; probably a result of living with the scholars in the Doors of Conundrum.

Thus, Undine thought that Vidomina was just another common girl from the streets who Baiyi had charmed somehow, and not a Duke's daughter.

"Oh right! So who was that letter for?" Undine asked curiously.

Undine had taken off her heels already so that she could kneel comfortably on the couch. She was leaning very closely to Baiyi, and because he was taller, Baiyi could easily see all the way into her top.

When a cold "hmph!" echoed from the void, Baiyi turned his eyes elsewhere, replying nonchalantly, "Just someone who could help us with this problem."

When Baiyi's eyes caught the heels that Undine had left scattered about, he grumbled, "Made yourself at home already, haven't you?"

"Oh, I wish this was my home! Or maybe… it can be! If you would marry me," Undine said, and her lips suddenly curled into a coy smile.

"Your timing for jokes is legendary," Baiyi replied, with a deadpan expression.

"Oh, you actually agreed to this! Ah, nothing will worry me ever again!" Undine cried out in blithe, making it seem as if her troubled expression was all just a show. She seemed to have really believed Baiyi…

"My dad once said that you're one of the most dependant fellas ever! With you around, every crisis would meet its end!"

"Oh, thank you so much for dumping all that faith in me," Baiyi replied sarcastically.

"But you can't say it's misplaced, can you? The Church has already told the world about your two massive achievements. Besides, who was the one who went to the steppe to save me, and helped pioneer our new trading route?" Undine said, moving even closer to him. "To me, you're as omnipotent as a god…"

Her legs, which were both clad in black silky stockings, closed up tightly, making it look as if she was nervous. She brought her head close to his helmet and whispered, "Mr. Hope, you sure you don't want to think about this? I wasn't joking, you know. A dependable man is irresistible to any woman…"

'Hmph! When did this little bird learn how to seduce people?' Baiyi had to stop himself from laughing. He did not even hesitate to give her a hard flick on the forehead.

"Please remember to blush next time, Miss Undine. That would make it more believable."

"Aww, I was serious about my words! Are you really not gonna consider my proposal? I don't look bad, and I'm very docile. You may be a Soul Armature with an unhealthy taste for younger girls, but I believe we can grow closer, too…" Undine rubbed the flicked spot on her forehead as she protested. She sounded upset, but she remained persistent, nonetheless.

Ever since this accident, the Doles' dependence on Baiyi had reached its zenith. It became more obvious that Baiyi was far more valuable than he had let himself on, so they wanted to rope him into their family before it was too late; the only method they had would be Undine herself!

At that moment, Undine herself wished she was seventeen or eighteen years old so that she could fit Master Hope's appetite; that way, she would be able to enjoy the additional boon of being able to act coquettish around him, just like how she had seen Mia, Tisdale, and the other girls do it.

'Pah! You guys only make these proposals because I'm a Soul Armature! If I were an actual man, with complete flesh and blood, would you dare to even propose this?' Baiyi lambasted their obvious ploy. 'Damn, no wonder the Dole family are capable of being merchants; they wanted to use a girl to tie a Voidwalker tied to them without the girl losing her chastity!'

Most importantly, Baiyi admitted that he once used to think that Undine was quite a looker, and maybe he could try going out with her; however, ever since he had that interaction with the Duchess… well, for a lady who adopted the same style that the Duchess did, Undine was a tad bit too unseasoned.

"Alright, alright. Enough with the banter. The kids are about to get up, and I gotta prep for our lessons." Baiyi could hear the girls moving about upstairs, prompting him to impatiently try sending Undine off.

"Huh? You've got class today?" She responded in bewilderment.

"Don't be so rash! 'Festina lente'—'make haste slowly'. Ever heard of that before? Go, shoo, bye!" Baiyi waved his hand.

'Festina lente? I have never heard of this before for sure. But "make haste slowly" sounds kinda meaningful, I guess…?' Undine pondered about the word of wisdom from another universe as she took the Earl with her and left.

For the rest of the day, Baiyi had not done anything concrete about the new issue. He was waiting for the action of the recipient of the letter.

Thus, while Baiyi waited, this time, he conducted his class by himself, without the assistance of a certain wayward plushie.

When it was time for recess, Baiyi approached the fairy, Nota, and asked, with concern, "So, how was my class? Was it alright?"

"It was exemplary! Very excellent! You're the best teacher I've ever met!" The fairy replied with a sweet grin that was very warm and calming. She added, "I thought you were gonna act the same as Mentor Sharkie yesterday…"

"Did he bully you yesterday?" Baiyi's reply was rapid.

"No! Oh, no," Nota said with a gentle voice, waving her hands. "Other students weren't that lucky, though, so I got… scared… too.."

As the class ended, Baiyi announced, "So that's all for today. Assignments are due before bedtime, and tomorrow, we're heading out for a practical class trip."

The students looked down at their heap of assignments, spanning different subjects and topics, and suddenly found themselves debating internally on whether the soul armature or the plushie was the real wolf in sheep clothing.

At that moment, in the southern part of the empire, where Mapleleaf Town sat, a large aristocratic estate sprawled. Servants carrying a large painting, which was wrapped in oilskin, entered a gilded, opulent study.

Duke Link sat in his study, watching the scene with interest. He eyed the Wright family's butler and asked, "That's all there is? A painting from your Master?"

"Yes. My Master's sentiment is in the gift," the butler, who looked more of a veteran than even Vidomina's butler, replied primly.

"Relay my gratitude to your Master, please." Duke Link nodded. Then, as if a thought had just crossed his mind, Duke Link asked pointedly, "How is the Duke doing with his recovery, hmm?"

"Your concern is much appreciated, My Lord. My Master is doing very well."

"Splendid! I look forward to visiting him in his home soon."

"We look forward to your visit, too," the butler said, bowing. "Now, please excuse me."

After he left, the Southern Duke ordered his servants to unwrap the gift, and the painting was fully unveiled. It was the painting of an obese man in a heavily-decorated garment, stuffing himself with food and drinks, putting off his neighbors at the table with his filthy demeanor. The fat knave, however, was ignorant of their disgust and was proud of himself, instead.

The painting had been made so vividly that the characters seemed to be at the verge of moving. The colors that were chosen and the way the portrait was drawn hinted that the artist was quite deft.

Duke Link recognized the painting quickly. It was the notable work of an ordinary artist, whose work, as the story went, generated much discourse among all wakes of society. The artist even earned himself a group of fans, but the artist died young in a carriage accident.

"Hmm hmm. You came back from the dead once, and you already think you are capable of fighting anyone?" Duke Link muttered to himself. "Trying to imply that I look bad when I eat?"

Duke Link waved his hand to summon his personal secretary; having the woman on his lap, he caressed her lean, curvy waist. "Have we ever touched old geezer Wright's belonging?"

The secretary moaned, and after composing herself, she replied, "No, My Lord. You said that he was your battle comrade; so in the spirit of camaraderie, you would not touch anything that was his before he died. We listened, My Lord, and steered clear of him."

"If that's the case, why would he send me such a painting?" Duke Link pointed at the gift, and his other hand exerted more strength into the caresses.

"Aah!" The secretary's moan was stronger. She furrowed her brows and thought hard. Then finally, she answered with uncertainty, "Could it have been related… to that aerial business?"

"'Aerial business'?" the Duke repeated the term in wonder. He was the highest man in the hierarchy, so one could not expect him to do everything himself. Most of the time, all he did was to give a general direction and guidance, while his subordinates carried them out.

In other words, he had no inkling that he had a hand in this commercial route.

After listening to his secretary's briefing, the Duke's brows wrung even tighter together.

"This is an interesting venture, but essentially, it's only about money. Why would Old Man Wright care? Is he trying to gain the favors of those filthy, pathetic barbarians? Would he even live long enough to reach that goal?" Duke Link asked in a voice filled with doubt.

More importantly, both he and Duke Wright both occupied positions so high they themselves no longer need to personally defend or create opportunities. They were dukes; they would wait for others to offer opportunities.

This particular incident was very odd indeed.

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267 Legally Defending Your Rights

Even after the Duke and his seductive secretary laid in the wakes of their aggressive cuddling, he still hadn't hit that eureka moment of why Duke Wright would be so mad at him for such a small business to the point of personally sending a derogatory painting.

Besides, judging by how his secretary had described it, he was beginning to have fewer reasons to believe that it had anything to him personally, and more like his name was being used as a cover-up for the interest of a few lesser nobles who just happened to suck up to him.

Regardless, the Southern Duke had ordered his secretary to investigate the case more thoroughly; If there was any clash of interest between his men and Duke Wright's, just let the old man have his day. After all, "He's dangerously close to the end of his mortality, which might fuel him with a kind of bravado that compels crazy behaviors. We really shouldn't attract his ire!"

Of course, whatever the Dukes were thinking had little influence on Baiyi's daily life. After the kids had gone to sleep, he sat silently in his room to mark their assignments. The errors had been pointed out with a circle, with the correct tips attached at the side. Then, as he grouped and calculated their total errata, he wrote their deserving punishment: "Feather Duster x3", or "Stand in a Corner (10 Minutes)", or "Copy The Correct Answer x3", or even "Cheek Pinch".

The next morning, he did as he had planned: he rounded up all of the students and gave them a briefing about what had transpired. The students' eyebrows were soon clumped together, upset at the injustice their mentor had suffered.

"Alright, so today, we're going on a practical class field trip. The name of this trip is —'How to defend your law-protected rights using legal means'. I'm going to teach you how to fight for justice, so that in the future, you may know how to do it yourself. For today's assignment, I would like all of you to write a reflection on this topic after our trip. But first, we shall depart to the Sorcerers Association building."

The students got up into a coach provided by the Wright family. Slight expressions crossed Vidomina's face as she recognized her family's transport, but she didn't act out any differently as she followed her friends.

Once they left their coach, Baiyi brought his freakshow-candidates students to the Sorcerers' Association building, enduring the fascinated fixations and gaze from the public.

They approached the front desk. As the receptionist eyed the bizarre posse, Baiyi turned to his students and said, "First lesson: As we are here to defend our legal rights, justice and legitimacy are on our side. Therefore, we may, and should, show strength and confidence in our pursuit of justice — like this."

He turned back to the receptionist. The order in his hand, he smacked it down onto the desk, and announced loudly, "I am here to file a suit against this ridiculous decision!"

His voice was strong enough to rise above the ding, so in a flash, everyone turned to watch him. In fact, he went a little too strong on their desk as it split into half and crashed onto the floor.

The young receptionist was barely holding her screams in.

The students were speechless. This… This is way too strong, okay?! Besides, even if Nota the fairy tried to scream at the edge of her lungs, she still wouldn't be able to reach Baiyi's volume.

"Dear Sir, please do not vandalize public property! We urge you to leave!" A man who looked like security had come hurrying forward with four mechanical magical marionettes — the standard, basic security measure of every Sorcerers Association building.

Even though the Church had been spreading stories of Baiyi's achievement vigorously, their method of making news viral was still nowhere as entertaining and eye-catching as the ones on Earth with its pictures, texts, and share buttons. So though everyone knew that Baiyi was a savior, they didn't know exactly how did the Soul Armature even look.

At the security's insistence of leaving, Baiyi turned back to his students calmly again, and said, "Alright. Lesson two: when push comes to shove, don't shun violence. Use it for self-defense!"

Then, a formation flashed in his fingertips.

Immediately, the security guard was locked onto the spot, unable to move, while the marionettes jerked like it was being shocked before clanging back onto the floor.

It's easy to imagine any remotely powerful sorcerer from using a binding spell on a mobile human, but what happened to the famously-known-as-reliable marionettes? Was that a sudden technical issue?

The bystanders had started talking among themselves by this point. This cantankerous Soul Armature just got a little bit more enigmatic…

"Huh?! How many years had this supply system been used? Goddamn it, this is just lazy! Even if these were low-class marionettes, they should have long changed into a more efficient system, come on! This generation of blacksmiths suck! " The Engineer cried out in lamentation from the Void.

These security marionettes were all produced by The Association of Blacksmiths, and as the former head and lead blacksmith of the association, The Engineer knew everything about these automatons. It was through his suggestion that Baiyi assessed the knowledge of their structure from his mind so that he could short-circuit their supply system using his mana.

That sounded theoretically easy, but it was a challenging feat. Not only must one understood the inner workings of a magical marionette, but they must also have an acute control of their mana.

In truth, if a sorcerer had already reached such a level, then they probably could eliminate them in an easier, less roundabout way. Baiyi chose this only to show a little more might.

He began again to his students, "The third lesson: since that our context is legality, we would need to know the law. For this particular example, we need to understand the laws that govern the Association. And according to their rules, if we would like to protest against an issue order, we would need to have a Master-level or above sorcerer within the Association to raise the issue before having it reviewed since I don't have any Master-level sorcerer friends…"

He turned back to the shell-shocked receptionist, "I would like to have a Power Level Examination, so please start on the procedures!"

"Y-yes s-s-sir," The receptionist stammered as she tried to find the required forms from the scattering and flying heap. "P-p-please fill this up first…"

Baiyi took the paper from her and started writing using his mana. At the same time, he said to his students, "Here's a small tip though: we should always remain polite and civil in our exchange. That way, everyone feels happy!"

The bystanders stood in gawking silence, as the same thought crossed all of their minds. 'Yes, very polite and civil indeed, sir.'

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268 Don“t Try To Recreate What“s Shown in This Chapter

Before more capable sorcerers could rush in and make things even messier, Baiyi finished filling the two forms handed to him, which he immediately handed over to the dazed receptionist.

Baiyi proceeded to ask, this time, in a more relaxed, humble tone, "If I am not mistaken, proper procedure dictates that I be given a Power Level Examination, first, before suing, right?"

"Er… Yes, that's the correct protocol," the secretary replied hesitantly. The Soul Armature may be savage, but he appeared to know the many rules of the Association very well. She realized she did not even need to clarify things for him, and this puzzled her even more.

She held back her astonishment and eyed the answers written down in the form. Then, with surprise evident in her voice, the secretary mumbled, "Hope?"

It was a very familiar name; one that the receptionist turned over in her head again and again, then suddenly, she froze. The realization had hit her so hard, she asked with a raised voice, "Hope? You can't be Master Hope, right?"

"It's quite a non-mainstream name, so I guess no one else has it..." Baiyi replied, revealing his identity in a roundabout way.

"Oh my gosh, it is Master Hope! Like the same one that the Church had been talking about! But why would someone like you acted so..."

She trailed off, failing to understand the attitude unbefitting of Baiyi's reputation, which he had just displayed. She hurriedly picked up the first paper that Baiyi had smacked onto the table, and broke it with; then, she saw the ban notice — the latest order coming from the headquarter's conference.

With Baiyi's identity being exposed, the bystanders began to murmur incessantly

"Master Hope… The same one the Church talked about? This can't be a fake, can it?"

"Well, right here's a Soul Armature who has a group of beautiful, adorable young girls; I'll say it's him alright. But he was quite… um, unruly? What could have made him so mad?"

"He mentioned a Power Level Examination, right? And 'filing a suit, too, right'? Did he suffer any injustice?"

"Dude, that's like, so possible! 'Cause, you know, those sorcerers are wolves in sheep clothing, right? They gobble you up right to the bones. They can do anything just for themselves…"

As the crowd found their interests piqued, they discussed the events that had just occurred, and while they were doing so, the real deal finally arrived, albeit tardily.

A high-level, manager badge was pinned on the robes of the young man who had just arrived. He shoved the onlookers aside to inspect the scene. He eyed the frozen security guard, glared at the short-circuited marionettes, and finally, he set his eyes on the intruder.

The young man had to suppress his emotions just so that his face does not betray the rage that he was feeling. He said, trying to conceal his real emotion, "Master Hope! I believe you have a misunderstanding regarding our Association."

"Oh, no, no misunderstanding, mister. I'm only here to play my role in the procedures," Baiyi replied calmly, raising his helm slightly higher, making it seem as if the manager was nothing to him. The young sorcerer looked polite on the surface, but his sulkiness and contempt were evident from his manners; everyone on the scene could hear that icy tone underneath his feigned politeness.

"Be quick with your job!" The manager turned to the receptionist. She nodded, and seeing as her own desk had been destroyed, she had to move to the desk next to hers to process Baiyi's forms.

"Master Hope, there are too many bystanders here. Shall we change venues for our discussion?" The manager turned to the Soul Armature.

Baiyi ignored him; instead, he looked at his students and said, "Here's my fourth lesson: when there is an injustice, let as many people as you can know about it. Solve your matter in a transparent way so that you can avoid being exploited by unwritten rules and hidden players. Most powerful organizations are the same; they will exploit the people, and they will do so without caring a whit about your welfare. The only potent weapon you wield is the mass's opinion. Always remember that."

After his speech, Baiyi turned back to the manager's increasingly darkening expression and calmly said, "I understand your sentiment, but I'll stay right here."

If it was not for the glaring unbridgeable gap between their power levels, the young and furious manager would have been compelled to hurl a punch at the soul armature. The Fifth Walker's speech had already gotten the crowd of spectators discussing amongst themselves. However, the spectators echoed his sentiments.

A consensus was starting to form.

Baiyi appeared unaffected, however, as he beckoned his students over to sit on a bench and wait. He began to play with Little Mia, poking her cheeks with one hand and using the other to grip her braid hard, all the while watching Mia's reaction gleefully.

At that moment, the manager appeared even more furious. His tone suddenly turned really hostile, making his next words sound like a threat, "Fine, then. If Master Hope wouldn't mind waiting for the procedures, then it suits me just right. However, lemme remind you that these procedures are usually very slow, so I hope you are famed for your patience."

The Fifth Walker may enjoy a solid and widespread reputation, but it was ultimately spread by the Church; an organization which may not be able to easily control the opinions of some other organizations. For example, the Sorcerer Association was never convinced by the stories of Baiyi's heroics which were spread by the Church. Their dismissal was mostly due to the self-important ego most sorcerers possessed, particularly because they had enjoyed high statuses in the society for so long, and partially because the man that the Church revered was nothing but a soul armature. They also had the implicit knowledge that the Church had a habit of exaggerating feats and stories.

Frankly, when Baiyi had achieved his heroic feats, the Association themselves conducted their own internal meetings, forming a unified opinion of their own; they concluded that Baiyi was most likely just a mediocre sorcerer. "I could do the same, or even better!" was the general consensus among them; furthermore, did he not say he was just lucky enough to be present when the Godsfall cultists fought among themselves?

Besides, jealousy and a resentment for their own lack of little girl companions had made their opinion of Baiyi even sourer, and thus, Baiyi's best feats were regarded as unimpressive by the sorcerers here. In fact, because Baiyi always used formations for his magic, some of the sorcerers had secretly called him a stubborn, close-minded old fart who would soon be replaced by new zeitgeists.

If one got to know the Association's opinions of Baiyi, they would not be surprised at the attitude that the young sorcerer was currently giving to him.

For his reply to the young manager's threat, Baiyi turned to his students and said, "Important side-note: in the process of defending justice, we easily meet some people who serve as nothing but a hindrance due to their ignorance, stupidity, and pride in being imbeciles. The less they know, the haughtier they become; in the future, when you have to interact with them, remember to ignore them calmly. You may be proud and confident, but you shouldn't forget basic humility. Don't become one of them."

The young sorcerer's fury was kicked into overdrive; this man had just used him as a scapegoat to reprimand some other kind of people! The young sorcerer was so furious, he laughed bitterly.

He nodded at Baiyi silently, then turned his head away and left.

"He looked like he was about to explode," Tisdale said, watching the man storm off. "Sir, are you sure they aren't going to do whatever they can to delay your procedure? I know we have enough funds at home, but…"

"Well, this cuts right into my fifth point: a single man going against a gigantic organization is quite an unfair fight, right? They might even try to ignore your voice. At that moment, it's pertinent that you use your influence and your relevance to your advantage. If you're one of the quieter ones, find yourself some powerful friends; if you don't have such friends, find people who are getting as equally maltreated as you are. Seeing as there is strength in unity, there is never an acceptable/reason to turn a blind eye," Baiyi explained patiently.

"Fortunately, I'm not exactly some unknown schmuck that those arrogant bastards in the Association could wave away. However, there are many others who are smart and capable in an organization such as this, so we don't have to worry so much."

As if to prove his point, the young manager returned to them with an even more tempestuous mien — aided by the visible handprint on his face.

Nevertheless, the young manager had to force himself to sound hospitable, saying, "Master Hope, our division leader would like to see you in his office."

Baiyi ignored him again and turned to the students. "Remember the sixth point: we are the victims, and truth and justice are on our side. We need to stay strong and indignant from the start to the end, even when they are trying to negotiate with us. We need to be proactive."

After a while, a chubby sorcerer was standing before Master Hope.

He greeted the soul armature with genuine hospitality. "Master Hope! I am the branch leader of this building, Joe. My friends call me Fat Joe. Now, if you'd like, let us talk things out and smooth any misunderstanding, yea?"

Baiyi nodded and finally stood up from his bench. He turned to his students again and said, "And here it is. The last point: everything has gotta have a limit. Always know to walk the middle ground."

"Yes!" The fat man clapped his hands in agreement. "'Middle ground'... such an important life lesson that one can never truly master. Master Hope's lectures truly trigger the cogs of mind. I'm gratified for being able to listen to one of them."

"Please, follow me." The fat man gestured.

Baiyi and his posse obliged, following the branch manager to the high-level, personnel-only area where the latter's office was situated. As they walked onward, they passed by a few of those short-circuited marionettes. A few sorcerers, whose daily work responsibilities included smoothing out the processes within the Association, were already bending over to examine the unresponsive automatons.

Seeing how perplexed and powerless they looked, Baiyi snapped his finger blithely, and the marionettes immediately snapped back into action, standing up on their own with "Krupp! Krupp!" mechanical sounds.

"If I'm not mistaken, Sir Hope, you jammed the energy supply within the magical marionettes using your own mana, right?" Fat Joe whispered. "That's very masterful. If the Blacksmiths knew about this, oh — who could imagine their expression!"

Baiyi did not refute nor affirm the man's claim. In fact, he was not exactly surprised that the fat man could discern his method because despite being only Master-level, Fat Joe had managed to be a branch leader, implying that he may possess other valuable skills. Perhaps he was more knowledgeable than he looked.

After they entered Fat Joe's humbly-decorated office, the branch leader ordered his subordinates to bring some food and drinks for the guests.

Then, he studied the big fox and the owl with interest and exclaimed, "As expected of the Doors of Conundrum! They honor the scholastic potential in anyone."

'Hmph, he's pretty good.' Baiyi had his own discovery. Out of everyone who had seen his flora-and-fauna-themed students, only this man and the butler from the Wright family were able to tell that these non-humans were students and not his pets. Everyone else, including the bystanders who had witnessed Baiyi's exchange in the front desk, had thought that Baiyi was just bringing his pets along. Some even went so much as to comment on the "dog's beautiful fur" and its "beautiful tail".

"My ignorant nephew had caused a huge rift just now, so please accept my apology." Fat Joe changed the topic as he sat on his chair.

He grabbed two pieces of papers and added, "Your applications have been received. The Power-level Examination is being arranged, but this suit against the ban — well, I have contacted the headquarters. There are still a few parts that we aren't very sure about…"

Baiyi showed him a parchment with the glider's guiding formation inscribed on it. "This is something I created a few months ago. I know it's just a little trick, but it's still my trick."

He added, "Its effects are exactly the same as the effects of what was described in the copyright ban, and as for when it was made, I'm sure you can tell."

The formation that Baiyi had presented was not one of his recently produced designs, but the old one that Undine had sent over to him. The mana that had been used to inscribe the text on the parchment had faded long ago — a solid evidence supporting Baiyi's claim.

As the formation was already encrypted with his magical safeguard, Baiyi casually folded the parchment into a paper plane to showcase his formation's function.

After hardening the paper plane with his magic, Baiyi drew an End Terminal Formation on the branch leader's table, then he handed the paper plane to the branch leader.

Fat Joe doubtfully hurled the paper plane into the air without aiming at a particular direction. The paper plane soared around in the air for a while, then it slowly returned to the table, docking exactly on top of the End-Terminal Formation.

The fat man unfolded the plane back into a parchment and studied the formation. His brows furrowed, and he asked quizzically, "Its function is exactly as you said, and according to the age of the mana you used to inscribe this, it was clearly used before the ban was issued. However, we ourselves checked with our copyright repository before issuing our copyright, and we didn't find any previous registry. In fact, from the looks of your confusing magical safeguard that blocks anyone from decrypting your work, this shows that you do not want others to claim it as theirs, either… So Master Hope, why didn't you register the copyright yourself?"

'Because dealing with you people is so annoying!' Baiyi replied his real answer in his mind, but outwardly, he explained very seriously, "I don't mind if others managed to achieve the same function using other methods or magic. So similarly, I don't want others to prohibit me from using it, too!"

"This is unfairrrrr!" Baiyi knocked on the table hard, stressing the word "fair". "That's why I came back — to get justice."Reminded me of those skinship, face-touching mini-games...

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269 The Babel Tower and the City in the Clouds

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.

"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.Oh, by now all of us should already know that a person's twitter means jackshit about their actual capability or their intellect, aye? /grits teeth/

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270 An Unexpectedly Smooth Success

Every large government-approved organization was required to have at least one or two opulent, monumental architectural wonders as their headquarters. For example, the Warriors' Association had the Hall of Fame and Valiance; the Alchemist's Association had the Titan's Core; the Doors of Conundrum had its prized Illimitable Library, and the Church's headquarter was the Temple of Auguries. However, the Sorcerer's Association's Babel Tower and Cloud City were, without question, the most beautiful and majestic of them all.

It takes approximately three thousand years to build architecture as spectacular as the Babel Tower and Cloud City. In both structures, construction and upgrading works were still being carried out consistently, till this very day; both structures were the products of the pride and brilliance of many over the years. Both the Babel Tower in front of them and the Cloud City located at the peak were perfect examples of 'exceeding the constraint of physics by using magic'. Not only were both structures the pride and joy of wizards, but they are also seen by some as a divine embodiment of architecture.

To Baiyi, a self-proclaimed sorcerer, pride never filled his heart whenever he set his eyes on the Babel Tower. This was probably the reason why he was summoned to the Sorcerer's Association. Anyone else would have been overwhelmed with awe and respect when they stood in front of this divine architecture; even a catfight would be instantly resolved in a reserved manner.

Speaking of which, the only glaring flaw that this monumental marvel had was the quote on the Sorcerer Association's emblem, which had been written through runes and formations. Baiyi felt awkward whenever the sentence was uttered; it made him feel unbearably embarrassed.

"How does it feel to have something you said years ago framed and hung up nicely on the wall?" Baiyi could not help but interview the Voidwalker responsible.

"Why thank you!" the Archmage replied sourly. "At least they're more respectful than a brat like you; hmph."

As the first-ever Demigod-ranked sorcerer in history, the Archmage made a profound impact in history, even though the usage of ancient Rohserlian magic was now almost never seen. Of course, these present-day sorcerers would still revere the very quote uttered by the Sage-Emperor of the Magi — who was the most esteemed sorcerer of all time — in their emblem.

Unfortunately, there were not many present-day sorcerers left who were willing to invest their time in studying the profoundly difficult ancient Rohserlian magic.

Finding the plight of his Master slightly relatable, Baiyi and his students followed Fat Joe into the Babel Tower. They boarded a hover-disc, whose fan was powered by magic, and flew up to the higher levels of the Tower. Along the way, they encountered many other hover-discs traveling up and down through the structure, and they caught sight of busy sorcerers in different levels of the tower. These levels were illuminated by light emanating from the many security enchantments that had been placed in them. The scenery could make anyone feel as though they were in a sci-fi movie.

"The lower levels here are primarily in charge of the daily domestic affairs of the zone and the trade market, so they almost always look lively and vibrant. The middle levels are assigned to magical workshops and practice academies, so it is slightly quieter. The higher levels are for important individuals," Fat Joe explained as the hover-disc gained more altitude. He was the dedicated tour guide of the day, proudly introducing everything in sight to his guests.

When the hover-disk arrived at its destination, the group could see white clouds outside the windows on the wall.

"We're already so high up?" Mia asked with slight disbelief.

"The interior of this tower has been engraved with a unique spatial rune, constructing a simple spatial shaft through it. The hover-disc underneath our feet just went through this shaft. It is the same as going through a special portal. All these, however, are very finely detailed; you wouldn't have felt much of it if you didn't pay close attention. You would even think that we're gaining attitude in a normal manner," Baiyi caressed her little head while he gave a simple description of the Tower's internal structure.

The entire Babel tower was designed elaborately. If one looked at the tower from a broader perspective, it was like a huge, elaborately-designed enchantment; every single detail and line of the tower had its own unique function.

Fat Joe, who had been interrupted by Baiyi earlier, gave a hearty laugh. "I was about to give this adorable girl here a little explanation; I didn't think that you, Sir Hope, would have such a deep understanding of this place. Alright, let's get moving; the Vice President awaits."

He led them into an elaborately-decorated study. A man who seemed to be in his thirties was already seated in there, welcoming them in with a gentle smile. The energy vibrations emanating from his body made Baiyi quiver slightly. Holy Level!

"Welcome to the Babel Tower," the man greeted in a jolly manner. "My name is Grant. What a serendipitous meeting this is, Sir Hope."

"Ah, a serendipitous meeting indeed, Master Grant," Baiyi replied politely. This young vice president was the first person Baiyi had met, since he descended, who emitted this amount of power; he could not even tell the Vice President's real age.

"Please be seated, everybody," Grant hailed for everybody's attention. With a snap of his fingers, a tea-set and a variety of pastry flew out from the closet in the corner — as if they had wings of their own — and immediately, the teapot started to fill up the cups with hot tea. These were all plain magic.

"Interesting," commented Baiyi with an impressed nod. It was the first time he had witnessed magic like this. It was not too complicated, but it was certainly designed with the intention to impress; its success clearly evident from the girls' cheer of excitement.

"Just a little something I invented for fun; it's called 'Magic Maid'," Grant mused in a jovial manner.

"I don't think anyone's going to snatch that copyright from you," Baiyi replied half-seriously.

"You are quite amusing, Sir Hope," the Vice President mused ambiguously, being vague on whether he had spoken in jest or with sarcasm. Grant lowered his gaze and grabbed a document on his desk. "Well, now, on to business. The organization has sent me here to deal with this matter because I voted for this ban to be passed; you wouldn't blame me, would you?"

"I am only hoping for a happy ending for both sides," Baiyi replied diplomatically.

"We have already started investigating this matter. The copyright for this guiding spell was actually made by a manager and some of the Association's R&D staffs. According to them, they were invited by an earl named Harold – but after a failed negotiation on the price, their partnership came to an end, and this magic was patented by the sorcerers, instead." The Vice President flipped through the pages of the document, examining its contents. "However, they did not say that there was a similar formation already existing on the market. From the looks of it, this seemed like a blunder in the system, resulting in this misunderstanding."

"To you, it might be just a simple misunderstanding, but it didn't seem that way to me, at all. According to Harold's statement, your people only started the imitation process after discerning the effects of my formation," said Baiyi. He slid a piece of parchment, which had been folded into a paper airplane, across the table.

The Vice President scrutinized the parchment before him, his eyebrows crinkling slightly. "The ban mentioned in here… really... I do have quite the knowledge in formations, but I admit that I can't get anything out of this. It seems like if the guard is forcefully destroyed, the formation on the parchment would be destroyed as well... hmm. From the traces of magic left over, it does seem that it has been present on this parchment for quite some time already," Grant said as he finally raised his head, putting down the piece of parchment. "We could accept your application, and in the meantime, we should call for a public hearing session to publicly discuss this matter. However, the hearing would require the approval of the higher-ups, which can only be sought during the next joint conference; you'll need to be patient."

"Please be assured that this will not take long. You, Sir Hope, are an idol adored by the masses, thanks to the Church; you are a hero who has been rewarded handsomely by the king himself. This matter, we will settle it in the quickest time possible. I will bring this up at the next meeting."

"Well, regarding the patent ban that was issued, then..." Baiyi started.

"Due to the ongoing legal battle between opposing parties, this ban would be put on hold until further notice," the Vice President explained courteously.

Baiyi was temporarily satisfied with this method of management. In his eyes, it was a satisfactory conclusion that could be considered a smooth success. Aside from the time when Baiyi had caused a little ruckus, the process had gone smoother than he expected. Both the resolution and the efficiency in reaching said resolution was top-notch enough to showcase the Association's sincerity in being cooperative. Baiyi had been prepared to raise hell if he did not get his way, but that was no longer required.

Since there was nothing left to discuss, Baiyi no longer had any reason to disturb the Vice President any further. As he prepared to leave — while nursing the thought of taking his students for a short tour around the city before returning home — the Vice President interrupted his thoughts with another question.

"I heard that you applied for a Power Level Examination in Aspen City, Sir Hope?"

"That's true. Branch Leader Joe did help me quite a bit, that is why the application was approved so soon; or else, my application would not be delivered here to you, as according to the rules," replied Baiyi.

"You must be Joking, Sir Hope... your powers exceed those of a Master's; even I cannot gauge the level of your true power, so how in the world could we not approve your application? However, since you're already here, do you want to undergo the next phase of the Power Level Examination? Perhaps I could help make arrangements for a session for you and your students," the Vice President offered kindly.

According to the rules of the Sorcerer's Association, any Power Level Examination for Master ranks and above could only be conducted in the Babel Tower itself. This examination would be longer and more troublesome. There was also quite a number of sorcerers waiting to be tested, and amongst them, there was no shortage of low-leveled amateurs who applied for the examination just for the heck of it.

This did not mean that no one was interested in the hierarchical acknowledgment earned from the examinations; after all, an official certificate from the sorcerer's association was quite useful, seeing as they worked just like the professional certificates on Earth. Hence, the Vice President's offer was not completely unappealing.

Coincidentally, Baiyi never paid much attention to such power rankings. If it was not for business purposes, he would not even bother getting acknowledged and certified. Hence, Baiyi thanked the Vice President for his kind intentions and declined, informing the Vice President that he would take his students to tour around the city, instead.

"Ah, well, this is quite a pity..." the Vice President's voice revealed the slightest hint of disappointment.

It was clear that he was extremely interested in witnessing Baiyi's true potential given the opportunity…

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271 This Place Is Not Exactly As You’d Imagined

Sorcerers were arrogant by nature.

It was no different if the sorcerer in question was a mere apprentice or a demigod-level sorcerer. Baiyi and his teacher were notable for being proud; even the manager back in Arfin City had mirrored the arrogance which was characteristic of sorcerers. Therefore, why would the branch leader of the headquarter be any different?

However, Vice President Grant was different. He had been very humble and cordial all through their short time meeting of each other, leaving Baiyi almost feeling lost. Baiyi originally intended to create a scene — and at that moment, he felt like he had polished his knuckles for nothing.

'Does the Church's reputation machine really work this well? Gods, I'm not even from the Church… not exactly!' Baiyi thought in wonder.

Not that he was complaining, though; after all, this marked a perfect end to the issue, serving as a great end to the day's civic and civil rights class, as well. Besides, the branch leader was obviously trying to make peace, and Baiyi appreciated his sentiment; he would not want to think bad of the Association, either.

'After a nice tour around the Cloud City, today's class will be officially over!' Baiyi made a decision and beckoned the students over so that they would get on a hoverdisc; their destination was the highest level of the Babel Tower.

This time, unlike their previous trips, as the hoverdisc soared upwards, the students watched themselves being brought into pale blue light, and gradually, the scenery was displaced by a blinding white light for a second.

When the white light faded, they saw the city once again, but it was now way below their feet.

The city was a magnificent wonder in its own right. Clouds permeated the city gracefully and gently, while opulent and gilded buildings embroidered the scenic landscape like jewelry on fabric. Between the buildings were patches of tranquil woods, shrubs of delicate flowers, and mesmerizing ponds. From the sky above, the city looked extremely beautiful and mesmerizing.

"It's gorgeous…" Mia breathed, her hand unconsciously holding Baiyi's. "If I could stay in a city this beautiful, I would be so happy…"

Nota, the fairy, also expressed her astonishment. "I agree! This city and nature have become one. Such harmony and bliss! I would love to stay here, too…"

"Cough! Cough!" Baiyi almost choked on his own awkward coughs when he heard their comments, but he collected himself quick enough. "Um, let's have a little history lesson, shall we?"

"According to a legend of unknown sources, this Cloud City was created after the then-president of the Sorcerer Association visited Gouve. Mesmerized by the beauty of Gouve's marvelous floating islands, the president of the Sorcerer Association wanted to replicate the same scene in Isythre, so he forcefully lifted a small island, using a gigantic levitation spell, into the sky…"

The area of Cloud City was not exactly big enough for it to be called a city, seeing as it was comparable in size to the smallest Gouvian floating island. Calling Cloud City "The Town in the Clouds" was more realistic.

There was a glaring difference between islands lifted by manual spells and islands lifted by natural laws. Needless to say, the amount of power required to lift an island depended on the size of the island.

As Baiyi continued the lesson, their hoverdisc landed on a lush green field. Baiyi beckoned the students over, and they continue their walk to a nearby city while he continued his history and geography class.

"Originally, they wanted to turn the city into the Association's headquarters, but eventually, they decided against that for many reasons; instead, they opted to use the functionally-supportive Babel Tower," Baiyi explained.

The city's size and some other unknown issues were the reasons why the Association chose not to use Cloud City as its headquarters. The headquarters of such a prestigious Association could not possibly just own a row of cubicles and a conference room, and call it a day; they needed infrastructures such as magical workshops, training grounds, coaching facilities for ranking improvement, warehouses, sorcerers' residential areas, and the likes. It would be have been too crowded if they tried to squeeze everything into a town, so they used the tower's characteristic level-stacking feature for their planned infrastructure.

Besides, if Cloud City had been made the headquarters, a lot of people would have to run errands within the Sorcerer Association. The influx of people would have easily torn down the picturesque scenery with the sort of chaos that a swarm of people always seem to bring about.

In short, all confounding factors supported the Association's decision to use somewhere else as their headquarters; but then, what would they do with their new floating island?

They conferred among each other and considered making the island a high-class residential area for elite sorcerers — like Beverly Hills back on Earth.

However, the sorcerers quickly found out that it was not a good plan. For the Cloud City to function, they would need a large budget, seeing as the levitation formation, the wind-shielding barriers, and the thermal barriers — as well as every other large-scale spell — all required resources, making the spells seem like hungry hippos. Thus, renting the floating island out to the elite sorcerers began to seem like a very unsustainable idea in the eyes of the Association.

As a result of their indecision, Cloud City began to experience a sort of existential crisis.

In the end, the sorcerers of the Association had to swallow their pride; they ventured out into the market and acted as estate agents. They sold pieces of land and properties, for insane prices, to the billionaires and aristocrats, who were scratching their heads thinking of ways to dispose of the mountains of money they had made; thus, every month, the Association earned a hefty amount of "management fees" from the very same buyers. Just like that, the cost of operating the island was covered, leaving enough surplus to be called as extra earnings.

From the Apprentice's memory, Baiyi realized that each mansion or estate was sold in auctions, with prices so high that a poor teaching instructor would not be able to afford them — so the Apprentice had not asked for the exact amount. In the end, this part of the empire had become a haven for the richest of the rich in all of Walthart Empire. If someone owned a key that opened a small window of a mansion situated in the Cloud City, that alone would be enough to show off for a long, long time.

"The real reason people bought houses here was not for the fame, but for a pragmatic purpose: this is the Association's area, after all," Baiyi pointed out.

This meant that even if the Empire fell, the Association would always remain; that perpetuity gave people confidence, making them regard the Association protectors and providers of asylums. In a war, if aristocrats make the wrong bet by siding with the losing party, and thus suffer heavy damage, their home in Cloud City would still be safe. When the war ends, the unlucky nobles could just sell off their house in Cloud City, obtaining enough money to rest in relative ease.

Hence, most of the people that bought properties in Cloud City were royals, members of the imperial families, and dukes.

"I remember the Association offering me a deal when they first started selling the properties on Cloud City. It was much cheaper back then; 30 million gold coins only," the Thane Walker suddenly spoke morosely in the Void.

"Did you accept?" someone else in the Void asked.

"I was tempted, but in the end, I used the same amount of money to buy good horses," Thane Walker replied, a bit ruefully. "But, then again, perhaps it was for the best. The Association had always been too cozy with the Church for my liking. I believed that my head was already safe, and it would not be any safer if I bought a safe house here."

Poor Thane. The Church was ready to pay the highest amount in its history for the Thane's severed head. 'The Blood-drinking Tyrant', 'The Devil Duke'; he not only had to bear these infamous titles, but he also had to bear the burden of Church's hatred.

The Thane was from a time terrorized by wars. The reagent had lost all forms of governing power, and those who commanded enough power and influence ravaged the Southern Land for themselves, crowning themselves kings. When times were chaotic, many eventually succumbed to violence and madness. The inner demons of a massive amount of rogue soldiers compelled them to focus their greed#filled eyes on the peaceful Holy City of Canningham.

Their reason was cruelly simple: they needed money to expand their power.

The Holy City's backup and reinforcements had already been tasked with defending the churches and cathedrals of different areas. It was impossible for them to return on time to protect the Holy City; hence, the Holy City could only ask for help from their neighbor — the Thane.

However, the Thane denied their request for help; he feared that if his own men left his territory, the rogue army would change its course and massacre his own people, instead. Even If he divided his forces and tasked them with protecting two places, they would not be enough; he was not strong enough to protect both places at the same time.

Thus, the Thane chose his own place and people above the Holy City. As a result of that decision, a fire ravaged Canningham for three days and three nights. The lives of millions of unarmed, harmless devotees were trampled by the rogue army.

Perhaps the Thane was being selfish, or maybe he was being heartless. When the wars finally stopped, reflections and finger-pointing began; the Church branded him a representative of evil in an attempt to shift the blame from themselves.

Baiyi disagreed, of course. A priority of leaders would always be their own people. It would always be their mandate to protect their own people. That period of war and blood left Thane with no choice. The Church may have even known that, but as the protector of the millions of dead devotees, they could not turn a blind eye to the consequence that the Thane's choice brought about. If they turned a blind eye, the faith of their remaining devotees may have started to wane, and that would not be good for the Church.

So when the Thane faced the Church's retribution, he retaliated against them, without running away or surrendering. Thus, a tragedy turned into a blood feud that lasted years; the Thane's swords got stained red by the blood of countless paladins and crusaders.

The Thane's people and army, too, did not abandon their leader. When history gradually stood on the side of the Church and its secular allies, the Thane was defeated, killed, and his soul banished to the Void.

The Thane's story was a tragic interlude that could only be played in a symphony of war.

Back in Cloud City...

The city had always been a sort of asylum. The houses there were usually empty because it's quite hard to live in the sky, far away from most of the important and more advanced facilities.

At the same time, it was just as much of a waste to just leave their houses in Cloud City empty and unused, so a lot of owners chose to use them as secret love-nests, where their mistresses resided, which was something rich people were known to do. It was a pretty good solution, frankly, seeing as it provided peace, tranquility, and magnificence for the couple.

So when Mia and Nota said they wanted to stay here, Baiyi had felt quite embarrassed — but he could not possibly tell the two the truth, could he?

After listening to his tale, the students were even more curious about this place. Laeticia, who came from a humble family, even started saying things like "Gosh, I have never been to such a high-end place! If only I could just enter one of these houses, just once in my life. Let me see inside just once…"

'Must you sound so unmotivated?' Baiyi lambasted flatly in his mind. And that same moment, Vidomina nudged his elbow.

Baiyi bent his head down as she requested, and the girl whispered something in his ears.

"O-oh? You… have your own house here? Your dad bought houses here for each of his children?" Baiyi had to suppress his surprise.

'How rich is your dad? Gosh, why is this Duke so much wealthier than other dukes?'Put on the "let's talk about legend!" BGM (I picked my Ancient Mediterranean playlist)! Oh, and place melancholic "fighting-in-the-past" BGM (I picked World War 2 playlist) on standby. You'll see!

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272 Old Faces in A New Place

"Godfather? If the house is such a big deal for everyone, well…" Vidomina wrapped her arms around Baiyi's neck as she continued.

Her invitation sounded forced, most likely because she was reluctant to visit any places her father, Duke Wright, had bought for her. It was very likely that she had never visited the place before herself.

"Nah, it's fine. Let's just walk outside," Baiyi replied, and he reached for her head to give her a comforting pat.

Suddenly, as if a wild thought had crossed her mind, Little Mia jumped right into the scene, and she pulled Vidomina into a forceful embrace and asked pointedly, "Vidomina, why are you hugging Mr. Hope like that?"

The girl in question had not expected the boorish tackle, and her hands slipped. With a soft, girly "Ah!" Vidomina fell backward onto Mia's body. The latter had not expected to pull Vidomina off Baiyi so easily, either; both girls immediately hugged each other in mid-fall, fell to the ground and began to roll down.

No one knew what happened during the roll, but when both girls finally came to a stop, they were in quite an awkward position: Little Mia's face was completely buried into Vidomina's bosom because she was laying below the latter.

Yet, for some very obvious reasons, unlike the time when she crashed onto Attie's chest, Little Mia did not feel a stingy pain on her head from this fall. Instead, she seemed to have been cushioned by something soft and bouncy; it was very comfortable.

"Owww!" Little Mia could only let out a low growl of powerlessness.

Just as Little Mia's lips parted to say more, she heard Vidomina, who was looking up at the sky, suddenly ask, "Is that… Is that something huge in the sky?"

The others followed her gaze and looked up. Sure enough, amidst the clouds, they saw a gigantic silhouette zipping through the skyline. As it drew closer to them, the silhouette revealed itself to belong to a soaring white dragon.

Unlike normal White Dragons, this particular dragon had a smaller waistline than its fellow members. Aided by that feature, the White Dragon they were staring at had a special sense of feminity to it; however, the dragonkin's' original mien of puissance was not abandoned, either.

These contrasting countenances mixed with each other beautifully, creating an odd combination that displayed a particular sort of personalized beauty.

The White Dragon hovered above them for a while before slowly landing close by. The yellow rays of light from the sun bounced on its scales, causing a dazzling aura of colors to reflect back into the sky, making this dragon look it was one of the precious and rare Gilded Dragon from legends.

When the large white dragon set its eyes on Mia and Vidomina, it leaned in closer and seemed to watch them with a curiosity that would make someone think it saw them as a tasty dessert. The dragon leaned in so close, the girls could see its large, animated-like eyes.

Vidomina was unprepared for such a close encounter; she quickly got to her feet and hid behind Little Mia's body in fright. The latter, however, had the experience of interacting with dragons, some of which she had met back in Gouve, so instead of being afraid, Little Mia spread her arms wide open like a human shield in front of Vidomina; she could feel Vidomina shivering behind her.

The dragon was taken aback by Mia's action and retracted its head.

Then, suddenly, it began to make a ton of unintelligible sounds — which were actually strings of words in Dovahzul, dragon language — that made it seem like it was guffawing. Could the dragon be laughing at Mia's foolhardiness?

It proceeded to open its mouth wide and leaned its head toward Mia, acting as if it was about to swallow both girls whole.

Suddenly, a blurred line whacked its head. The Saint Quartz staff struck the dragon's scaly head so hard that sparks were generated on impact.

The White Dragon quickly lifted its head and bellowed at the sudden jolt of pain. When its gaze finally landed on Baiyi, it began to utter a string of unintelligent sounds, speaking again in Dovahzul.

Baiyi stood between Little Mia and the upset dragon, muttering in Dovahzul as well. A rough translation of what Baiyi said was: "Speak in human tongue, would you?"

He turned around and saw that Little Mia had dropped her bravado and was gripping his cape tightly, while the other girls hid behind her. The other students were not too calm either. The great fox had long since been subdued by the draconic aura, and it was in a kneeling position. The owl was missing, possibly already hidden or fled, and the sunflower had curled itself into a ball. The only one who did not look alarmed was Laeticia, who was shielding Nota the fairy.

"Don't be scared," Baiyi said reassuringly. "It's just Mordred."

"W-what?!"

"Huhhhh?!"

"W-wait wha—?"

The girls, who had all played with Mordred before, all cried out in surprise.

At the same time, the dragon, whose head had just been struck, somehow seemed to remember how to speak like a human, and from its mouth, a sweet, childlike voice suddenly boomed, "Papaaaaa!"

'So, how does it feel like to be called "Papaaaa!" by a muscular, leviathan dragon with a stereotypical little girl voice?'

This was Mordred's first time calling Baiyi "papa" right in front of the other students. Therefore, the gazes that were boring through Baiyi's body contained bewilderment, bemusement, suspicion, and speculations.

Baiyi suddenly had the urge to slay a dragon.

'Those who bear the name 'Mordred', are they all daddy's girls by default? Even if the answer is yes, why must it be me?!?!'

Just when Baiyi was about to clear the air, a frantic, yet undeniably familiar, female voice rang from far, "Esteemed guests! P-please, do not harm my child!"

Aya was sprinting towards them with all her might. Both her hands were lifting the draping long hemline of her noble dress as her fair legs looked blurred in their panicked sprint.

Then, because the field they were in was not exactly suited for sprints, Aya cried out a feminine "Oh noo!" before she slipped and hit the ground flat, and the inertia slid her towards Baiyi's feet.

Baiyi looked at Aya with a little concern. 'She...she's not gonna be chiseled into a smaller-sized Aya, right?'

"Pffft pfftt!" The dragon-lady spat out the grass that had accumulated in her mouth and wiped her face. When she raised her head, her eyes met Baiyi's.

"—Aaaaaeeeiiii! Mister H-H-Hope?! Why…W-w-why are you here?!"

'H-hey! What was it that made these two recognize me this easily? Didn't I just change my armor?' Baiyi thought in wonder as he helped Aya up.

"I should be the one sounding surprised! Why are you two here?"

'Wait. Don't tell me… that this dragon has... become someone else's mistress?!' Baiyi thought with worry.

Aya did not reply him immediately, though. She looked at her dress — which was now covered with blades of grass and mud — and winced, "Awww. I just bought this…"

'Just bought this? Using her own money? Good, that means she hasn't gotten tricked by some sugar daddy,' Baiyi answered his own question reassuringly.

"Okay, first thing first. Turn her back into a human, please." Baiyi pointed at dragon-Mordred, seeing as the beast was gazing at the two of them with a very peculiar expression. Her eyes were even narrowed into two crescents.

After a while, with Aya's help, Mordred transformed back into her familiar, adorable blue-eyed, blonde human form, and her fangs were barred when she grinned. She did not even wait a millisecond after her magic subsided before throwing herself at Mia, screaming, "Mia! I miss you soooooo much!"

"I, um, m-m-miss you too." Mia smiled stiffly — and suddenly, a 'bong' sound echoed. Modred had jumped at Mia for a hug and bonked her little dragon head against Mia's flat chest.

Mordred rubbed her forehead. "G-g-gah… That… h-h-urts…"

Mia's smile froze.

At that moment, she finally understood how Attie's felt back then. Um… karma?

Baiyi eyed the two for a brief second before turning his head away; he did not intend to watch anymore. He looked at Aya and asked, "Did you bring any clothes for her?"

"Uh… I was in a hurry, so…?" the dragon-girl trailed off.

'Excuse me, shouldn't you always prepare a set of clothing for occasions like these?' Baiyi thought, feeling unimpressed, before pulling out a new blanket from his own storage pouch.

"Thanks." Aya took the blanket and pulled Modred, who had been eagerly rubbing against Mia, and wrapped her with the blanket, covering her birthday suit from view.

That's right. When dragons in human form transformed back into their dragon forms, their clothes would get destroyed. That was probably the reason why Aya did not want Baiyi to ride atop her; ride — the literal meaning, not the other one.

"Long time no see. Wanna find a place to talk?" Baiyi gazed at the covered Mordred, who managed to wriggle around Aya somehow, before extending his invitation.

"Our place is just right ahead. Come over," she replied with a smile.

After a while, Baiyi managed to piece out the reason why the dragons were here.

Dragon knights were the crowned jewel of Gouve — an irreplaceable and most quintessential Gouvian heritage that easily dominated the sky. The worth of these knights was far beyond mere aristocrats; therefore, to show his appreciation, Emperor Walthart the Third randomly chose an unlucky scion and awarded his property in Cloud City to him.

Quite obviously, the emperor may be young, but he was no miser in terms of gifts.

The house here was not exactly suitable for living, but Mordred had just turned 30 years old a few months before. According to the custom of dragons, a dragon around this age should be allowed to turn back to their original form as much as possible to prevent them from forgetting their nature.

The dragon knights' current aerial territory was not a playing field for this feisty dragon because it was too close to the cities; however, on the other hand, the Eol Mountains were just as ill-fitting for Modred because there were wild dragons there — whose eyes would definitely shine if they spotted a young, beautiful dragon in their territory. There were also barbarians who would gladly hurl their javelins at any passing beast.

Aya was very worried for her child's safety, so in the end, the elderly dragon Yosef suggested bringing Mordred to a place like this: a scenic environment that reminded the dragons of their time in Gouve — a location that also happened to be minimally-populated.

The pair had been staying in Cloud City for about a month; it was by chance that they met Baiyi and his students while on their trip.

As it was, if fate insisted, one could meet just about anyone else in this big, wide world.

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273 A Determined Decision

In the end, the kids still managed to check out the opulent interior of an estate mansion. As one of the most luxurious suites in the entire realm, there was really no need to reiterate how magnificent the interior of this mansion was.

All Baiyi could say was how generous the emperor must be to gift a place like this to the dragon pair. Could it be that he had his eyes on the dragon-lady?

Well, the emperor certainly had his eyes on her, but probably not the way Baiyi imagined.

"Wow, I didn't know you took in so many new students afterward!" Aya remarked after listening to Baiyi's tale. "And aren't they quite intriguing! It's just… well, are they always like this?"

She pointed at the new students who had all curled into shuddering balls of terror, at the corner of a wall. The owl had already been found; as it turned out, it had transformed into the embellishment currently on Nota's hat.

Dragons would always be the apex predators; therefore, as evolutionary memory goes, the fear for dragons would always be in the genes of other species, including the students'.

"I actually wanted you to stay a little longer, but I suppose that can't be done right now, yea?" Aya said in a low voice, with a forlorn look. She looked just like a mistress in hiding.

Baiyi had to change the subject before "Hmph.mp3" played on a loop within the Void, so he asked, "If you're here caring for the child, what about your duty with the dragon knights?"

"Father's on it," she replied, stretching her body, and her curvy waist was laid bare before the Soul Armature. "The higher-ups don't trust me that much, compared to my more seasoned father, especially in matters like forming an aerial assault team or whatever. I kinda got kicked aside, and now I'm bored with nothing to do!"

'This isn't surprising, at all, to be frank.'

When some women got too much time on their hands, they might start thinking too much, and might end up wanting a child, which would be quite dangerous.

Baiyi watched Aya stretch her body lazily, then after thinking something through, he said, "Hey, why don't you help me out with my teaching?"

"Aye?" Aya suddenly perked up. "You mean… Taking care of the kids? Is that a very roundabout way of asking for my hand in marr— owww!"

Baiyi withdrew his finger after flicking her forehead. "I have a little too many students with me now, and all of them have different interests in their studies. I would like to satisfy them as much as possible, but that would mean that I alone am not enough."

"Me, teach them?" Aya rubbed her forehead and eyed the new students, who were still curled in that corner. "You sure it's a good idea? I think they are terrified of me."

"Meh. It will pass."

"But your students are already very capable in their own right, you know? Compared to them, I've got nothing to offer," Aya protested, having no confidence in herself.

"Nah, you're an exemplary tutor; come on! Look at Mordred! She's well-taught… what are you two troublemakers doing there?!"

Baiyi's train of thought changed course when he saw two people playing close-by. As it turned out, while the two adults were talking, Mordred had invited Little Mia to play a very traditional game of 'Guess What'. It is the classic game wherein one closes their eyes and lets their other senses inform them of what the target item was.

Of course, in the beginning, they played with normal objects, hardly anything that would come from a particularly scandalous erotica. Nevertheless, the items that they played this game with did not sound too innocent to a perverted mind; they chuckled loudly and sweetly called out names such as "Cucumber!', "Banana!", "Bringer!" and all sort of objects that were mysteriously elongated by nature

When they had run out of items to guess, there was almost no reason to play anymore. Hence, when it was Mia's turn to guess, Mordred suddenly had the very quirky idea to stick out her tongue and lick Mia's face; after doing that, Modred eagerly asked Mia to guess what that was.

Mia's head tilted to a side, and she pondered for a while. Then, she answered, "I can't really tell from one touch, you know. Can I taste it?"

It was at that moment that Baiyi's gaze shifted to the two, and what his eyes clearly showed his brain was a yuri-like scene; both parents had to quickly pull the girls apart. It was as if they were forcefully separating two kittens.

After delegating the important duty of making sure the kids were playing within the confines of a Rated E (for Everybody) game — especially in front of the two elder children who had been enjoying the scenery from the yard — Baiyi and Aya finally got back to talking about their teaching prospects.

"You were a training instructor within the dragon knights, after all; that's already a very solid qualification right there. Plus, I'll do the more theory themed classes like magical techniques, while you can teach them history, world culture, cooking, domestic skills and such; and most importantly, efficient team-ups. Aren't these what you're good at?"

"Yes, I'm a bit more confident in these areas, " Aya replied warmly, with a smile.

If one were to pour through the credentials of Aya and Baiyi, they would argue that Aya was more qualified as an educator than Baiyi was. She was the training instructor of the dragon knights, and she had long since honed her abilities in training both humans and dragons, so one could easily foresee that training the fox and the sunflower would not be too hard. Plus, she would look great in shot pencil skirts and black silky socks; she would surely make a stellar teacher if she agreed to join.

Her specialty — which had been honed during her time with the dragon knights — lay in building effective team-ups, and this would become more valuable as the students' strengths and weaknesses become more apparent. Each student was very unique in their own contributions, so Baiyi wanted to group them into teams while grooming their abilities further. With Aya's help, the process would be smooth.

The question, however, was: would Aya agree to it?

Of course, no one would expect a 'no'. Baiyi had not even talked about the pay yet, but Aya was already nodding earnestly.

"Being able to help Mr. Hope would be my greatest honor. I hope this would leave us a lot of great memories!"

Although her words sounded quite meaningful, her eyes seemed to brim with something else. As Aya was talking, her stare contained an expression of longing.

"Hmph!" Then, just as Baiyi had expected, the snort of doom chillingly resounded in the Void.

'Cough. This isn't anything like what you people are imagining. I'm just hiring a suitable candidate. She's free, and I'm busy; it's a fair deal that everyone benefits from. Yep, just a deal,' Baiyi hurriedly explained to the crowd in the Void.

"You have no idea what she really wants?" the Warrior retorted.

"Cough! My apologies. I can only say… I'm not sure? Nevertheless, I'm not the type to play with the hearts of girls. I really need her help, and this has something to do with the long-term goal we all want to achieve."

There were two major roadblocks in the Voidwalkers' escape plan: the technical part, where Baiyi was to explore and employ; and the consensus, where Baiyi had to work towards creating an understanding amongst people, then stop all prejudices that the world had towards those who dwelt in the Void.

And the best way to do that would be through education.

Just as he had started giving classes to the little students, he had already started thinking of establishing his own school. He would slowly but surely change the perception that his students had towards the Void, and he would let his graduates help propagate the knowledge to others in society.

Establishing his own school would not just help re-educate the opinion of students, it would also help Baiyi weave an extensive social network that he could use to his advantage.

Besides, his plans — which included establishing a school, training Little Mia, and following his original plan to get the Voidwalkers out of their prison — were not at odds with each other.

He only paused his plan temporarily because of the burden of establishing an educational institution; these troubles were not something he could use a well-timed fist to resolve quickly. However, when the Doors of Conundrum sent their students over, the idea took seed in his heart once more.

And after successfully hiring his first teacher, his school seemed to have grown even stronger.

'Why not? You've got the money. Land? You could buy that with money. Reputation? You mean the Church hasn't done enough? The opinions of the nobles? You've got a Duke behind you. Knowledge? Ha, ha ha!'

It seemed that he had met the few requirements for establishing a school. The only thing he needed now was manpower; with Aya joining his crew, his dream had finally ventured into reality, even if only a bit.

He told the Void about his decision, and the Voidwalkers immediately became very positive about it.

"Not a bad idea at all! I used to have this idea, but establishing a school seemed too troublesome, so I didn't really want to do it. But, hey; in retrospect, they were all pretty minor troubles… I am with you," the Archmage said.

"We should have done this a looong time ago!" the Apprentice was ecstatic, and perhaps excited, that Baiyi's specialty was finally being put to use.

"I cannot fathom the fact that you only just proposed this! Have I been operating under my own assumption that this is exactly what we are striving toward?" the Scholar replied jovially.

"Schools are good! Very good idea! I love schools! Sir Hope, please lemme design their uniform; before I took up the job of the Astrologer, I was a tailor for a few years; you must believe in my professiona—" A certain commenter was muted again.Huh? I think you may be a little too bossy about that, dude? That's very Asian-dad-like, man! Hee hee.Gods, for a 16-year-old and a 30-year-old (dragon age, fine; so 14 years old in human years?), these two are so childlike; they wouldn't be out-of-place in strange speculative fictions starring reclusive, bizarre families living in the suburb with overtly religious/cultish color in their actions!Dude. You were the Emperor. What sort of trouble could you not delegate to the officials? Wasn't the queue in the bureau office too long, Your Majesty?Enthusiastic teachers are my favorite teachers!

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274 Stop Making Things Harder to Explain

It did not take a long time for the Void to boom with a jovial riot, prompting Baiyi to quickly take control of the increasing racket. "Hey, all of you! Calm down, would ya? It's just a proposal. We haven't even worked out the details yet; that is probably gonna take a very long time. I mean, look at us! There are only two teachers at the moment, right? This won't do!"

"May I suggest ameliorating the secret technique that is usually cast on the hammerhead shark plushie? Cast the technique onto other sets of armors; this will neutralize the issue of insufficient instructors," the Scholar said helpfully.

"Have I not mentioned the problem with this already?" Baiyi replied. "Every secret technique demands parts of my consciousness. A set of armor would need way too much consciousness and soul to effectively control."

"If the object to control is an issue, then we could try generic animals plushies. Surely it is not hard to procure them in any given market," the Scholar said. "It would be even less of a problem if we are not confined to just one species. Hence, we could choose felines, canines, bears or even horses!"

"Are you even being serious right now?" Baiyi replied, feeling aghast. "Having a bunch of plushies act as teachers? Are we trying to build a school or an animal theme park?"

"I do not see a reason for doubt. Was the Archmage's lesson not critically acclaimed?" the Scholar replied nonchalantly. "As long as knowledge is being passed, no self-respecting scholar should bother themselves with the appearance of their instructors."

'"Was it not critically acclaimed?" Hell no; it was not! All it did was leave the students nursing critical levels of trauma!'

The Apprentice, too, held reservations towards the Scholar's idea. "A good teacher should retain a countenance that demands respect, you know. If the teachers are a bunch of plush animals, well…"

"Respect is given to knowledge, not its teacher," the Scholar was steadfast in her opinion. "Any individual who fails to see past appearances will not enroll as our student."

"I get what you mean, Sir Scholar, but… this is just too different, don't you think?" the Apprentice, who came from a long line of traditionalists, was having a hard time swallowing her stance.

"Tell me, what is wrong with being slightly outlandish? Need I remind you of the mission of the school? Our mission is to break through the prejudice against what is so-called 'absurdity'. What does the absurdity of our instructors matter, compared to the sort of knowledge and values we will have prepared for them?" the Scholar dished asked directly.

At that moment, both Walkers could not find an appropriate and concrete rebuttal.

Thus, they ended the discussion with a simple "I think it will be better to just look for normal teachers, using normal methods first. This can probably be our backup plan, though."

To be honest, having his students neatly arranged in rows in the classroom, only to have them listen to an animated plushie teaching class, with sinister sounds, did not bode well with Baiyi. Just thinking about it made him feel like talking plushies was an aberration that should only be found in Five Nights at Freddy's and Xavier's School for Gifted Children.

Baiyi admitted that he was still missing a lot of important pieces required to realize his dream. For one, he needed teachers. Additionally, he himself needed a solid reputation as an educator; otherwise, he would risk being unnecessarily suspected. However, everything was easier said than done.

Hence, at that moment, Baiyi did only what he could do: getting Aya on board. He chatted with the girl for a while and decided that after Mordred's Dragon Wildness Week was over, he and the dragon pair would meet again in Arfin City.

The week-long period also served as a great time frame for the Soul Armature to solve his legal issues.

Aya was over the moon with their plans; she was so elated that a stranger would mistake her as a girl who was just presented with a ring by a kneeling man. In that period of happiness, she wrote a letter to her family, informing them of the developments.

'Does that count as 'taking advantage of a girl's feelings for you'?'

The allowance Baiyi gave Aya was 200 gold coins. He arrived at that amount after taking a few things into consideration: the average income of a middle-class family and the pension that the Walthart royals had given the dragon knights, which was only 80 gold coins. After considering these factors, Baiyi paid her quite handsomely.

After all, the wealth gap between the 1% and the 99% here in Isythre was just as extreme as the gap back on Earth. Baiyi felt that he had treated the dragon-lady right.

Aya herself was not too hung up on her pay. All that swirled in her head was a happily ever after between her and Baiyi…

"She cannot stay in the 'Aegis'." A steely voice pierced through Baiyi's ears.

"U-um, well, the alternative is not too convenient, though…?" Baiyi replied testily.

"Convenient? You mean convenient for her, or convenient for you?" the Warrior retorted, with a chilly rebuttal.

"Our relationship is confined to employer-employee, you kno—"

"Hmph!"

"Alright, alright! I get it. I get it!" The Fifth Walker could only raise his hands in defeat. How was he supposed to tell Aya about that? He could not possibly tell her that "Hmph.mp3" had issued a ban, right?

Hence, after trying hard to cook excuses, honesty forced Baiyi to say was a very honest "Um, Aya, look. Due to certain reasons, your accommodation will have to be somewhere close to our house. But don't you worry; the environment and living conditions will not disappoint you."

Baiyi's residential area was a student area. Although he could not really do anything about the environment, he did have a lot of empty lots that he could lend to the dragons. After all, back then, Vidomina was gifted the entire area as her 'greeting gift', and only one of the mansions was occupied by her butlers.

Baiyi was afraid of a protest, but Aya smiled sweetly; with a joyful tone, she said, "Gosh, I even get accommodation? Mr. Hope sure is a kind man; so gallant and gentle…"

Watching her smile like a newly-wed, the Soul Armature realized he had been thinking way ahead of himself. She never wanted to stay in the same house as he did; the dragon-lady was still a very demure girl.

It was time for Baiyi's posse to leave. He rejected Aya's offer to have lunch, pointing out the frightened state of his non-human students as the main reason. When Aya saw that they were still shivering in fear, she had no choice but to relent.

Mordred's "Daddy's Girl" feature was acting up again.

"Papa, will you come and visit me again?" she asked, spotting a forlorn look, in front of everyone.

Baiyi could feel the burning gazes of his students again, and his gaze, which was directed at Modred, was no less hostile than his students because he felt like going mad. 'I had only just managed to change the topic!'

And this time, Baiyi realized, with fright, that it was not just the students looking at him. He could discern extra pairs of eyes coming from other high-end mansions nearby, watching him with unwarranted attentiveness. It seemed that they had long since wanted clues regarding this mysterious single mother and her daughter pair...

Normally, whenever Mordred began acting up, Aya would stop her right there and then. But today, the dragon-lady reacted very differently; she pulled Mordred to her side, caressing her head, and cooed very softly, "It's alright… Soon, we'll be living together…"

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275 Prize and Punishmen

Baiyi had to spend a considerable amount of time to explain away the misunderstanding, attributing it completely to Mordred's immature mouth. It was fortunate that his students were still innocent, so they accepted his explanation fully.

However, he had no way to convince those nosy folks in Cloud City.

By the time they got home, it was almost evening. Baiyi did not resume their class; instead, he asked the students to complete a write-up before bedtime; it required them to write a review about the day's trip and what they had learned.

When the assignments were completed and submitted, Baiyi sat in his room, thumbing through them.

The first write-up he read was Nota's. The fairy had been earnest with her write-up, reiterating every point Baiyi had made; she also added in a few sentences about her understanding and opinions, including her own responses if she was in his shoes. Near the end of her write-up was a genuine question, though: "I'm a shy girl. I don't think I can even talk this loud… So, what should I do?"

Baiyi was very satisfied with her answer. He gleefully graded the assignment, adding "Cake" as a reward.

Nota really was a good child.

The second assignment was Mia's, and as she was his priority, he read her write-up meticulously.

In the end, on the right top corner of the paper, Baiyi wrote the word "Pinch Cheek" because although Mia had used all sorts of idioms and impressive descriptions in her write-up, anyone else could still easily write the same essay using two lines:

"Wow! Mr. Hope is so cool!"

Or, "Wow! From now on, I'm gonna rely on Mr. Hope for every stuff like this!"

Fine; so maybe it was quite common for a soul armature practitioner to ask their soul armature for help when the going got tough, but that was definitely not the sort of lesson Baiyi had hoped to teach her today!

Honestly, what Baiyi really wanted to write on Mia's paper was "Feather Duster", but the girl, in her essay, had extolled his gallantry, his handsomeness, his strength, and even his gentleness so lavishly; thus, using her own words, the gallant, handsome, strong, and gentle Soul Armature decided to give her a little leeway.

The next assignment graded was Tisdale's. She probably had some experience with legal issues and copyrights, and she had demonstrated remarkable attentiveness to his lesson, which was evident in her write-up. Her work was even better than Nota's; hence maybe she would be the best out of the bunch today. For her effort, Baiyi wrote "Cake x3" on her paper.

The next paper was Laeticia's. Baiyi had not read it for long before the urge to rip it apart flooded him; the girl had offered gems like:

"Yay! No class today! Best day ever!"

"Mr. Hope has such a loud voice! Louder than the muscular husky man at the Church who teaches us fighting. The poor receptionist was so terrified! But then… I remember them telling me that the husky man's voice was loud because he used to be a butcher. I wonder what Mr. Hope's career was when he was alive?"

"Wow! Fatty Branch Leader Guy sure have great desserts!"

"Gosh! The tea sets and cups moved on their own! It was a very cool magic trick!"

"Miss Aya is always beautiful. And gentle, too! Is she really a dragon? I find that hard to believe. Mordred is very good and polite; I think she's a good child. But, why does she keep calling Mr. Hope 'papa'?"

"Aww, the lunch we had at that eatery, which Mr. Hope brought us to, was so goooood! But will we ever visit it again?"

This content was instantly awarded the "Feather Duster" grade.

Then Baiyi moved on to read the write-ups written by the kitsune, the owl, and the sunflower.

All he could say was, "If I was not a Soul Armature, I would have probably from coughing up too much blood."

The issue here was not that those three copied each other; they just shared similar opinions, making it seem as if they had unanimously decided on their content in a sort of meeting, which was held before the write-up commenced. What was more, none of them talked about laws and legality. A part of their identical write-ups discussed how to defend their legal rights as non-humans; another part of their write-up included making humans recognize the ingenuity of their inventions, and then the rest of their write-ups was all about how to defeat Mordred with their combined strength and Nota's help.

On that last part about defeating Modred, the trio even wrote details of their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the tools and traps that they would require; this was so that they could work together in their team-up by covering each other's back.

The entire write-up was a strategy report on fighting Mordred…

'Are you three here to learn or to fight for civil rights? In fact, are you here to learn how to slay dragons? What exactly do you guys want to do to the girl who called me her papa?!'

Baiyi initially wanted to give their write-ups his "Feather Duster" grade, but he decided against it after conceding that, despite veering way off topic, the animals had shown how much effort they put into their own analysis Perhaps he should be a little compassionate this time...

Thus, he gave their write-ups the "Stand in a Corner" grade.

The next paper was Attie's. Naturally, no of the other students could rival the speechlessness and rage that Attie's assignment caused Baiyi; however, right in the middle of her paper was the drawing of a cat, which was sticking out its tongue at him.

'Are…. are you trying to melt my heart?'

The only thing Attie's kitty drawing managed to melt was Baiyi's reluctance to give harsh punishments; thus, he gave Attie a "Feather Duster x5" grade. When combined with the "Feather Duster x3" which was sue from her last assignment… 'Haha, this trouble-making cat is done for tomorrow!'

Still filled with anger, Baiyi turned to Vidomina's homework.

Surprisingly, hers was even more satisfactory than Tisdale's and Nota's. She did not even limit her view of Baiyi's lessons to defending rights legally, but she also extending his philosophy to other subjects and aspects of life itself. Her ability to generalize his lessons displayed a true understanding of the essence of the problem-solving ability, rather than the forms and apparent methods Baiyi had used.

Judging from the assignment, Baiyi could tell that Vidomina had truly grasped the knowledge that Baiyi had sought to pass, which was as expected of a child from a noble Duke's family. She managed to look at the questions from another, and even more mature, perspective. Although Vidomina may not be very exceptional in terms of academics or magical basics, the girl had surely inherited her father's insights and beliefs.

Vidomina's work was the only one Baiyi did not grade at all; he believed that none of his current rewards could do the girl's work justice enough.

The next day, Baiyi returned the graded assignments back to his students. From their expressions, one could guess the grade they got. Some sighed, someone was very upset, and another shook her head helplessly… Nota was probably the one only who did not look saddled by her grade; but then again, she had been given the "Cake" grade for two straight days already.

"Laeticia! Attie! Up here to the dais, now." Baiyi sat on the dais and gestured to the two.

"You two fools! It's bad enough that you copied from each other; however, must you two even get the spelling of the same term wrong? Geez; to think that copying would at least require half a brain!"

After the scolding, came the action. As the feather duster struck them, the screams and sobs of both girls resonated loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

"Oww! Owwwww! Mr. Hope, I'm so sorry! I'm never doing it again!" Laeticia cried between sobs.

"Owww, I hate it! I hate you, Master! I'm never talking to you again! " Attie tried her best to be threatening as tears burst out of her eyes and drenched her cheeks. The problem was, of course, that her threat never carried any substance; Baiyi had heard the same threat so many times that he had stopped caring about it. His Kitty Cat Maid had a very bad memory anyway; after a nap, her memory would somehow reset itself, and all Baiyi had to do was to wave at her, and she would come to rub her cheeks on him jovially.

"That's all. Go and wash yourselves," Baiyi said coldly to Laeticia and Attie while putting away his Executioner's Feather Duster. Then, he turned his gaze to his flora-and fauna-themed students.

When Laeticia and Attie finally returned, they were treated with quite a scene; Baiyi was pinching Mia's cheeks hard, and the animals were standing in a corner, balancing Baiyi's favorite potted plants on their head. The animals knew that these plants were Baiyi's favorite; if they broke even one of them, they knew he was probably gonna skin them alive. Thus, the fox had to use its hind legs to hold up its plants, while the owl had to lift its wings up high to hold its plants, making sure it does not lose its balance and falls.

Since Sunny itself was a flower with a pot underneath it, all the sunflower could do was to stand upside down, keeping Baiyi's plants atop the bottom of its point, which was now facing upwards.

Nota and Tisdale, who were both comfortably and quietly enjoying cakes at a side, were targets of understandable jealousy.

Vidomina did not seem to be doing any of those. She was not rewarded, neither was she punished; she did not find that surprising, though. She had a pretty good guess of her own skill and knowledge level.

However, when Vidomina looked at Mia's pouting face which Baiyi was currently pinching, there was a flash of jealousy in her eyes.

Baiyi returned Mia to her seat after her punishment and walked to Vidomina's side. He took her workbook up and announced, "This is Vidomina's work, and I believe it to be most exemplary work I have received. In fact, I'll try to find some time to explain why and how I arrived at this conclusion as we read it together. But first, your reward…"

Baiyi looked down at Vidomina's perplexed face. "I can fulfill any small request you make."

"Any small request? Seriously?" Her eyes widened.

"Hey now; don't get too overboard with it, though!" Baiyi replied. "If you want to be exempted from today's assignments, that's acceptable."

"I…" Vidomina thought hard.

Then, suddenly, she stood up with a gush of bravery, moving to stand on top of the bench, and said, "I would like my Godfather to kiss me! Like how you kiss Mia normally…"

"Huh? That's it?" Baiyi replied, feeling amused. He walked closer to her and gently pressed his mask on her forehead.

There was no sensual desire in their exchange. In its place, however, was the sort of love and care a parent would impart to their child. It was innocent and moving.

Vidomina smiled. She smiled so brightly that a keen observer would notice that this was the first real, happy smile she had made since her family's mishap.

The other girls, however, stared at her with complicated expressions. It seemed that some cogs had turned within them...

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276 A Guaranteed Triumph

After that little incident, Baiyi's life returned to its tranquil and smooth normality.

However, unexpectedly, the students had become more eager in their studies, showing significant improvements in the homework they turned in. Was it because of Vidomina's earnest demonstration that day?

To have any of their small requests granted — surely that must be very enticing for them, right? They could ask for a holiday from school, or to exempt themselves from doing a day's assignment.

Unfortunately, Baiyi had not seen an assignment good enough to win that ultimate prize. On the plus side, none of the girls earned the "Feather Duster" grade again!

Baiyi's legal suit to contest the patent was accepted by the Sorcerer Association, in a breeze. Soon, the notice of a hearing was sent to him; it was to take place a week from that day. Three vice presidents and an envoy of representatives from other organizations will be present to act as judge and the jury for the case.

Rumors suggested that most of them supported Baiyi and accepted his concrete evidence, so the result would likely be one that benefited him.

As Baiyi made plans, he counted the days. According to his estimations, by the time the hearing was over, Aya should already be at Arfin City. By then, it should be around early December, and as Grace Day was to take place on December 5th, Baiyi really had to start planning his escape.

The day of the hearing arrived.

As it was not a public event, Baiyi did not bring his students with him this time.

For their lessons, Baiyi had instructed the Scholar to possess the hammerhead shark plushie and act as his substitute teacher. This time, he had to make a reassuring announcement to his students before his departure: "Don't worry; this time, Sharkie… no, I mean Professor S, has undergone intensive tweaking and reprogramming. It's not gonna act like it did last time!"

Immediately after Baiyi made the announcement, the Scholar-plushie soared up and hovered above his head, then it said in a neutral, and almost-mechanical, tone, "Hello everyone. Good to see you."

The voice upgrade was a last minute addition which Baiyi made to the plushie; it was made to ensure a better teaching experience. Of course, to prevent anyone from guessing who was controlling the plushie, Baiyi had made the voice synthesized.

"Huh?! Sharkie can talk now?!" Little Mia cried out in amazement.

"It's 'Professor S' during class," Baiyi patted her head, correcting her. Although the name sounded a little similar to a certain bald teacher who sits on a wheelchair, it was still better than one addressing their teacher as 'Sharkie', right?

"Alright, I'm leaving!" Baiyi said as he pushed open the door. Outside, Undine's coach was already parked by the street, waiting for him.

As two of the important eyewitnesses involved in this case, Undine and the Earl were permitted to join Baiyi.

On their way there, Baiyi once again briefed the two on important matters, such as the testimony and words they needed to say. He laid out every detail meticulously, even though he had already been through this yesterday. Honestly, he was not conducting the revision session for Undine, whom he knew was smart enough; it was the Earl that worried him. The entire issue happened because of the Earl's own screw-ups, after all.

"Now, finally, about my proposal. Have you reached a consensus on that?" Baiyi ended his briefing with a rather sudden change of topic.

After the accident, Baiyi had increased the price of his formations to 300 gold coins per set. He was unyieldingly persistent, despite Undine's pleas; even when she almost agreed to strip in front of him, he still would not back down. In the end, the fighter-turned-businesswoman had to convene with her other partners on the issue.

"Hmph! Of course, they agree to your deal! As if you'd expected something else!" Undine snapped, looking like she had been forced to strip nonetheless. "You may have increased your price, but it is still leagues better than the blood-sucking amount they asked from us."

"Smart choice," Baiyi replied calmly. He had predicted the merchants' agreement, frankly, because the price that the Sorcerers Association extolled was preposterous, and that was saying it mildly. 5,000 gold coins compared to Baiyi's 300! Even if Baiyi hiked his price, it would not be as terrible as the Association's price.

He needed some extra money for his very own academy, after all. The more money the better.

Baiyi had decided to arrange his current funds the night before; so far, he had: gifts of all kinds, the rewards from the Church, the Emperor's rewards, and the money from his 200 sets of formations; after adding all of that up, Baiyi only had six million gold coins on hand. Even if he added the money he spent on daily cost, he still would not have enough to start an academy.

According to the Apprentice, the cost of building the complexes in Celestial Fortress Academy, including the maintenance cost the complexes had accumulated till date, cost about 80 million gold coins altogether. Then, the cost of running the place was about 10 million gold coins…

The reason why the Academy could still keep going was because of the students' payment and other forms of payments, which offset the cost. Sometimes, when the students were slightly more than expected, the Academy could earn some extra income. The Academy also earned income when its students who were adventuring outside returns and pays a commission from their income. However, Baiyi knew that the return on investment for an academy would be painstakingly slow.

Thus, establishing an academy that would rival or even surpass Celestial Fortress would require mountains of money. Baiyi could not possibly get all that from the Duke; that would be too inappropriate because as the principal of this school, he, too, would have to contribute monetarily. He also entertained the idea of selling his obsidian armor set, which would solve his funding issue on a large scale.

However, an obsidian armor set was priceless; it was too rare to be sold off this lightly. Therefore, Baiyi decided that he would only do that as a last resort.

This was why today's hearing was even more important than ever. It would determine if his important source of income would remain available to him.

Fortunately, the proceedings went smoothly. The opposition's eyewitness — the man who had been messing with the Earl earlier — did not present an exceptional argument. He could not fight against the mountain of clear evidence provided by Baiyi's side.

Hence, as the hearing continued, the man eventually gave up on his attempts to secure exclusive copyright of that magical technique. Instead, he excused himself for his actions, claiming that he did not steal the technique, neither did he plagiarize his work — probably an attempt to bring the case to the resolution that Baiyi wanted.

Just like that, by conceding, the opposition lost the case. Baiyi did not even need to wait for decisions to be made by the representatives and the sorcerers' higher-ups to know the outcome. It has been sealed.

Even if they were to use their plagiarized runes to compete with Baiyi on the market, they still would not be able to beat him, purely because Baiyi's price was much more affordable — even if he hiked them up. As for functionality — well, Baiyi did not believe that their design could possibly outperform his, anyway. As for the opposition using their social connections — well, Baiyi did not see the Southern Duke doing anything throughout the hearing, so he was sure that his letter had done its job perfectly. Most importantly, no matter how influential the Southern Duke was, Attie's clansmen would still only listen to Baiyi's command; they had taken control of one of the important stops in the route!

If the opposition had decided to play dirty with their price, they would not succeed. Baiyi already had a countermeasure for that. He had long since planted a bug in his end terminal portal. Whenever it is activated, the formations would emit disrupting signals which would hijack every other bootleg; thus, their gliders would automatically become lost.

The bottom line was — 'Why would a loser even try?' Baiyi had to admit that he did not really understand their intention. Had they intended to show that they had gotten some big names behind them? If so, it was quite unfortunate that they decided to pick an opponent like Baiyi.

The boring hearing, whose result seemed all but concluded, finally entered its last hour. Baiyi was so bored, he just delegated the clearing up to Undine. After all, it had long since reached the point where just about anyone could win this case as long as they were talking on Baiyi's behalf.

It was at this time that the opposition played their last hand. "According to my sources, three great masters specialized in the subject of formations, who all hailed from the Doors of Conundrum, had also tried investigating the formation. They are all above Legendary-level, yet with their knowledge and their abilities, they still could not decode the formation… Your Honor, from what I have gathered, this Hope is only Master-level, right? So, I believe I have a reasonable standing to doubt the veracity of his so-called proof…"

'Seriously? One last ditch effort before death?' Baiyi laughed to himself, beckoning Undine to sit down.

He produced an empty parchment. Before everyone, he reproduced the same formation using his mana within seconds, then he hurled the parchment right onto the trouble-making manager's face.

With a loud "slaaap!", the court went quiet; the opposition had nothing else to say. The hearing was concluded, and it was announced that the result would be out in three days.

After the hearing was adjourned, Vice President Grant met with Baiyi and candidly congratulated him.

Grant's congratulations also meant that Baiyi was not wrong to think that his own side was favored.

The two men chatted a little before Grant said, "We'll double-down our efforts to tackle plagiarism cases like these in the future. Don't you worry."

"I greatly appreciate it," Baiyi thanked him in a roundabout way. "I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."

"To be honest, I went to conduct an investigation of my own secretly," the Vice President said with a hushed voice. "This had nothing to do with the Southern Duke, but his people… They wanted some money from this. They might even have bribed our people… We'll be investigating this further."

"I see." Baiyi nodded. No wonder the opposition had been sloppy. Their backup was not strong to begin with.

"Oh, another thing. Regarding what the opposition said afterward, close to the end of the session, what do you think, Master Hope?"

Baiyi pondered carefully. "You mean… the doubt he expressed about my capability?" he asked.

"Yes. Although I do not doubt your power, I noticed that there are quite a few idiots who have the galls to doubt real power," the Vice President said.

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277 Everybody Is Very Interested In You

The meaning behind the Vice President's speech was clear; he still had not given up on persuading Baiyi to apply for a higher-level Power Level Examination.

Baiyi gave it some thought.

"You're curious about my potential?" he finally asked Vice President Grant with a hushed voice.

"It isn't just me," admitted the Vice President, as he nodded honestly. "Everyone else seems to be interested, too. This doesn't just include the Sorcerer's Association, mind you; every other organization out there, including the Doors of Conundrum you were in for a while, the nobles and dignitaries… everyone; they are all very curious about you, Honorable One. Perhaps you might not have noticed, but to everyone — be it aristocrats or the peasants — has your name on their lips, and they utter it feverishly; you really are the center of every conversation!"

"Tsk..." Baiyi frowned, and his lips tightened. He did not doubt the authenticity of the Vice President's statement, at all. The reputation he had gained from the Church's massive endorsements naturally came with unwanted attention. No doubt this would stir the curiosity of the masses, despite how inconspicuous his actions are, or how low-profiled he always tried to be.

Baiyi gave the Vice President's words a turn in his head, pondering deeply within his thoughts for a moment, before he gave his reply.

"Alright then. In order to satisfy everyone's curiosity, I'll apply for the Immortal-Level Examination."

The Vice President's eyes momentarily flashed with excitement. "Oh? Were you planning to skip the Legendary Level entirely and going on to the next? Personally, I don't think it's a problem, but you do know there are rules to observe..."

"Do relax; I am familiar with the rules. Can you be my referee?" asked Baiyi.

"That would be a true honor," replied the Vice President.

According to the rules set by the Sorcerer's Association, a sorcerer could not skip tiers in the Power Level Examinations just like that; however, everything had its exceptions. In order to attract the compelling ability users who were uninterested in ranks and power acknowledgments, the Sorcerer's Association decided to nullify certain rules for powerful beings like Baiyi; they were even willing to simplify certain procedures while they were at it.

With that being said, the Examination itself would not be simplified to a difficulty level similar to that in the master's level Power Examination; after all, this was a higher-ranked certification. Baiyi had to make a lot of preparations for it, though, producing proper dissertations of a certain quality and quantity, discovering or upgrading modern magic… etc. The tests involved were steps that could not be omitted at all. Furthermore, the Examination required a referee — a renowned sorcerer who had passed a similar level.

After completing everything, the Association would then have a vague idea of Baiyi's level in handling and understanding magic. Baiyi was, technically, almost half an Association member himself, so he could actually apply for some benefits and special perks, like money, money, and… money; or, he could enjoy some form of special privilege or resources, like applying for advanced patents, sharing a common messaging channel, massive savings from bulk buying rare ingredients, etc — perks that were not too shabby, at all. However, naturally, the duty and responsibility that came along with the certification would be just as heavy, and there would be a fair share of hassle involved.

Nevertheless, Baiyi was still willing to accept the burden that came with such perks, seeing as he would certainly enjoy the exclusive access to additional resources, alongside a heightened status. However, to think that he would need to answer to the bureaucratic measures of the Association... 'sigh.' He would rather leave all these behind because he preferred not to be constrained by anyone, at all.

However, Baiyi's primary reason to engage in yet another Power Level Examination was not just because of the perks; rather, it was a decision reached with his goals for the future in mind. His Academy's future, in fact. To be the principal of an academy without proper certification would certainly not be a respectable sight at all. His heroic persona — as firmly endorsed by the Church — would eventually fade with time, but a Power Level certificate would not. It could even bring him a better, more respectable reputation at the same time, which was a necessity in the process to build an academy.

Furthermore, whatever topics which were to be taught in the newly-established academy would have to be reported to the Association accordingly, and lessons could only officially be conducted after obtaining a note of quality approval. Forging a good relationship with the Sorcerer's Association now would be beneficial for his future.

After setting a date with the Vice President, agreeing to churn out a few drafts for his academic dissertation by then, and prompting the Vice President to arrange for an examination session, Baiyi prepared to head back home, with Undine by his side. She was as chirpy as a little sparrow on the journey back, full of praises and upbeat confidence as she cheered: "I knew you would do it! I knew this would be resolved when you decided to appear! You are the best!"

This shallow, unsubstantial flattery extended all the way from the Sorcerer's Association to the carriage, supported wholeheartedly by the Earl, who was beside her.

Baiyi flailed his hand around impatiently, interrupting the useless banter between the two.

"Those people out there... enjoy talking about me?"

the Earl quickly nodded his head. "A presence as powerful and mysterious as you are... is a topic everybody is interested in; even among us, the aristocrats and nobles, your name always comes up!"

"Yes, yes!" Undine acknowledged excitedly. "Even those noble maidens are very interested in you! Some even came to me just to hear the latest news about you — but after hearing how you only prefer young girls, they retreated knowingly in defeat..."

'You useless bunch. Do you even know how to have quality conversations?' Baiyi flicked his fingers against her head, trying to knock some sense into her brain. "And you'd believe nonsense like this?"

Undine pouted and stuck her tongue out in dissatisfaction.

"Why don't you have a good look at your students... they are more adorable and alluring than other girls…" she mulled in silence.

Just when Baiyi was feeling helplessly ticked off by such futile banter, there were others who were very interested in the results of the hearing. The Southern Duke, for example, was one of them. He had a grave expression on his face when he was done listening to the news update by his personal secretary.

"That old dog Wright... he gave me a whole painting just for this meager amount of money? What is the meaning of this?"

He flipped through a report lying on the desk.

"Regarding Hope, what news do you have of him?" the Southern Duke asked when he finally shifted his gaze to his secretary once more.

"Apologies, my dearest Duke; there is only so much we could investigate..." answered the secretary graciously.

"A Soul Armature who has been reincarnated for less than a year, along with the daughter of a poor leader... it's taken only a short time for that old man, Wright, to start helping them out without question — and you're telling me that all he does is to babysit those cute girls of his?" the Duke snapped unhappily. The report in his hand was hurled over his head — and in one smooth motion, it landed on the secretary, leaving a heap of useless papers before her feet. "I've heard much more interesting news than this from mere eavesdropping and rumors alone! If our men are incapable of finding anything, can't you find someone else to do the job, huh?"

"I am really sorry, Sir; I tried to ask Umbra to do it as a favor, but they rejected me outrightly, declaring that they would not carry out any favors regarding this particular individual..." the secretary apologized profusely.

"Even Umbra is siding with him? Umbra? Hoho, this is interesting indeed — something new that I haven't heard of so far. Those men you paid for aren't quite useless after all, ha!" The Count mumbled in a half-scoff. "What a mysterious fellow; how did he even manage to rile up the interest of that many.."

The Southern Duke drummed his fingers against the surface of the desk as he delivered his next command. "Devise methods to investigate more about this, but remember — don't startle him in the process. Conduct the investigation with pure, innocent curiosity, alright? Understand what I mean?"

"Also — where are the ones responsible for all this havoc? Where are those idiots who set foot into the barbarian's territory without my approval?" demanded the duke.

"They actually didn't want to interfere or make a deal with the Northern side; they only wanted to get a piece of those new, intriguing transport gliders. I've already given them a fair warning, and they've already stopped. I have also erased the traces of our involvement with the Sorcerer's Association; this shouldn't be tied back to use eventually."

"At least there's a bit of brain left in you." the Duke rubbed his hands together and continued. "The deal between the barbarians and these Northern fellows — something I managed to catch wind of — is not as simple as it appeared to be. Although everything seems like calm waters now, it is pretty much a sensitive topic in reality. There are many pairs of eyes out there, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, and even I do not dare to interfere."

The secretary was stunned into silence for a brief moment. If there was anything — or anyone for that matter — that could make the Southern Duke utter a phrase like 'I do not dare'... it could only mean the involvement of one being: the emperor from the Imperial City himself, Emperor Walthart. Naturally, this three-way business involving three different powers would catch the attention of the higher-ups, but the King himself had not yet expressed any form of objection, meaning whatever that was going on could carry on without issues. The situation was so sensitive. it was advisable not to lay any interfering hands on it — if it can be helped.

'Dedicated, passionate Undine and her party... were they aware of the severity of this?'

"Remember: shut your mouth a little tighter," the Southern Duke reminded her once more.

"Understood, Sir..." replied the secretary, without skipping a moment's beat. After bidding the Duke goodbye, she quickly picked the documents and reports off the ground and left the study, closing the door gently behind her.

Meanwhile, the Southern Duke began to scrutinize the huge painting gifted to him by Duke Wright. The painting was already mounted on the top corner of a wall in his study, alongside other rarities and private collectibles.

"Wright, my old friend... what are you trying to tell me? Is this a malicious threat? Or is this purely a reminder with kind intent?" the Southern Duke muttered under his breath.

As the Southern Duke was pondering about Baiyi and his next course of action, the mansion was filled with Baiyi's students, who were talking about the very same individual. It was the bunch of new kids: the kitsune, the owl, the sunflower and Nota, who were gathered together for lunch break. After a week's worth of lessons, it was time to assess Baiyi's capabilities in teaching, especially after comparing the lessons thought by Sorcerer-Sharkie with Apprentice-Sharkie's lessons.

"Master really is a powerful, formidable being..." Nota was the first to comment on the topic of discussion. "He is not only very well-versed in various fields of knowledge, but his explanations are so top-notch; he is also very serious and responsible towards us," she said as she flipped open her workbook. Baiyi had marked the questions she got wrong with a red glaring X and added a dense, meticulously-written explanation at its side.

The kitsune also opened his workbook to reflect on his corrected homework. He gave his tail a huge swish and started writing in magic calligraphy:

'He is truly a magnificent tutor indeed. Although I'd say that some of his methodologies are modern and unconventional, he is one of the most powerful masters I've ever had. I find him a little too strict, however. I'm not as talented as you are, Nota... I find it hard to meet his expectations sometimes…'

The sunflower and the owl nodded in mutual agreement at the kitsune's statement, their heads drooping lowly, feeling dejected.

"Don't be disappointed, everybody! I believe that Master had already noticed this and is finding the best way possible to help us out!" Nota the Fairy exclaimed encouragingly, balling her palms into little fists, trying her very best to lift everyone's moods

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278 The Two Decisions

On the way home, Baiyi was mulling over the type of academic dissertation he should submit. This was really crucial, for he not only had to satisfy the standards of the Sorcerer's Association, but he also had to be outstanding enough to make a name for himself in the academic world. After all, Baiyi wanted to be the principal of an academy; thus, he had to procure some sort of academic outcome to prove his worth.

Logically speaking, it was super easy for the Voidwalkers to produce high-quality dissertations. The Scholar, the Apprentice, the Soul Armature Practitioner, and even the Engineer and the Alchemist were naturals at this. The Artist was also very well-versed with the standards and requirements of the academic world, due to the fabrication skills he had accumulated from years of forgery and plagiarism. With this amount of support behind Baiyi, he could easily procure as many dissertations as he wished.

This posed another question for Baiyi — which made him even more conflicted and hesitant. 'What standard should I produce for my dissertations? Should they be written in a demigod-level? Or should they be legendary-level? These two options had their own pros and cons, of course. The former would definitely come in as a massive surprise for all, rousing all sorts of attention and all types of suspicion; the latter would be just the right amount of neutrality because they would blend in well enough; they would not gain too much criticism from the world, and it would certainly not rouse the level of interest that demigod-level dissertations would in the first place.

The hesitation he experienced was somewhat related to the predicament he was currently in. He wanted a fair reputation in the academic world, but he did not want to reveal too much about himself; finding a balance between both desires was not an easy task indeed.

The Charlatan, however, was ready to offer some insight regarding this dilemma that Baiyi was facing.

"Instead of writing essays of significant depth, why not consider a broader perspective; you don't need to give the impression of a knowledgeable scholar. The persona of an all-knowing and experienced elder suits you better," he suggested.

"There are many things you seek, and this might seem even more mysterious to those who question the meaning behind your actions. The unknown would induce fear, and this might give you momentary peace; but remember, the unknown will attract curiosity as well. You need to come up with a way to deal with this..."

"You really should've accepted that offer from the Royal Academy back then. Although the position could potentially be a hassle, it could serve as a shield from all this suspicion," said the Charlatan.

His words had a fair share of logic to them; it was undeniable that the Charlatan did possess a good understanding of this situation. After all, his experiences were pretty similar to Baiyi's, and they shared a similar sentiment toward having their background completely exposed. When he finally embarked on the correct path, a riches and lavish lifestyle became his for the longest time, yet he ended up in the limitless Void all the same.

This is why Baiyi decided to take the Charlatan's suggestion with a pinch of salt. He did not regret the fact that he rejected the King's offer at all, for his situation was far better than the Charlatan's; in the first place, concealing power was way easier than pretending to have power.

When Baiyi began to brainstorm on a topic for his thesis once again, he still ended up deciding to go with the Charlatan's suggestion: inviting a few seasoned individuals of the academic world to write on formation study, runes, alchemy, engineering, and astrology. Then, he would submit these four theses and his thesis, all of which centered around four major fields. Frankly speaking, topics like alchemy were not compulsory for sorcerers to practice, but they were still popular choices due to their basic, all-encompassing nature. Hence, there will be no issues writing about them.

On another hand, Baiyi was also submitting three individual theses about three different magical techniques for official approval. They were, respectively, Mia's stun grenades, which were so effective when used on the fighting ring back then; the enhanced version of the fire pole technique; and last but not least, a wind-type magic often used in shielding from long-distance arrows, like a miniature form of Claw of Tornarus.

According to the rules set by the Sorcerer's Association, further manipulation and experimentation on patented enchantments could be allowed if they were manipulated in a better, enhanced version of the original patent. The enhanced version could also be rewarded with partial patent rights, or it could be dubbed as a special class of magic. In other words, it was a strategy to encourage creation and individuality.

Obviously, the versions of magic procured by the Walkers were so advanced, they did not even resemble the original version...

Baiyi passed the duty of writing his own thesis to the Scholar and the other Voidwalkers, urging them to tone it down a notch and refrain from going too overboard with it; it just had to fulfill the requirements of a legendary-leveled candidate. Baiyi gathered his students and began to ask about the day's lessons.

"How was the lesson with Professor S today? Were you alright with him?" asked Baiyi. He took down the Scholar-Sharkie who was in the midst of climbing to Mia's head for rest and sent his consciousness back into the Void to write his paper.

"Today, Professor S was unlike the Master Sharkie of last time; he was gentle and patient! But, I still think you are the best, master..." Tisdale gave a brief review.

"But Professor S gave us lesser homework," mumbled Attie at a corner. The little Kitty-cat maid and the little village girl sat in for today's lessons on human culture and geography.

"Oh yes, now that you said it... I caught a glimpse of the questions just now; they don't look too complicated!" Nota the Elf chimed in, speaking extra softly and lowly.

'Tsk... do I give too much homework? They needed to get all these information embedded into their brains, though…' Seeing how the Scholar's performance was a more popular choice, Baiyi could not help but feel a little awkward.

At that moment, Mia suddenly extended her arm to him and begged.

"Sir Hope.... can you return Sharkie back to me, pretty please? We've had Professor S for the entire day; I never got the chance to hug Sharkie...."

One glance at Mia's face, which was filled with hope, made Baiyi suddenly consider the idea of toying with her a little. He bumped the Hammerhead Shark plush against her face, and as she reached to grab it, he pulled it away from her. Then, he held it over his head and seeing as he was seated, the height that he had raised the Hammerhead Shark to was completely out of Mia's reach.

Little Mia became even more agitated. She stopped reaching up, removed her leather shoes, and clambered onto Baiyi's lap. Her black silk stockings stepped on his armored leg as she reached for the plushie from her new height.

Baiyi instinctively swung the plushie around, to the back of his head, so that she does not take it. Mia had no choice but to lean forward onto him, causing her tiny body to press against his chest plate and her sweet, soft cheeks to brush against his facepiece... only then did she managed to snatch the shark plushie back into her arms.

The little rascal was now closer to him than before, and she had even dared to rub her body against his.

After lowering Mia back to the ground, Baiyi began to announce the two important decisions of the day, whilst toying with the ends of Mia's hair strands.

"First things first: there will be a new tutor from tomorrow onwards. She'll be in charge of History, Culture, Culinary, and other related lessons; she'll also foster your team working capabilities. I hope that you will treat her the same way you treat me."

Mia suddenly turned her head, causing the ends of her hand to slip from the gaps between Baiyi's fingers.

"Is it Sister Aya?" she asked. Mia had spent the previous day playing rather… indecent games with Mordred; however, she vaguely overheard a bit of the conversation that Baiyi and Aya had.

'But… calling her Sister Aya would sound quite inappropriate, wouldn't it?'

"That's right; it's her, indeed. She was a former instructor from the Brotherhood of Fire Wywerns, so you can say that she will be more professional than I am." nodded Baiyi. He reached out, with the intention of giving little Mia's face a little pinch, as if she was a squishy toy. Mia was forced to leave his side, feeling depressed, to escape his clutches, retreating back to Tisdale's side instead.

Baiyi had no choice but to find another means of entertainment; thus, he summoned Attie to his side, instead.

"Mm, the Aya we were referring to is that beautiful dragon-lady we met in Cloud City the other day — yes, the larger one," explained Baiyi, describing Aya to his non-human students.

As his voice faltered, he was greeted by the sight of pure terror from some of his students; the Kitsune, Nota and the four others started having nervous fits, shivering like a sieve in action.

"You don't have to be scared of her; she's nice," added Baiyi, trying his best to reassure his terrified students.

"B-but master, if Sister Aya is our tutor, that means Mordred..." Tisdale followed with another question, with a complicated expression on her face — the same expression on Mia's face.

"She'll most probably be joining us, I think?" answered Baiyi. He felt genuinely confused when he noticed the unnatural expression on their faces. "What's wrong? You've known the pair for quite some time, no? Why don't you seem too happy about this arrangement?"

"Uh...n-nothing..." Tisdale denied any objections raised in her heart, mulling in private, 'I just thought that it seemed a little crowded, with Master being surrounded by so many beautiful girls…'

"This is the first announcement. Now, the second one is: "I say, really, you can stop feeling nervous now, Kitsune; with me around, do you think she'll have the chance to eat you up?" Baiyi reassured the great fox, upon realizing how badly shaken the Kitsune seemed about the arrival of two dragons.

"Sorry, Sir Hope, it is only a natural reaction; if you would just look at how the food chain works..."

The Kitsune replied with his mana-fueled speech bubbles.

"Just don't worry too much about it; you all will be fine after mingling with each other for some time," Baiyi reassured even further. "Now, on to the second announcement: everybody seems to have put significant effort into their lessons, so I was thinking that we should organize an external activity, like an excursion. Take this as a chance to apply whatever you've learned into the real world, and take a break while we're at it, too. As for when... it will happen a few days from now, maybe."

"Eh? We're going on another excursion... again?" Mia's tone was one of reluctance. "Can we... not go? I feel that I haven't really mastered the theory part..." she implored cautiously.

Mia had grown smarter after only the experiences gained from two trips with Baiyi, and now, an excursion was only a pretty name for a full-on adventure. For the first trip, they went to the steppe, and it ended up with a full-frontal ambush by a sea of barbarian cavalries; for the second trip, they visited the realm of Gouve, and the apocalypse almost happened...

"C'mon now; don't be scared!" Baiyi tried to soothe. He shooed Attie away and pulled Little Mia closer to him with a magical force, smoothing her hair as he cooed. "This time, we'll go to a safe place — a very, very harmless one, I guarantee..."

"But... Day of Grace is next month, isn't it?" Laeticia seemed to be unfazed by the topic of another excursion. As a devout believer, she placed all her attention on the upcoming Day of Grace instead.

"Don't worry; we'll be back before the Grace Day," Baiyi lied.

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279 A Misunderstanding About Identity

Of course, that was a big fat lie. Baiyi planned to create a little diversion so that by the time the dust had settled, he would be back after December 5th. That way he would miss Grace Day completely; it should suffice, right?

It did not really matter that the kids wanted to celebrate the festive season. Grace Day celebrations would last 10 days, so with only one day taken out, they would still have 9 days left to play.

That way, he would not have to celebrate the festival alone, and the kids would get to join the celebratory gala. Baiyi had to admit that he was very pleased with his own plan.

However, before they hit the road, Baiyi had to finish two issues he had on hand. First, the issue regarding his Power Level Examination. The Association was going to take a break for the 10-day celebratory period of Grace Day, and after the holidays were over, it would be saddled with a heap of work, which it would have accumulated during the break. Because of this, Baiyi reckoned that it would be much better just to finish his theses as soon as possible.

That night, the Scholar-led group of Voidwalkers writing the dissertations finally completed them all. Baiyi copied them down onto papers and attached a letter, where he requested a speedy process, to the written dissertations.

The next thing Baiyi had to do was find a vacation destination. However, he had already taken care of this; he had found quite a location.

Back when Baiyi had just finished off Thaas, the Fifth Walker had directed his newly-smuggled energy — which was twenty percent of the total energy he had in the Void — to roam in and out of realms, slowly searching for undiscovered small, habitable realms, like some sort of scout.

However, quite amazingly, this stream of smuggled energy had recently returned to Baiyi with a report on a miniature realm for human habitation that had not been visited by humans!

Compared to other realms, this new realm could be considered a baby. It was only as big as five Arfin cities. It was also too small to host a country. These were probably the reasons why humans had not bothered to visit the realm. It was just too small an environment to act as the cradle to any hypothetical civilization with sufficiently high intelligence.

However, this did not stop the realm from being bewitchingly beautiful. The realm had every marvel that nature had to offer. Valleys, rivers, forests, meadows could all be found in the realm; it was a paradise.

This made it the perfect spot for the kids to frolic and explore. It had the scenic wonders of an adventure but possessed none of its uncontrollable risks. The returning part of Baiyi's consciousness had already surveyed the realm and confirmed that there were no intelligent life forms there, neither were there any reactions that suggested the use of unnatural powers. The only lifeforms that it had detected some adorable critters.

All the Voidwalkers agreed that this realm was a good place to travel. This time, Baiyi was sure that he was not being subliminally persuaded.

Baiyi did not just consider this realm a perfect place to play. If everything went well, he would like to build his academy right there. After all, the nosy Church was not there, and the annoying hustles of the common folks did not exist there as well.

Baiyi would be free to do whatever he wanted. Would it not be awesome?

Naturally, the only way to be sure of that would be to go there in person. That was one of the reasons why Baiyi wanted to complete his Power Level Examination quickly. Another reason, of course, was because many materials that were needed to build the trans-realm transporter portal formation were controlled by the Association. Thus, in order to build his own portal, Baiyi would need to buy materials from the Association itself, and that would only be possible if became a member first and submit a detailed request report.

The next day, class was once again conducted by Professor S because Baiyi had to rush to the Association's Arfin branch to submit his thesis, seeing as it was still early in the morning. Furthermore, he was in a hurry because Aya had sent him a letter telling him that she would be arriving at noon for a wholesome family reunion lunch.

Baiyi was not planning to disappoint his first full-time employee.

Hence, Baiyi soon returned to the very same building he had created a havoc in a few days before.

The front desk had already been replaced by a sturdier metal desk. The receptionist was gazing at with a strange look from behind her new desk, but Baiyi ignored her. He went straight into Fatty Joe's office and stared at the branch manager with a weird expression.

"Can you submit these for me? These are my dissertations for the Examination," Baiyi asked, waving the five papers in his hands.

Fatty Joe was stunned. He asked Baiyi to take a seat, then he began to address Baiyi's request.

"Master Hope, you have your thesis already? I… I just heard the news of you joining the Exam yesterday! I myself made a small bet… The betting polls have not even closed and here you are, already done with your work!"

Baiyi replied, "I have a lot more time in my hand now, remember? This has enabled me to spend many nights working on this."

With this, Baiyi was reminding the man that he was, after all, a Soul Armature who did not need to sleep.

Then, Baiyi asked, "Anyway, about that bet you mentioned…"

"Just some office entertainment," Fat Joe replied, with a smile on his face. When Baiyi mentioned how he had managed to complete his dissertation so fast, there was no doubt on Fat Joe's face, only bewilderment. He believed that it was possible for Baiyi to have already finished his dissertations. If a researcher wrote down a few key ideas everyday for the duration of his academic career, it would take only a little amount of time for the researcher to flesh out his ideas and use them to write a coherent essay. In fact, this was any easy method to write any thesis.

Fat Joe proceeded to explain to Baiyi why the betting polls were set up. Sorcerers enjoyed little thrills just as much as common folks did. Therefore, whenever there were big headlines making rounds, sorcerers would usually place bets on the parties involved.

This time, Baiyi made the news, and the sorcerers set up a bet on whether or not Baiyi could pass the Immortal-level power examination.

Surprisingly, a lot of sorcerers actually bet against Baiyi success because, to them, the odds of him failing was more plausible than the other outcome.

It seemed like there was only so much a reputation fueled by the Church's claims could amount to.

"As you already knew, sorcerers are a proud bunch. Sometimes, that pride can turn into outright complacency and overconfidence." Fat Joe explained, feeling embarrassed.

"I hope that there would no dirty ploys in this exam." Baiyi could not care less about what others thought of him; instead, he dryly commented on another issue.

"Don't worry about that. When the Examination is conducted for those with a power level equal or beyond Legendary-level, the entire process became quite strident. It will be completely fair, transparent, and balanced. No one will be able to rig the outcome just to win some minuscule bet," Fat Joe replied reassuringly.

Then, the branch manager picked up Baiyi's thesis which had been sitting neatly on his desk and asked, "May I?"

"Oh, sure. Please. You can correct me if you spot any errors," Baiyi said, feigning humility.

Fat Joe flipped through Baiyi's first thesis which was titled "The Efficiency, Accuracy of Formulation, and Malleability in the Practical Usage of Rohlserlian Formations and Modern Runes: Differences, Strengths, and Weaknesses."

Just that mouthful of a title made cold sweat drip down Fat Joe's forehead. When he opened up one of Baiyi's dissertations, Fat Joe felt that he was reading something that had been written in some sort of proto-language. Despite knowing the individual terms used in this paper, he still found the entire content unrecognizable.

'This thesis is way over my head…' With no choice but to give up on that dissertation, Fat Joe shifted his focus to the next one: "A Discourse on the Application of Simplified Runic Magic in Battles by Modern Sorcerers."

'The hell is a "Simplified Rune"?' Fat Joe had to dig deep into his memory to remember that simplified runes were runic magic used by a bizarre sect of sorcerers who called themselves the "War Druids".

This paper, however, did not require an understanding of intricate formations, so Fat Joe could still understand parts of the essay, albeit with great difficulties. More importantly, just the first few paragraphs made him feel like his mind had been blown wide open.

Finally, he finished the paper and exhaled with fulfillment. "Such a marvelous way of utilizing the technique; who knew! Although these war druids have different philosophies, unlike we sorcerers, the ways by which these simplified runes are applied are very interesting. Many parts of this dissertation were particularly enlightening…"

Fat Joe had already decided to use his privilege to make a copy of that dissertation for himself so that he could learn even more from it. He had reasons to believe that if he could completely understand the wisdom embedded in it, his own power would most certainly see a marked improvement.

Baiyi did not say anything. He only waited for the branch manager to finish reading all the dissertations.

The other three dissertations were about alchemy, engineering, and astrology, which inevitably made Fat Joe feel like he was reading ancient texts. Although he had not studied any of these three subjects, he could still easily detect the professional countenance of the author who used these jargons. He was sure that Baiyi's knowledge in these subjects was second to no other person.

"I did not expect Master Hope to possess such deep understanding on these subjects. Your perspectives in many aspects of these subjects are unique," Fat Joe said coyly.

Baiyi could only laugh internally. He was sure that Fat Joe had not understood a single word, but he chose not to blow the branch manager's cover. Instead, he replied courteously, "If it is alright and does not require any corrections, then please help me submit them."

"Rest assured, I will get on it right away!" Fat Joe replied reassuringly. Then, he leaned into his chair and said to Baiyi, "After reading your thesis, I'm sure that those hundred gold coins are as good as mine already!"

'The fella didn't hold back at all, did he? But then again, he is the Branch Leader of a city, so betting a hundred gold coins should be considered as small entertainment.'

As soon as his matters were taken care of, Baiyi saw no reason to stay any longer, so he stood up. However, at that very moment, Fat Joe asked, "Um, Mr. Hope? Forgive my curiosity, but you can't possibly be… the Great Unmoving Sage himself, right?"

"He was considered the most knowledgeable Great Sage in the history of the Doors of Conundrum — a man who had dyed the pages of academia with his pen, and a man who had inscribed his name and prestige into history. From what I heard, from the moment he joined the Doors of Conundrum, he never stepped outside of their libraries again. Not many saw his true face. We only recognized him through the thesis stamped with Great Sage's Mark. No one even knew his real name! Sir Hope, it was you, wasn't it? Only a man like that would match your prestige," Fat Joe finished.

Baiyi shook his head sideways and replied, "There are way many people like me in the Doors of Conundrum, you see. It's just that everyone has always been so engrossed in the ocean of knowledge, that they had not given much care for other things. The mundane could not possibly best the wonders that lay between the pages."

However, on the inside, Baiyi cried, 'Open your eyes and look at me. What part of me looks like a fossil-aged hikikomori now?'

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280 Critically Acclaimed

For some reason — probably due to the curiosity of many people, or due to the existence of a fair-sized betting poll focused on him — the Examination process was far more efficient for Baiyi then it normally was. It did not take long for his thesis to change hands, from Fat Joe's to the panels', which consisted of elderly scholars.

The arbiters of the Examination were gathered in the Association's headquarters meeting room, and every elder had a thesis in their hands, which they slowly read.

After a long period of quiet reading, one of the elders, who read the quickest, finally put down his copy, nursing a mild fatigue. He rubbed his eyebrows and muttered, "When they urged us to review these dissertations, I thought the reason behind their request was because these theses were written by another bunch of people who just happened to know a high-ranking official. Thus, I believed we were about to gag ourselves with imbeciles trying their hardest to emulate wordsmiths, but I was wrong…"

He finished voicing his thought and froze, expecting a response from the other elders. But the collective reply was an awkward silence; the type that one usually got when a roomful of people had ignored them. Only the sounds of pages being flipped repetitively rang throughout the room.

Feeling embarrassed, he looked up, and immediately, he understood what had happened. The rest of his peers were still engrossed in the theses, completely oblivious to his prior words.

Apparently, the theses which the elder who had spoken was assigned to — which was a thesis about the Rohlserlian formations — was too complicated for him. The only reason why he had been the first to finish his assigned thesis was because he had skipped over the parts he did not understand.

As more elders reached the end of the respective dissertations they were assigned to, the silence in the meeting room was gradually replaced by a growing hubbub of praises; such as, "Amazing!", "Spectacular!", "Mind blowing!" etc.

"I'm at loss for how to rate 'A Discourse on the Application of Simplified Runic Magic in Battles by Modern Sorcerers'. You know what? I think we should just skip the rating, and immediately move it to the 'Pay to read' category," one of the elderly scholars on the panel suggested.

"Ho! You're this impressed?" Another elderly scholar who was sitting close to him replied doubtfully. "I thought 'simplified runes' were an invention of those heretical war druids. Isn't one of the points of proud traditionalists like you to never accept deviants like them?"

"...Well, I'll admit that I started out as a critic aiming to tear the thesis apart, but as I read, I just had to admit that my understanding of war druids and the knowledge I had of this treatise was just too shallow. I really recommend giving this a read. It's not too academically difficult, neither is too abstract; it is an essay that High-level sorcerers to Holy-level sorcerers would be able to comprehend. It may look simple at first glance, but the knowledge embedded within is far more revealing than its humble presentation! That part about its practical usage in battles really gave me a rude awakening! No wonder the man could defeat Thaas; his understanding of pragmatic battle tactics has long since surpassed old nerds like us," a panel who was known for being uptight and uncompromising in standards did not hold back in his praises as he explained.

He continued, " Being able to present a highly-stylized philosophy of battle in such a simple manner, which can be read by just about any literate, has already belied Master Hope's academic proficiency. I think… I think he has already surpassed me in this regards, too. Compared to those complicated, abstract theories that we engross ourselves in, I understand that the true purpose of academic researches had always been for pragmatic applications. I think we have all forgotten our original intent… After reading his thesis, I must admit that I have changed my mind about those whom I once believed to be heretics."

"Oh, you could say that again," the elderly scholar who had been the first to finish spoke up. "Laugh at me all you want, but I was the first to finish reading only because I didn't understand many of the details in the essay…"

He waved the thesis he was assigned to as he spoke — one that explored the differences between Rohlserlian formations and modern runes. "His knowledge on both Rohlserlian formations and modern runes are already way out of my league! In fact, I think it's way out of the league of Legendary-level sorcerers! He is obviously, at least, as capable in complicated researches as we are…"

"H-Hold on a minute. You didn't understand it as well? Are they really this tough?" Another panel, whose expertise was in magic related to alchemy, chimed in curiously. He then pointed at the thesis he was given and said, "The one I got here is pretty unbelievable, too! Many of the ideas shown were really fresh and incredibly riveting, especially on the application of uncommon combination materials in the construction of formations and runic complexes. The concepts behind his proposal are simple, yet for some reason, he still discovered them, while we were eluded! Methinks many of the techniques in his proposal should be patented, especially because a lot of these may very well serve as the backbone to generate impressive revenues."

"I heard that he's not into patents, though!" Someone from the crowd interjected.

"No problem. I'll do all of the heavy lifting for him, then," the panel replied. It would not be difficult for him to work on such procedures on Baiyi's behalf because he occupied positions within the Sorcerers Association and the Alchemy Association.

To summarize their reviews, Baiyi's multidisciplinary theses had captivated his panels more than they had expected, which, of course, served as fuel to stoke the fire of curiosity they had towards his real identity.

"Does anyone think his real identity may be, well, the Great Unbending Sage? Think about it! Only someone like this man from legend could be this knowledgeable. Have the Doors of Conundrum ever commented about this possibility?"

"I have beaten you to that. The Great Unbending Sage was from ancient times, a sage of yore; and with the terrible administration system which the Doors of Conundrum is infamous for, no one there is even able to tell the gender of the sages, let alone concrete information regarding their identity!"

"I heard from rumors within the Doors that the Great Unbending Sage was actually a woman. Master Hope doesn't act like a woman in any way, though. Don't you think?"

"Oh, I wouldn't rule that one out so easily if I were you! I heard that he has an earnest partiality towards little girls, and he has always gone to great lengths to groom his students. All of them are always garbed in gorgeous outfits that really make them shine! Doesn't that remind you of the caring nature of mothers?"

While the crowd of elderly nerds began debating on Baiyi's gender — with some even going as far as to suggest that the great Master Hope could be a drag queen — Baiyi himself was having a normal lunch with Aya and Mordred back in Arfin City.

His nose had been mysteriously itching to sneeze for a while now, which amused him. Thousands of years had passed since he had experienced this feeling, but now, it felt very unfamiliar!

"Don't tell me someone's talking bad about me behind my back," Baiyi commented in the Void. "I can't think of a reason for anyone to do so, though, especially because of how perfect those theses had been, right? I had already read them, and each author really put in their best effort!"

"That piece of shit was enough to show our 'best effort'? Oh please, jokes are supposed to be funny, Sir Hope. Have you forgotten who I really am? I… am the Penetrator of Realms, the —" The Alchemist began blurting out a barrage of edgy, chuunibyou-like descriptions, and this made the Voidwalkers unfortunate enough to listen him feel like they had developed cancer.

To be fair, however, the Alchemist was not completely wrong. The Alchemist's true capabilities and mad-scientist-like-qualities were not brought to light in the relatively conservative and orthodox thesis that he wrote for Baiyi. It did feel a bit like a professor being forced to write a junior high essay; thus, it was not surprising that he would feel crossed for being recognized for the faked traditionalist approach he embedded in his submission.

"Where is your mind wandering to this time, hmm?"

Opposite Baiyi was a perceptive Aya, who quickly questioned him when she noticed him keeping quiet. The little dragon-lady had dressed exceptionally beautifully for today's family-gathering meal, putting on a lavender long dress that bared her shoulders. She then wore a handful of jewelry that she usually reserved at home. She had even put on some makeup that accentuated her beautiful features, making her seem as though she had come from a masterful painting.

She had now managed to outdo her previous appearance at the banquet, revealing the effort that the belle put into what Baiyi saw as a normal lunch, which she had been looking forward to.

"I was just thinking about this kid," Baiyi replied as he looked at Mordred carving her steak by her side. The daddy-clinging troublemaker was also dressed nicely for the occasion, making her look even more adorable than normal. She seemed very obedient today and ate her meal steadily without trying Baiyi's patience.

"Papa?" Mordred heard Baiyi's words and turned her gaze to him. Her innocent jade-green eyes brimmed with curiosity. Then, she proceeded to spear a piece of steak with her fork and extend the meat to Baiyi.

'Whenever this troublemaker is not being difficult, she can be so endearing…' Baiyi ruffled her hair, even though he declined her offer.

Of course, her stubborn habit of calling him 'papa' had turned into a headache for both Aya and Baiyi. To get around it, Baiyi could only make Mordred promise him that she would only call him that when no one else was around. That meant that other times, including when his students were around, Mordred was to call him 'Sir'.

The Troublemaker only agreed hesitantly, but Aya was secretly overjoyed; her mind came up with a lot of ideas to use the evident leeway Baiyi had given her daughter. She felt lucky to have Mordred take up the role of a child, completing the look of a typical nucleus family, even if dragons and Soul Armatures could not produce offsprings.

'It's a good thing that 'Hmph.mp3' and 'Nature's Catastrophe' can't exit the Void. Or else, the catfight between both women would turn everywhere into a scene of carnage!'

After their meal, Baiyi took the mother-daughter duo to the mansion he had requested Vidominar's Butler and servants to clean completely. The mansion was situated opposite his, so the only distance which his new teacher would have to cross to his reach his place would be the width of their street.

Everything they would need was prepared; fresh vegetables, fruits, and poultry, for instance, were already on standby in the dragon pair's new kitchen. Mordred's room was already decorated with all kinds of adorable plushies, emitting an ambiance of girlish youthfulness. The troublemaker was ecstatic as she hugged a gigantic whale plushie and rolled around on her new bed.

'The expertise and quality of the Butler and Co.'s service is simply reliable…' Baiyi thought as he quietly compared them with his chaotic Kitty Cat Maid.

Shortly after, he discovered that Aya's room was furnished with a large double bed covered with a very coquettish pink bedsheet.

"Okay. Is it me, or is this quite inappropriate?" Baiyi thought quietly to himself.

Aya's chiseled face turned crimson almost immediately. She gently leaned into his back and said bashfully, "I-I know we haven't performed a sacred nuptial ceremony, b-b-but… if you can't contain it anymore, I'm fine too…"Chuunibyou is an often-derisive Japanese slang meaning "Middle School Syndrome. Other readers recognize it as "Eighth-Grader Syndrome

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281 The Three Candidates

"We can do that if you really can't stand it, you know..." Aya said, with a tone that made her seem out of breath. Then, she added, "I mean, your scent is already smeared all over my body... but, if you want me to transform back to my original form, we'll have to find a secluded spot...YEOW!" Her forehead was flicked by Baiyi.

'What's with that… that seemingly intimate description? What did you say? I can... what? What exactly can a soul armature do to you, anyway? Original form? As if I want anything to do with it! I'm not even a follower of certain a religion that promises heaven filled with hour is, so do you think I would be that kinky?' Baiyi pondered furiously in his heart. He could not help but acknowledge that the mindset of the dragonkind was indeed quite different from that of humans. 'How old is Aya again? She is already having such thoughts before being of suitable age for marriage…'

After Baiyi delivered a lecture about propriety to Aya, while chiding her on the need to maintain a purer mind, the little dragon-lady began to tail Baiyi meekly, looking like a daughter-in-law who had just been scolded. Aya held Mordred's hand, and they all crossed the road to go and meet her new students.

As soon as the students saw her, they looked like they were facing off against their ultimate arch-nemesis! The owl transformed into a complete beast-shaped armor set, and this armor covered the great fox; this tactic was something Sunny the owl had learned while doing its homework. The sunflower clambered onto the great fox's head and settled into the strategically designed sunken spot on its helmet, then the great fox bared its fangs and frightful claws, forming an intimidating stance.

'Is this owl's true form really not some sort of slime? How can he just transform into… anything?'

Nota also made a move. She held the witch's hat on her head and began to climb up the Kitsune's back laboriously... This stance was their 'four-in-one' winning strategy, which they firmly believed would be the primary factor for their success; their level of naivety was equivalent to the nine-stage elimination strategy used by the Imperial Japanese forces in WWII.

Modred leaped onto the Kitsune's back, and her gaze fell on the cute Nota. She proceeded to hold Nota's hand graciously.

"You're so cute! I'm Mordred. What about you?" Mordred initiated warmly.

"m—My name is n—Nota..." Nota shuddered in pure terror; her entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Such an adorable name!" Mordred's voice rang out with pure, innocent laughter. She whipped out the whale plushie and stuffed it between Nota's arms, instead.

"This is what pap— oh, no... this is what Master bought for me earlier! Isn't it cute? Mama always said that good things have to be shared, so now that we're buddies, I'll lend it to you for a bit!"

"tha—Thank y—you..." Nota's voice was as audible as a mosquito's.

"Let's get along nicely, everybody!" Mordred bared her two fangs and came forward to give Nota a welcoming embrace, giving her soft, fluffy cheeks a gentle caress.

'Hmm.. this strategy seemed like the exact same one used on little Mia, isn't it?' Baiyi pondered silently as he watched the entire scene unfold before his eyes, noticing how insolently unresponsive the great fox and the rest were.

'How bloody embarrassing! At least make your own exit, dammit!'

After that, Baiyi decided to handover the situation to Aya, giving her the stage to get more accustomed to the new students and the environment. Getting herself acquainted with the students and earning their acceptance was her own duty. Baiyi could not help her out there, and there was nothing he could say or do to facilitate the process. Everything will be down to Aya's personal charm.

Pondering about other things, Baiyi went to his underground laboratory. He had decided to spend the afternoon drafting out the details of three techniques, which he planned to patent through the Sorcerers' Association.

According to his plans for the future, these three techniques — Flame Pole, Flash bomb, and Claw — would not only serve as his introductory pieces to the academic world because he also had personal plans for them. With the exception of the Flame Pole, whose name the Archmage had ripped off from something else, the other two techniques were not appropriate for one-on-one battles. The flash bombs were more suitable for small-scale confrontations and ambushes, especially those held indoors. The new and improved Claw was more suitable for military-scale battles involving large armies, and the Steppe Barbarians, who were exceptionally fond in using projectile attacks upon horseback, found it especially effective.

He already had plans to put these techniques up for sale. Besides these three, there were some modified enchantments, such as the Ultimate Slow-Down Enchantment, Attack Speed-Up, Defense Shield, and more — all of which where within the range of militia magic — that he could patent.

These enchantments were to be made into scrolls that would be sold to the Steppe Barbarians. The Steppe Barbarians were currently in the midst of a war, and they lacked sorcerers; shamans were not reliable, at all. Besides transforming into dancing wolves and getting killed, shamans were useless; after all, they were not druids, who had the utmost understanding of the world's elements. Hence, Baiyi's toys could definitely help either side win the war. He was not worried about being able to sell them, and he was pretty sure that the profit would be magnanimous. This was, by far, the best platform to put them up for sale.

As of now, news of the deal in Steppe had still not been made public. Although there were some who knew about it, they were extremely tight-lipped about it, without leaking a single wisp of it out. There were no rumors of external influences, meddling parties, or any sign of huge players coming into the scene. Those who were watching simply watched Undine and her gang make money out of this.

Seeing how easily they let Undine and her friends off on such a profitable deal made Baiyi wondered if a sinister and powerful force had set its eye on the area, so everyone else was leaving it alone. However, Bayi naturally had to act fast so that he could milk a huge sum of profit through Undine's vast web of contacts before the unknown force began to show its hand.

"Whew, hopefully the examination goes as smoothly as this," Baiyi murmured to himself, with a slightly muffled tone of voice. He had quite the good impression of the Sorcerer's Association, for now. In fact, he was sort-of a sorcerer himself, so naturally, he hoped that there will be no hiccups along the way. Since Grace Day was fast approaching, he had to hasten his steps.

After three days, Baiyi was almost done preparing the items for his mini excursion. Additionally, a letter from the Sorcerer's Association arrived before his doorstep that same day. It was an official invitation that required him to report himself for the Powel Level Examination the next day. This level of efficiency did not fail Baiyi's expectations, at all.

Baiyi proceeded to brief Aya and the rest of his students on his plan for the upcoming days. As he spoke, he noticed Mordred lying on top of the great, with the owl in her embrace, and all three were playing together. After three days of getting to know each other, the students seemed to have grown accustomed to Aya's presence, seeing as they now knew that they would not be eaten up; however, there was the possibility that this development may have only come about because the students feared the dragonkind. In the end, the fact that the students were no longer trembling in fear at the sight of Aya was a good sign. The fact that they could now maintain a level of contact, for educational purposes, made everything even better. Hence, closed-room-lessons and group sessions would no longer be a problem, and under Aya's tutelage, the students had begun to learn more about teamwork and its significance.

However, their relationship was still pretty awkward in private. Aya could not think of a better way to improve that for now, so she only chose to maintain the current level of interaction, while considering better methods to enhance it.

The next morning, Baiyi prepared to leave the house.

"That's about it, I think. I shall leave now."

"Have a safe journey." Aya had donned an apron and was standing against the doorway, looking like a dutiful wife who was sending her husband off for work.

The culinary lessons had also already begun early that morning. Attie and Nota were in the kitchen, putting their best efforts into their work. This was the third day of their lessons. Attie was a natural, but Nota... she kept forgetting where she placed the pepper…

Baiyi gave a curt nod and asked, "According to the updates on their progress which you gave me earlier, the great fox and the rest will be learning combat material today, right?"

"Actually, they cannot use typical combat moves that are catered for humans because they are naturally instilled with the best abilities and reflexes. If it was up to me, I'll just teach them a few simple aura exercises" Aya replied. "I did think of teaching them dragon's aura, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to pick it up..."

'My dear Aya, do you really think that the great fox and the owl could learn dragon's breath?' Baiyi mused, humored slightly by her thoughts. 'But whatever, she could teach them for the fun of it.'

Baiyi went on his way after that and reached the headquarters of the Sorcerer's Association at about ten in the morning. When he arrived at the designated level, via the hover disc, he bumped into two candidates, who had also signed up for the Examination, outside the practice arena — an old man and a young lad. Looking at the purple insignia on their chests, Baiyi could tell that they were Master level, so it was obvious to him that they were here to sit for the Legendary-level examination.

"Oh? A soul armature?" said the lad — who looked to be in his twenties — when he set eyes on Baiyi. The lad looked on curiously and noticed a similar purple badge on Baiyi's chest armor.

"Why would a soul armature attend a Power Level Examination? Can soul armatures still increase their powers?" The lad questioned in a low mumble.

Hearing the lad's words, the old man also tossed a gaze in Baiyi's direction, with a look of interest on his face.

Logically speaking, after soul armatures got sorted into a particular Power Level, they would not attend Power Level Examinations anymore. There were two reasons for this: first, it was too troublesome; second, after their summoning, the powers that soul armatures wielded decreased significantly, so there was no need to go through another Power Level Examination just to verify that.

Baiyi sensed their gazes and returned the favor by focusing his senses on the two. They both had legendary-level energy. The old man, who looked even older than Baiyi, was really nothing to shout about; it was the lad who Baiyi found interesting. He seemed to be as young as he looked; his body emitted an aura of youth and vitality.

'A twenty-year-old legendary-level? This individual can already be considered a genius!' The lad was dressed in common, shabby robes. One look at the staff in his grasp, and one could tell that it was a cheap item. The lad's financial situation must be pretty bad, so he probably was not one of those geniuses from a noble family.

This was quite remarkable. A genius lad with a common, mediocre background would have a great attitude and upbringing, unlike those rich geniuses who were born with unlimited benefits and resources at their disposal. With the exception of his plain looks and mediocre appearance, the lad was fit to be the protagonist of a typical fantasy storyline.

"How do you do, everybody? My name is Hope," Baiyi greeted politely, toning down his usual pompous attitude.

"Hope...?" The Elder lapsed into a moment's hesitation, during which his expression shifted from confusion to realization. "Are you really… Hope?" Obviously, he must have heard those stories from the Church.

The genius lad, however, maintained a normal reaction.

"Old man, is he very famous?" The lad turned to the Elder and asked nonchalantly.

'Mm? This can't be it now, can it? Using the metrics on Earth, I should be somewhat of an internet celebrity by now, right? You're telling me this lad has never heard of me?' Baiyi mulled pensively.This was referring to the combat strategy coined by the Imperial Japanese forces during World War II. It will not be elaborated here fully, but to sum it up, it was an assumption based-strategy, making the American troops seem like actors in a play. Everybody knew what happened in the end; it was a classic example of a backfired strategy.

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282 What? A Sudden Interest In Boys?

As the old man was narrating stories about the famous Hope — the stories that had been exaggerated by the Church — to the young lad, other candidates began to show up to the venue, one by one. A vast majority of them wore Masters-level badges. Almost all of them gazed at Baiyi, who stuck out like a sore thumb at one corner; some even bravely went up to him to say hello. Baiyi returned the favor by introducing himself as inconspicuously as possible, but the wave of discussions that came after that could not be avoided. It did not induce a very big commotion, however.

This was because not many had seen Baiyi physically, and the name "Hope" did not really ring any bells in their heads. The probability of the soul armature having a similar name with the famous Hope was pretty high, after all; thus they could not just go assuming that any Hope they saw was really the savior of the world. Baiyi was being extremely low-profile; he had even made sure not mention the flashy, gaudy title that his master, the Archmage, had coined him.

Even if he had mentioned the title, it probably would not have had an effect there…

As the number of candidates in the arena increased, the atmosphere gradually shifted from a jovial, happy atmosphere to a more serious one. Loud voices lowered to whispers, and soon, Baiyi's surrounding was almost quiet; multiple conversations had ended. After the last candidate arrived, a person from the examination crew began to distribute forms. Baiyi took a look around and counted ten candidates, including himself.

'What a busy scene!' Baiyi thought as he surveyed his surroundings. In the earlier years, having ten candidates sitting for the examination, all at once, was an extremely rare situation, and only twelve to twenty Legendary-levels were produced each year. However, as society progressed, the education system improved, and more people were able to make contributions in the fields of academics; furthermore, the usage of natural resources increased greatly. As a result of this, the numbers of high-level ability users increased drastically; this was a sign of a progressing civilization.

The expressions on the faces of the candidates were expressions of unease and competitiveness. According to unreliable rumors, the Sorcerers' Association planned to limit the number of successful candidates it accepted. They also planned to make the process of acknowledgment even more troublesome by increasing the passing rate to a high percentage.

Although the exact percentage was unknown, the possibility of being eliminated from the examination was very high, especially due to the large number of candidates present. If the total number of candidates was only two to three, it would be quite normal for everyone to pass. However, in an examination which contained ten candidates, even if all ten of them had Legendary-level abilities, half of the group would still be eliminated.

However, this passing rate was still considered reasonable, despite how unforgiving it was to those who participated. Due to the life expectancy of the world's top fighters, every power level certificate — and the privileges and benefits that came with it — bestowed to a qualified sorcerer would remain active over a long time. They could only be retracted when the qualified sorcerer passes away. With that in mind, it was no wonder that they had to put some extra effort to limit the number of people who passed.

Baiyi still felt quite calm, despite understanding just how competitive the test was. A challenge was nothing to one who possessed true power and potential. He was the Fifth Voidwalker, so how could he not best commoners in this examination...

Soon, the challenges section of the Power Level Examination officially commenced. The candidates walked into the examination arena leisurely, familiarizing themselves with the scene before them. The arena was decorated somewhat like a school or a community hall; it had various challenges spread across the area, which had been sectioned into zones. There was an observing sorcerer stationed at each zone.

The itinerary for an advanced Power Level Examination like this was pretty cumbersome.

Besides submitting academic dissertations, Power Level Examinations contained a series of challenges related to mana, energy focus, chanting speed, and more. The key aspect of Power Level Examinations, however, was the menial task that preceded the dissertation submission and the challenges. Its objective was to prove that the candidate could carry themselves well beyond theoretical situations, helping the Association with its menial tasks while they were at it. Most believed that the latter was the real reason behind the tasks.

When candidates complete the entire process, they would be awarded the precious certificate of power acknowledgment. If there were no special arrangements made — which would leave the Sorcerer's Association to do as it pleased — it was completely normal for the whole process — from submitting academic dissertations to finally receiving the certificate of acknowledgment — to take a full year. Eavesdropping on the conversations around him, Baiyi realized that most candidates had started their process almost half a year ago.

This was why many heavyweight fighters eschewed power ranking examinations altogether. Baiyi had gotten lucky this time, for his convenience had stemmed from a little external help.

The first event in the itinerary was a series of evaluations related to mana. In these evaluations, candidates were tested in certain criteria: the amount of mana they had, damage output, mana conversion rate, and their mana recuperation speed without the aid of assist items. The lad and the old man, who Baiyi had met earlier, passed without any issues; their abilities achieved the required standard, and their forms — the forms that each sorcerer was handed at the beginning of the evaluation — were stamped with a red seal of approval; this meant that they passed.

When it was Baiyi's turn, however, the atmosphere quickly turned awkward.

The method used for these evaluations was still the same-old technique of placing one's hand on a crystal ball. As soon as Baiyi's palm came into contact with the crystal ball, it flushed a deep blue, and a foreign liquid appeared within it. The liquid gradually rose towards the top of the crystal, reaching a particular demarcation on the scale that had been carved on the crystal ball. When it reached this demarcation, it stopped and rose no further.

According to the scale, Baiyi's mana capacity, at maximum, was only at the level of a Master's. That meant even with the efforts of his two elects, Mia and Laeticia, his maximum mana capacity was only at a Master's standard.

Although this had no effect in real combat, in an examination, it did not reflect well, at all. The examiner — a sorcerer who knew Baiyi on personal terms — proceeded to speak to Baiyi, with a face full of conflict.

"Ah, Sir Hope... do quit jesting. This is not the time to hide your true potential..."

He was probably one of the many who had placed their bets on Baiyi.

"This is indeed my maximum level; I am not hiding anything," Baiyi seriously replied. "Mana capacity isn't the only thing tested in a Power Level Examination, right?"

"In principle, yes; you are right, but..." The sorcerer stopped mid-sentence. No matter what it was, mana was the basic of the basics; without it, there was nothing to be discussed further.

"It doesn't matter; I am still quite confident of my abilities in other aspects," Baiyi said calmly, proceeding to the next challenge.

At that moment, the candidates behind Baiyi had not heard his words, but their eyes had also seen the stamp indicating a fail on his form. Low mumbles could be heard right after that.

"This can't be it now, can it? Mana capacity is the simplest and most basic challenge of all! How would one even dare to step foot into this place if they can't even meet the minimum requirements? Where did the courage come from?"

"This armor set — his name was Hope, wasn't it?"

"The same Hope that was constantly applauded by the Church? The very same Hope who beat the Lord Thaas, the Great Lord of the Abyss? Don't get me started on how much I doubt that story. Do you really think a hero commended so much by the Church would be the Masters-level product standing before us?"

"Mmm... so what you're saying is — this fellow here just happened to have the same name as the real guy?"

"Most probably... if that's not the case, why would he lack mana? Well, thinking about it, sharing the same name with such a hero does not exactly put one in the most comfortable situation at all. the pressure sure is immense. Perhaps that's why he decided to take part in this Power Level Examination — to prove himself, aye? Too bad his mana did not even reach the basic requirements; I really do pity the fellow."

The rumors and chattering did not escape Baiyi's hearing, but he dismissed them without a second thought; he had no plans to react to rumors this petty. If he really wanted to show off, he could easily have used some of his smuggled energy to cause the crystal ball to explode, shattering into a million pieces. Doing that would not be a difficult task for him, but he would not stoop that low, just to prove himself.

The old man and the young lad from earlier, who were done discussing the stories of Baiyi spread by the Church, responded to the irritable whispering of the surrounding masses by approaching Baiyi.

"Ah... Sir Hope, are you really the Sir Hope frequently brought up by the Church?" The lad asked Baiyi.

"Yes," Baiyi replied, with a simple nod.

"But, how could you..." The lad stared at the form in Baiyi's grasp, clearly confused. Although it was flipped over onto its back, the piece of paper was pretty translucent, and the clear green print, which signified a fail, was extremely visible from the underside.

"I really only have this much mana," Baiyi replied helplessly. 'Geez, why are these people obsessed over mana capacity? A Sorcerer's power is not even determined by how big their mana storage is; that is the function of batteries and hard disks, okay?'

"Very well. It seems that I was mistaken," the lad responded, a hint of dismay evident in his tone. He had not really paid any mind to the news circulated by the Church before; instead, he always concentrated his attention on research and improving his technique. However, after listening to the old man today, the lad was extremely intrigued by the sorcerer who faced off against Lord Thaas just recently. He never imagined expected his expectations to be rewarded with a counterfeit product who proclaimed himself to be Hope, the savior of the world, instead.

At least, Baiyi performed quite well in the preceding tasks, which had nothing to do with mana capacity. He had an incomparable advantage in other special fields like mana concentration and recuperation speed, leaving the examiner no choice but to discard the red round stamp, which indicated a 'pass', and choose to place a purple triangular stamp on Baiyi's form, which indicated 'excellent'.

'Don't you know that these stamps mean dead meat on Earth?' Baiyi mused, lowering his eyes to check out the form in his grasp. Due to his impressive performance in other tests, his overall result was even better than most of the candidates present.

Next, Baiyi strode into a test site that did not seem to have much in it and started to partake in one of the most important challenges of the entire examination — magic casting.

Since it was dubbed the most crucial part of the examination, this test could not be passed just by showing off two of one's favorite spells. Three pieces of parchment inscribed with three different runes were placed in front of each candidate, and the candidates' task was to cast the spell inscribed in the runes on the parchments. The panel of examiners would then evaluate the outcome based on the rate of spell completion, smoothness, and casting time.

This particular task was tailored specifically to those who sat for the Legendary-level examination, so it was definitely not some easy, doable task. In reality, the rune on the parchments were not even proper spells; it could be a small part of a spell, or a spell missing a key piece.

The answer to this puzzling conundrum was actually meant to be a lot easier than many higher-level spells. When the spells on the runes are cast by the candidates, they would only release some rays of light that had no useful functions, except to the supervising sorcerers. The spells on the runes were deliberately made this complicated just to throw the candidates off. It was a bit like making an equation as simple as 1+1 into an equation as complicated as 1+1-1-1+1+1. It was designed specially as an examination question.

These runes could never be cast without first thinking properly, so the sorcerers had to make use of their deductive reasoning and vast knowledge to restore the complete rune. This test was a little like using single terms to create complete, legible sentences, which is often done in elementary school, but there was a catch; a candidate could use parts of the incomplete spell on the inscribed rune to create another spell. This was because their completed rune had to be the same rune as the one that the examiners originally splintered for the test. Even if there were to be differences between a candidate's spell and the original spell, the candidate's spell could not stray too far from the original for this would heavily affect the resulting evaluation score. For example, creating a water-based spell when the original spell is an earth-based spell.

Hence, this was dubbed as the most crucial task in the entire examination, because it evaluated the Sorcerers' abilities and knowledge of a variety of subjects, simultaneously. The sorcerers who reached this stage wore solemn expressions, looking as if they were facing off against their arch-nemesis.

It was the most important part of the examination, after all.

Baiyi looked very relaxed as he nonchalantly grabbed a piece of parchment, scanned the rune on it with seconds-worth of concentrated focus, pondered slightly, and realized that this spell on the rune was a part of a visual spell. He mapped out some possible solutions and gave each and every one of them some thought. Soon after, Baiyi used his mana to complete the two missing parts of his rune. Upon completing the rune, his body emitted a bright, green glow.

"That was pretty easy," Baiyi said, as he scrutinized the rune on a second parchment.

At that moment, whispers arose from the panel of judges as they observed Baiyi, who was covered entirely in an emerald glow.

"Of course Sir Hope would be the first to solve this, and this is judging by the speed at which he completed other tasks. My bet is safe and stable. Ha!"

"That was even faster than those sitting for the Legendary-level exams. His rune… it wouldn't happen to be a Masters-level one, would it? He completes his runes and cast the spell after giving his parchments only two glances? Wasn't he a user of ancient Rohserlian magic in the rumors?"

"Being adept at the ancient Rohserlian magic in this time and age certainly makes it easier to complete runes, doesn't it?"

"It seems that he's the real deal, after all; but why is his mana capacity so low?"

"Perhaps this was a problem caused by his soul armature practitioner? Maybe it was the practitioner's improper way of summoning him, or maybe something went wrong with the summoning process; these could have contributed to the mana issue. Soul armatures are very complicated and unreliable things to begin with."

The two remaining questions did not pose as a huge obstacle for Baiyi, at all. He was not the first to embark on this test, but he was certainly the first to complete it. His entire being now was enveloped with a glow composed of a variety of colors, looking a tad bit comical. Then, he walked to the panel of judges to retrieve his form.

Although there were still a few tasks left to complete, he was sure that he would not have to worry about passing this Power Level Examination because he had passed this very important test. 'Will my low mana capacity remain a topic of some heated debates, though?' Baiyi mulled internally as he looked at the triangular-shaped purple stamp on the form in his grasp.

However, something caught Baiyi off guard. Before he arrived at the next test zone, the lad whom he had exchanged a few words with earlier walked up and stood behind him. The lad's body was also glowing with an array of colors.

'This lad! Are his abilities really this powerful?' Baiyi exclaimed in his mind. Honestly speaking, the previous test had been a piece of cake for Baiyi, but it required a bit more effort and time for normal sorcerers. This lad before him, however... He may have started the test earlier than Baiyi and emerged much later, but it was still pretty impressive of the lad to quickly finish his task and arrive behind the Fifth Voidwalker, keeping up with the former's momentum. This feat was an exceptionally hard one to accomplish.

Naturally, Baiyi's interest in the lad grew a little more.

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283 An Apt Candidate

'A talented little fellow without the countenance of those annoying rich kids…' That was Baiyi's impression of this boy whom he had already coined a prodigy.

Being called a prodigy by a Voidwalker was a rare honor for anyone! Of course, this did not mean that the lad should be too pleased with himself. After all, he was being barely considered a prodigy by Baiyi, and frankly, almost everyone in the Void could be called a prodigy of inhumane proportions, even without their individual eccentricity.

Besides, prodigies had always been overrated. Going for the Legendary-level in one's '20s was not too impressive when one remembered that even a capitalistic magnate like the clumsy Undine had done it, too. Back then, her actual skills and abilities were, well… in summary, Producing prodigies using money was a common occurrence. Ergo, the most valued talents were those who not only possessed the required skills, but also those who had been through the trials of life and matured because of it.

Baiyi was not only willing to talk with this boy because of his capability and resourcefulness in solving the previous test, but also because he was endeared to that mien of modesty and pragmatism — rare qualities hard to find in young men his age.

"You are?" Baiyi started a conversation. Then, upon realizing that he did not sound polite, especially when it was a conversation between two men, he corrected himself, "What's your name?"

"Jones. Jones Joseph," the boy replied, mentioning an alliterative name that could be easily picked up from any "Most Popular Baby Boy Names" list. The name was so common that nothing — like a sudden meteor shower — happened when he uttered it.

'Joseph? ...You were a famous actor before, right? Cause you reminded me of Joseph Gordon-Levitt', Baiyi commented to himself. Outwardly, he continued to ask, courteously, "Career?"

"A teacher in an unknown academy," the boy answered plainly.

Technically, there was no such thing as an "unknown academy" in the world, for there were not many academies out there, to begin with. This world was nothing like Earth — which was a world saturated with all sorts of schools that teach way too many varieties of subjects, ranging from culinary arts and machine operations to piloting gigantic mechas and planet-destroying death stars.

Hence, "an unknown academy" was a just a roundabout way — used by various academies — to refer to education institutions that were going rapidly downhill, with the possibility of going out of business. Another example of such an academy would be Mia and Tisdale's Celestial Fortress Academy.

It already took considerable skills to start an academy, but it would take even more than that to keep the academy running. There were no tax exemptions or subsidies for educational institutions in this world, and so any academy could easily find itself battling mismanagement, insufficient investment, a minuscule amount of cash-in-hand, loss of teachers, and loss of students. Hypothetically, if the unfortunate academy did not play host to brave female students who could become idols or work as tank-operating mercenaries to generate revenue for the institution, it would be easy for the academy to dissolve completely within a short period of time.

Now, what if one wanted their academy to survive for a longer period of time? The Academy would either have to be so bombastic that it defeated any man's nature to throw shades at it — or it would have to suck up to the likes of the royals, the aristocrats, and business tycoons, providing them with a number of skilled men and women every year; despite that, the academy would also have to be content kissing the behinds of these royals, aristocrats, or business tycoons.

However, if the tycoons and nobles decided to shake off the academies that sucked up to them, it would spell disaster for the educational institutions. From his conversation with the boy, Baiyi's discovered that the academy the boy lectured at was called 'Ivy Academy'— a name which shook Baiyi. However, despite the uncanny similar name it shared with the Ivy League, Ivy Academy apparently lacked much in every other department, compared to the Ivy League. Ivy Academy was once an elite school, but it went gradually went downhill after a time. This was because the position of academy principal was passed down to the principal's descendants, whether they were deserving of it or not, due to the unreliable bloodline hereditary system that the academy utilized. Therefore, as more generations passed, the academy's quality kept declining.

There was a time when the Ivy Academy could still rely on a certain degree of financial aid from the Northern Duke — who was Vidomina's father — to survive a little longer, but ever since the Duke's health began to deteriorate, their funds were cut off, leaving the academy in a poor state. At that period, it could only boast of 30-something students and 1 teacher. The Ivy Academy had now turned into something like the Make-A-Wish Foundation Elementary School.

That only teacher left at Ivy Academy was none other than the youth in front of Baiyi, Jones Joseph. It was no wonder that he was so tight on money. With an academy like Ivy Academy, it would be shocking if Joseph Jones still got paid, especially now that bankruptcy was almost more inevitable for the academy.

Hence, what could be the source of his determination? It stemmed from a very dramatic story.

Joseph was a young lad borne into an abject noble family that was almost no different from other commoners; the only difference was that they possessed a last name. As per a typical wuxia plotline, Joseph's family had a patriarch who dreamed of restoring the family to its former glory. The patriarch decided to place that dream on the shoulders of his son. The patriarch sold the only valuable he owned, and Joseph was sent to Ivy Academy, which was the cheapest academy back then. This decision left the Patriarch so poor, he could only live on as a farmer.

Not only did Joseph prove himself to be exceptionally talented, but — and most importantly — he also proved himself to be devoted and driven. He was ardent in his studies, and he took up part-time jobs in his free time. He impressed what few lecturers were left in the academy at the time, and they all taught him as much as they could. They also introduced him to the only granddaughter of the sitting principal.

As per cliches, the sitting principal approved of Joseph, and he allowed the two to fall in love and be happily married. When Joseph finished his studies, he returned to the academy as a lecturer, and it was at that time that his wife bore him a daughter.

At this point, one would think that Joseph's story would continue following the path of cliches. If it did, Joseph would have become even more driven, and with his burning conviction, the academy would begin to improve. Then, he would go on to solve many problems that arose later on, collect all kinds of rare items and treasures, and build up an impressive harem whose females would all live in harmony, only as long as they all got equal loving from Joseph.

However, Joseph was not a protagonist, and all that did not happen. When the old principal died, the position of principal was passed onto Joseph's wife, and after that, the academy deteriorated even more, inching ever closer to the abyss of hopelessness.

This development was not of Joseph's doing. He had worked his hardest, offering every inch of himself that he could to save the academy. However, he still had hope, despite the terrible luck that had befallen him. Hence, he chose to participate in the Power Level Examination because he badly needed the title of 'Legendary-level sorcerer' to bring some respect and recognition back to Ivy Academy. If that happens, maybe some tycoons would find his powers useful enough to aid him a little. In the worst case scenario, he would still be able to use the newfound special rights from his status as a Legendary-level sorcerer to mitigate some of his funding problem.

"For what reason have the two of you not given up? What is it that has made you persevere for so long?" Baiyi asked.

Joseph gave Baiyi a strained smile and shook his head helplessly. Then, suddenly, he replied in a determined voice, "My wife and I made a promise to Grandfather: we will never give up on the Academy!"

'What stubborn couple,' Baiyi sighed quietly. Unrealistic dreams like these were always like fireworks on a night sky — dazzling, captivating, and moving. However, it was still transient.

This time, luck was on Joseph side. Not only was Baiyi one of those people who appreciated the beauty of determination, but he was also searching for his own teaching staff.

Baiyi patted Joseph's shoulder and said, "When this exam was over, I'm buying you a drink."

"Wha—?" Joseph looked at him, feeling perplexed.

"Hey. I listened to your story, so shouldn't you return the favor?" Baiyi's reply hid a smile, and the soul armature turned to continue the other tests.

Joseph remained where he was, feeling stunned. Then, he shook his head hard. He wasn't sure why he had told a stranger so much about himself, especially in the middle of an exam… Could it be because he liked the soul armature's name? Hope… something he was trying to realize.

Meanwhile, in the Void, Baiyi said, "Man, I must hand it to the Charlatan. His secret techniques are always so effective when used on highly-spirited shonen-characters! Now all I need to do next is to complete my investigation into his backstory. He looks like a great addition to my teaching staff, judging by his impressive academic skill and his humble personality. Besides, he's already married and has a daughter."

"And, of course, you emphasized the part after 'besides'," the Soul Armature Practitioner helplessly said. "Are you sure that he will accept your bizarre students and his future colleagues, who are really just plushies?"

"Ay? This doesn't sound like you," Baiyi replied. "You're the one here whose dream was to become an animal trainer… Now you're doubting my students?"

"It's precisely the fact that not many people think like me that worries me, alright?" the Soul Armature Practitioner replied, with a sigh.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. He even persists through the painful state his academy is in; there's no way he won't be able to stomach some literate animals and plants," Baiyi's replied, brimming with confidence.

By this point, the last test of the exam was over, and the examiner handed Baiyi his form, which was filled with purple "excellent" stamps. All that remained was to wait for the result, which would be announced the next day. After the result announcement, the Association would then delegate missions to the candidates who passed — which was really just a thinly-veiled attempt at getting cheap labor for the Sorcerer Association — and after these missions were completed, the Power Level Examination would truly be over.

Baiyi was not in a hurry to leave. He loitered around the exit for a while until Joseph came. It was already noon by then, so Baiyi invited the young man to a small tavern inside the Association's headquarters.

Joseph only ordered the cheapest pieces of bread, without any drinks. As he stuffed them into his mouth, he looked at Baiyi with a curious expression. After a while, he asked, "Sir Hope, did you… did you cast a subliminal message on me?"

'He realized it? What a perceptible young man,' Baiyi thought to himself. But outwardly, he denied it quite strongly, "No way! I am not that sort of person. Besides, a legendary-level sorcerer like yourself would have easily noticed it, right?"

Of course, the Fifth Walker did not use a technique as useless as subliminal messages. What he used, however, was a far more advanced and skillful illusion technique.

"My deepest apologies. Please pardon my boorishness," Joseph hurriedly replied. "It's just that, well... for someone I just met, I think you are very amicable…"

"That's purely because we are both working in the same field. After all, I'm also a teacher in an unknown academy," Baiyi replied. "But then again, we still have our differences."

Using that as a pretext, Baiyi proceeded to give Joseph a summary of his students' situations.

"Huh. Celestial Fortress Academy, which is fabled to have 2000 years of history, is also heading in that direction?" Joseph sighed, feeling a little nostalgic.Well, for those unfamiliar with the type of charm Gordon-Levitt brings — well, he's famous for his boyish, high-school-crush type of hotness which isn't too disillusioning hot that you can't muster the courage to approach him (source: people who find him adorable). ...So I supposed our Jones Joseph would probably by casted by Gordon-Levitt if this turned into a Netflix-original Live Action!Love Live! School Idol Project reference— the idol show to sate your K-on vacuum… maybe.Girls und Panzer. Cool, Japan. Very cool.Baiyi the prophet, seeing into his own future?What Joseph really needs is a Kickstarter campaign, innit? Maybe he could make Youtube videos and get monetized for it for side income! A good-looking lad still has an advantage over a visual medium...

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284 An Offer You Can’t Rejec

The conversation did not end there. As they conversed, the topic gradually shifted to the stories the Church had spread about Baiyi. Baiyi proceeded to tell the story personally. As he talked, he watched Joseph's expression carefully.

The young man's face was indifferent, revealing neither upset nor relief; he may have just been listening to another typical story. He did not fawn over Baiyi, either. There was just no change to his attitude.

'It still holds true; all sorcerers are proud,' Baiyi said to himself internally.

Finally, Baiyi proceeded to state the true purpose of the meal, albeit in a more convoluted, roundabout way: he would like to have Joseph join his future academy, as one of the instructors, and he promised a hefty payroll of 100 gold coins per month. Although the pay was comparatively lower than Aya's 200 gold coins per month, his offer was still at least twice as much as a common lecturer's allowance.

Plus, there was a difference in status between Aya and Joseph. In that, Baiyi considered Aya family, unlike Joseph, who Baiyi considered a stranger. Thus, he felt the pay gap was justified.

Joseph's expression finally changed upon hearing Baiyi's offer. He was certainly puzzled at the amount being offered. This did not mean that he had never been offered teaching positions at other educational institutions; it was just that the highest they had been willing to pay him was 50 gold coins a month. That was half of what Baiyi was offering!

It was only natural that such a high monthly payment, which was the same as what his father earned in a year, began to ruffle Joseph's heart. In fact, his troubled expression showed that there was a mental tug-o-war going on in his head.

However, it was unfortunate that soon after, Joseph's troubled expression calmed down, which made obvious what his reply was going to be. With determination in his eyes, Joseph replied, "I appreciate your offer, but, please, forgive me for declining it. This is because that promise is one that I will absolutely not break!"

"Are you serious?" Baiyi asked, slightly stunned. He had certainly not expected a young man to reject such a lucrative offer. Baiyi, who felt awed, decided to change his approach. "My students are very adorable, though. In fact, they are all very gorgeous!"

Joseph gave a faint smile, shaking his head sideways. "I'm really honored by your offer, but my students are just as adorable, I believe. Forgive my candidness, Mr. Hope, but I have no doubts that with your fame and the amount you're willing to pay, you can easily find someone more qualified than I am to be a teacher. You really don't need to hold onto me."

The Fifth Walker fell silent. He had a feeling he would not be able to persuade this young lad with 'Have you any idea how valuable this amount of money is to you?' or 'Have you any idea how many would die to get paid this handsomely?'. Baiyi also knew that he would not be able to win Joseph over using motivational speeches about self-love, either.

Hence, he skipped all that nonsense and went straight for the kill. "At my place, I do not forbid you from holding two jobs simultaneously."

Immediately, Joseph fell into silent contemplation.

"I am confident that my offer is very desirable to you, and at the same time, I believe in your steadfast conviction of honoring your promises. Hence, I will allow you to join us formally after you fulfill the promise you made to your grandfather." Eying a struggling Joseph, Baiyi continued, "As for your academy… Forgive my bluntness, but isn't it the end of a school the moment it stops receiving new students?"

Baiyi had gathered this information while the two were chatting. All the Ivy Academy had left with was its name. Its building and land had been mortgaged around ten years ago; and now, they were already taken away. Hence, Joseph was forced to have his classes at his own home. An academy that pitiful could not possibly entice, or draw in, new students.

The reason why Joseph still stubbornly held onto his current position, despite Baiyi's handsome offer, was because he had a promise to honor, and he had to fulfill his duty to his last batch of 30-plus students.

"My institution is still in its preparatory stage, and I'm sure you're no stranger to the lengthy procedure and time needed to formally establish an academy," Baiyi added. "Thus, asking you now to join us formally, before the school is even established, is inappropriate. So why not just take up my job offer as a part-timer? When your current batch of students graduates, you will be free from your obligation and will have fulfilled your promise. At that time, my academy will have just started formally. It's a win-win situation, yes?"

Joseph was understandably persuaded. He could not even come up with any reason to reject Baiyi's offer anymore. Even if the location of his academy was in the southern part of the empire, in Deepwater Town, making the distance to his new workplace pretty far, he still knew that it wasn't going to be a problem. When he obtained his Legendary-level certificate, he would be granted permission to use the Sorcerer Association's transporter formation for free. The only thing he had to do was manage his time properly.

Realistically, it was common for sorcerers to hold multiple jobs in this society. Many worked as teachers at institutions, then they worked as advisers for noble families in their spare time. The Association would also hold many events that served to generate direct revenue for those who are interested. Some sorcerers could even operate an alchemical refinery or something...

In summary, sorcerers were incredibly driven to gain as much money as possible. After all, they were, first and foremost, sorcerers — not school teachers. The materials they needed for their gears and works cost a huge sum of money; hence, how could they not be resourceful?

A sorcerer who had no acumen in earning money could not honestly call themselves a decent sorcerer. Sorcerers who were happy just working as teachers, like Humble Old Joseph here, were a rarity. That was partially the reason why Baiyi valued him enough to offer him a hefty allowance.

In the end, Joseph was moved. He nodded, feeling touched, and held onto Baiyi's hand hard. With a heavy voice, Joseph said, "T-thank you, Mr. Hope. Sincerely, th-th-thank you…"

'At his core, he is still a high-spirited youth borne from a working-class family, after all! Such a useful worker doesn't come in spades, I'm afraid!' Baiyi thought to himself.

Baiyi and Joseph continued to their conversation, and this time, they talked about some academic subjects. Eventually, it was time for them to return home, back to their respective duties. After a quick exchange of addresses, Baiyi promised that he would send Joseph's timetable to his place as soon as possible.

"Best prepare your time now. Your work starts after Grace Day," Baiyi finished.

"Understood, Mr. Principal," Joseph replied obediently.

'Quite a clever boy.' Baiyi grinned internally, waving him goodbye as he left.

Joseph stood in place and watched Baiyi's silhouette disappear into the horizon. It was only then that a smile of genuine relief crossed his face. "What a befitting name for this Great Sage! He really brought hope into my life… I am truly grateful, Mr. Hope..."

Honestly, since that statement carried a little yaoi undertone, it was perhaps fortunate that Baiyi did not hear him say that.

Back at home, the Fifth Walker was greeted with a sight of students assembled in the courtyard as Aya gave a speech.

Moments later, the students were divided into two teams and had to face off against each other. On one side was Mia and Mordred riding on the great kitsune, and at their side stood Laeticia, with the owl perched on her shoulder.

Facing them off was a party led by Tisdale. It had Attie, Nota, and Vidomina, whose hands held the potted sunflower, Sunny.

After that, the two sides started... a game of tug-o-war?

'Fine. The game itself isn't the issue. It's a classic, foundational exercise for team-building as camaraderie and teamwork are forged to ensure success.'

'What I should be asking is— what's with the way you divide teams, Miss Aya?'Is this nepotism? Is Aya your wife, Mr. Hope? Then is it because she's a very pretty girl? ...Haha! I kid.

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285 Wanna Give It A Go With Me?

When Baiyi saw the way Aya had divided the students, he began to doubt if Aya really was from the prestigious dragon knights. Maybe she was actually produced from a file factory in Minsk, Belarus…

'The bias you are showing to Mordred is too obvious! Fine, let's say Mia and the owl contribute nothing to this competition of strength. That fox is huge and muscular, and that's physical fitness on display right there; Laeticia is a Saintess Candidate who specializes in physical melee, making her proficient enough to fight with heavy spears; she's obviously stronger than most girls! Most importantly, even if Mordred is just a brat, she's still a bloody dragon!'

'Now, we turn to their group's opponents. Former noble lady Tisdale? She's about as strong as Little Mia; the fairy, Nota, doesn't even have the strength to speak louder than an ASMR video; former noble lady Vidomina — I'll bet she possesses another manner of strength, which was quite different from physical prowess, to a certain degree; Attie — without the War God Sword, she's just a dispenser of moe-ness! Lastly, the sunflower — oh come on — what possible contribution could it, a flower in a pot, make?'

Baiyi hurried forward, making to put a stop to this incredibly imbalanced fight. However, before he could reach the students, Aya had blown the whistle, causing the game to start.

A stunning scene unfolded. Instead of the mark being easily pulled towards one side, it remained steady in the middle, indicating that both sides were apparently equal in strength, contrary to Baiyi's prediction.

A closer look revealed that their version of tug-o-war was not the same as tug-o-war that was played on Earth, where two groups of people pull one end of the rope to their side, sporting crimson faces and necks. Here, the participants stood beside their ends of the rope, in a crisscrossed formation, and they had their eyes closed; even the owl and the sunflower had squeezed their eyes shut. The participants all placed their palms underneath them without touching it, and light began to glow out of their palms.

Most students were sporting pale blue lights that symbolized mana. On the other hand, Attie's palm was emitting a bright marigold light of her combat chi, while Laeticia's palm was emitting light that had the holy color of white.

'Playing by using their powers? Interesting,' Baiyi muttered in his head and drew closer. He scanned the rope used for this strange tug-o-war.

It was as thick as any normal hemp rope, with a typical red ribbon tied at the middle. However, upon scanning it using his psychic energy, Baiyi realized that the rope was more than its run-of-the-mill look. The rope hovered in the air on its own and spun slowly as it reacted to different forces. The red ribbon spun along with the rope, and it slowly moved along the rope, teetering to the left side first, and then to the right side.

That only lasted for a while until Mordred suddenly furrowed her eyebrows and gave a low whimper. The rope spun faster and faster, and with a sudden burst, the red ribbon was pulled towards Mia's team's side of the rope, quickly crossing the designated boundary, which was marked with a cat-shaped tin can.

'So victory still favors them,' Baiyi thought. The way the teams were divided was still imbalanced. If their competition required them to exhaust their powers, then Mia would technically be cheating because she had access to unlimited mana. Of course, Aya did not know about that, so Baiyi would not hold it against her.

However, as soon as the little girl opened her eyes, her expression became one of disappointment and dismay. Even the great fox's big bushy tail sagged because they had been defeated.

Mordred was extremely apologetic. "I'm so sorry! I lost control…" She turned to Aya, who came over to console them, and added, "Sorry, Mama, I didn't do it on purpo— owww!"

Aya did not wait for Mordred to finish before giving her Baiyi's signature forehead-flick. "Didn't I tell you before? When we're in class, you don't refer to me as your mother, but as your teacher!" She said sternly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. G-got it." Mordred cupped her tiny hands around the spot Aya had hit, feeling aggrieved.

"Now, as per Mr. Hope's rules, the winners get to enjoy delicious cakes and desserts, while the losers would be punished accordingly," Aya declared to a burst of triumphant cries from Tisdale's team.

The winners dashed towards a table that had been set on the side, where five plates had already been set. On each plate was a dome-shaped lid, with a fork and knife laying neatly at its side.

"The losers, well…" Aya had already drawn herself closer to Little Mia. Without caring that Mia was Baiyi's favorite daughter, Aya's hand grasped Mia's cheeks matter-of-factly, then as if the girl was a fun toy, Aya pinched and pulled her soft cheeks.

"Ooh, Miss Aya… N-not so h-hard! Or I'll turn u-ugly…" Little Mia pleaded in a low voice.

Aya smiled gently. "Oh my, Mia's skin is very healthy! Soft and smooth; no wonder Mr. Hope likes to pinch your cheeks."

Although she had to punish the losers, Aya did not dare to really mess Mia up. After a quick pinch, Aya rubbed her own face on Mia's gently, signaling an end to her punishment. Then, Aya quickly turned her attention to the great kitsune's face, and she mirthfully pinched its cheeks. "Oh! This is some first-class soft fur. If I turned it into a nice, warm scarf…"

The fox shuddered in fright, shivering as though Aya was just about to skin it to make herself a fox-hide cardigan.

At that moment, Just as Aya was lifting the fox's arm, Tisdale's voice rang out from behind her. "Miss Aya? Why are there only four pieces of cake?"

"Oh yes. There are only four of them. While you were competing, I couldn't help myself and ate one," Aya replied, with a smile, as she let go of the fox and turned to face her own daughter.

"B-but! If we only have four of them, what we supposed to do…?" Tisdale muttered under her breath as she returned to her team.

Sunny the sunflower twisted itself a little, to write using its veins: "It's alright. Take mine. Cake is not my thing anyway. "

"No!" Nota the fairy opposed it immediately. "This isn't just any ordinary treat. It's the reward for us working together as one. So, we should enjoy it as one!"

"I'll share mine with you!" The Kitty Cat Maid said, and she stood up and cut her own piece of cake in half, with her knife. She offered half to the Sunflower. "I'm the weakest one out of us. I'm sure I contributed the least."

"That's not true. That wasn't a test of might; it was a test of teamwork. We all contributed equally!" Tisdale interjected. She sliced her own cake in half and added, "I'm the team leader, so I should be the one sharing my cake with Sunny."

After much hassle, the four beautiful pieces of cake had been reduced smaller chunks, which had been piled together into a small, less-appealing hill. However, although the cakes were no longer looking as good as they originally did, the team members managed to divide the piles squarely into five sets. That way, every member got to enjoy the rewards of their victory earned through their teamwork.

Aya was still having fun, trying to pinch the Owl into the shape of a dragon, and she had her back turned away from the winners, who had just reached their conclusion. However, judging from their conversation, Aya could tell that they had made the best choice, causing her to nod in satisfaction.

Baiyi, too, found himself nodding quietly at them. He even raised his hand to give the dragon-lady a thumbs-up. She had proven herself to be more than capable of teaching the students. Perhaps, the lesson which the winning team learned was the real objective for that class.

Baiyi rid himself of his invisibility and gave Aya a round of applause.

"Gah!" Aya jumped, loosening her grip on the Owl. The misshapen glob wriggled on its own for a while before returning to its original, round-faced self.

"Splendid lesson, Miss Aya," Baiyi said in earnest.

"D-don't just appear out of nowhere!" Aya snapped coquettishly. Then, she looked at him again with questioning and expectant eyes. "You watched the whole thing?"

"Yes; all of it. It was very splendid!" Baiyi restated.

"Phew! That's good. I was worried that you might not accept my technique." Aya grinned cheerfully and placed her hands on her own chest in relief.

It was true that Aya's method was pretty progressive. A lesson on teamwork was not a theory-themed lesson; after all, one could not teach teamwork by having students sit in class and listen to lectures. By opting for a more practical approach to this lesson, Aya had proven herself to be a professional educator.

Baiyi managed to know a bit more about the strange rope the game had utilized, too. It was weaved out of an interesting plant called the 'Windmill Grass'. The plant looked exactly like a paper windmill, and its three leaves rotated to the billow of the wind, just like a windmill. In addition to being given a rather obvious name, the plant was also a popular toy for kids.

However, the more significant feature of this plant was that it had a hyperacute sensitivity to all kinds of forces. A small wisp of mana or combat chi would be enough to stimulate the leaves into rotating. The dragon knights, upon observing this fact, used the plant to weave hemp ropes, which were to function as special teaching tools. Aya, of course, had brought one with her.

Members from both sides of a tug-o-war game would then use an agreed amount of force and vibration to stimulate the rope. If everyone adhered to agreed exertions, the rope would remain visually unmoving, showing no discernible response.

However, should a member of either side deviate from the agreed vibrating force, or lose control of their force, the rope would start to spin; then, the red ribbon would start moving towards the offending member's team's side of the rope. This was what happened with Baiyi's students. Mordred lost control of her own power, causing the rope to spin rapidly, causing her team to lose.

It was quite an intriguing little game. However, why would the dragon knights model such an advanced tool — which was used to teach teamwork and refine an individual's power control — after a common hemp rope?

Maybe they were just quite kinky; or maybe, Windmill Grass was strong enough to work as an actual rope for an ordinary tug-o-war between dragon knights.

"This is a really fascinating tool. You can use it to refine synergy within a team, and it doesn't have to be five on a team. It can be used by two, or even three individuals," Baiyi commented after observing the rope.

"Well, if there are only two individuals, you wouldn't need something like the hemp rope in the first place. Just using this would be enough," Aya replied, producing a tuft of dried Windmill Grass from her storage pouch. The grass seemed to have undergone some form of magical strengthening process.

She held it in her hand and emitted a little of her mana. The leaves started spinning on cue.

"Do you… want to have a go at it with me?" Aya asked in a low voice, brimming with anticipation.This is a pretty obscure reference (in my opinion!), but this was referring to the Belarusian game designer and sci-fi author Sergei Burkatovsky, who designs the tanks in the game World of Tanks. According to this too-packed-with-Chinese-in jokes-but-does-explain-certain-shits-encyclopedia I have found online, he is (lifted from the encyclopedia) "the God of 2D Tanks, whose personal weapon is a file", as he used his "anti-tank file" to shed away many curb-stomping tanks' armor, effectively nerfing a lot of them in game.Replace the word 'Miss Aya' with 'Miss Keane'. And tell me if you didn't hear Blossom's (from Powerpuff Girls) voice speaking that line!

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286 A Riveting Game

"Would you… Would you like to have a go at it with me?" Aya asked, her voice brimming with anticipation. She added, in a more hushed tone, "Y-you know, for the benefits of the students' understanding…"

"Sure!" Baiyi's answered before his mind even had time to consider the offer completely. He had never seen something like this, even from the Voidwalkers' memories, so he was driven by his own curiosity. He even summoned his students to watch the upcoming game.

"Shall… Shall we just use this amount of force and frequency?" Aya found herself feeling even bashful and embarrassed, and her expression matched her students' excitement. She held Baiyi's gauntlet softly. Strangely, as she showed him the designated frequency, her heart began to beat faster.

A little trick like this — releasing a set amount of power in a highly-specialized way — was not just an exercise on building a degree of rapport, it was also a special communication technique used within the dragon knights' inner battle circle. This was useful because, in battles, an entire team of close-knitted dragon knights rode on a single dragon, making the need for a highly-effective communication method important. The team members could not possibly risk their messages getting obfuscated by loud wind and audio limitation. Furthermore, hand signs were limited whenever team members sat on different parts of the same dragon; most would be stationed on its back, while others will have their spots on a dragon's belly and thighs.

That was where magical codes like communication via frequencies came into play. They were simpler and more convenient than common communication magic — similar in uniqueness to morse codes used on Earth. It was not just for tactical discussion among teammates, but it was also used to give direct commands to the dragon.

At that moment, Aya's demonstration to Baiyi was, in fact, a message made in the code that dragon knights used to communicate with each other during battle. The code, more or less, meant: I like you.

Of course, because the message was in the dragon knights' own secret code, Baiyi had no way of knowing the meaning. He followed Aya's instruction, completely in the dark, and held on her slender hand as they held onto the Windmill Grass.

"Okay, let us begin." Aya's eyes were closed, savoring the intimate moment. Dazzling pale blue mana began to glow from both their hands, at the same time.

The students were aghast. The Windmill Grass was not budging even an inch! Even when small drafts of wind blew past, the blades remained perfectly in place. This meant that the synergy between Baiyi and Aya had reached its paragon!

"Wow… my teachers sure seem amazing…" Little Mia exclaimed, with astonishment.

"It's not difficult to master," Baiyi replied matter-of-factly as if he was back in class. "You can actually try to release a little psychic energy while doing this exercise to sense your teammates' power fluctuations. That way, you'll find it easier to adjust your own output to complement your partner's, just like what I'm doing now — ay? Why is your heart beating faster? And your body's slightly heating up, too? Did I get it wrong?" Baiyi turned to Aya.

"I have a nagging suspicion that Miss Aya is up to something…" Tisdale chimed in quizzically.

The lady in question, Aya, had already turned completely crimson. Nevertheless, her gaze was meek, like a calm pond, and her entire body gave off an air of euphoria. She stammered, "N-n-no! It-it's just… The weather is a little hotter today…"

The dragon-lady was completely engrossed in the activity. She held hands with her crush, and both hands emitted mana in a very specialized frequency and rhythm, sending a secret code that meant 'I like you' to each other. How could she not melt at this experience?

If Aya had to pick a bone with this scenario, however, it was that Baiyi had no clue about the meaning of the frequency he was emitting.

As the intended result of the demo had been achieved, Baiyi pulled his hand away from Aya's grip. With one of its mana sources cut off, the Windmill Grass lost its harmony and spun with a low chatter. It spun faster than the beating of Aya's heart.

She pulled the grass to her chest quickly. Was she trying to cool her cheeks off with the breeze brewing from the grass? Or was she just trying to hold on to that palatable moment a little while longer?

Baiyi, however, did not share the same sentiment for the experience. He was still giving his lecture to his students somberly. He only turned back to face her when he was finished. Watching the dragon-lady staring at him, Baiyo extended his hands forward and asked, "May I borrow that Windmill Grass? I would love to try it out with the young'uns again, using the same frequency we just used."

Wham! Aya's heart sank heavily like a sledgehammer that had just slipped off from her grip. An expression mixed with scorn and bitterness suddenly graced her face — and in a flash, she tossed the grass at Baiyi and stormed off, without turning back once.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why is she suddenly throwing a tantrum?"Baiyi picked up the Windmill grass and watched her back in confusion. 'It must be the way dragons are wired, right?'

'Meh, I'm not gonna bother myself with this. She's gonna return to normal after a while,' Baiyi thought as he waved at Little Mia. "Mia, give this a try. Of course, I won't try to sense your state; instead, I need you to try to match my state…"

As Baiyi expected, when he handed the students the task of balancing their powers to match their partner's, the results were less perfect than the synchronization he had achieved with Aya during the teachers' demonstration. As the students tried their best, the blades of their Windmill grass kept spinning

"Remember to practice controlling your mana more often," Baiyi said before dismissing the class. He stuck the Windmill grass into Little Mia's braid as a pretty dowdy hair decoration and walked back to his room.

Baiyi could not help but praise Aya's tactful teaching. He had really liked her fun approach to teaching. However, why had she gotten bitter so suddenly?

At that moment, he heard two thunderclaps resound in the Void:

"Hmph."

"Hmph!!!"

'Oh no. How did that lone sound become a choir of two?' Baiyi thought helplessly. Very softly he asked, "What's wrong with the two of you?"

"Happy?"

"Oh, you must be sooooo full of yourself now!"

"Look at how pleased he is right now…"

"—Practically beaming with pride!"

"I was just conducting my class with my usual professionalism!" Baiyi found himself speechless as the two Voidwalkers huffed and puffed in perfect synchronization. "I believe that you two understand the importance of good teamwork, right?"

"I don't. I never had many friends."

"Ditto. I finished my missions alone."

Baiyi froze, and he remembered the story of these two. They may have been gorgeous when they were alive, but they had never paired themselves up with anyone during their missions. 'However, aren't these two habitual lone wolves making a perfectly synced choir at this moment?'

Baiyi took a moment to steel himself before he continued explaining the situation, "Look, it doesn't matter if the two of you liked working together or not; the main point here is that all Aya and I did today was to conduct a class normally. Sure, there was some form of physical interaction, but no one's thinking about those things except you two!"

"Hmph."

"Hmph!!!"

With another steely "hmph", they left him completely alone.

'These two are getting weirder and weirder. They used to be so much more normal…' Baiyi reflected, unsure of what was going on inside their heads.

Perhaps Baiyi's confusion was due to his lack of experience in certain aspects of life, or because he did not look at some parts of the Voidwalkers' personal memories. Whatever the reason was, he simply failed to understand that to certain traditionalist and conservative girls, exchanging memories was an even more sacred and binding ritual than matrimony. This was something the Fifth Walker may never be able to realize.

Not that he had the luxury to figure that mess out! At that moment, a certain hyperactive master of his had begun to sing praises of Baiyi, in the Void, congratulating him for passing the Power Level Examination. In other words, someone was itching to play games again!

'As if the Power Level Exam itself is over... Plus, all I did was pass a Legendary-level rank exam! He's making it sound like I finally secured a job in the White House — which sure can be enough reason to throw a party!'

'Then again, it is not too bad an idea to let them play a game. They have this look that seems to say that it has been eons since they played. Too bad all the enthusiasm did nothing to improve their lackluster gaming skills. Every attempt they made at being epic in a game only ended as epic fails!'

"So, what do you wanna play this time?" Baiyi asked. "Dueling cards? Or Civil War of the Druids?"

"I may be luckier than finding a lost nickel, but winning with overwhelming odds on my side — which will result in me curb-stomping everyone into submission, on my rise to the top of the scoreboard — is not my style. This is because doing that would be unfair to them," the Archmage replied solemnly. "Since today's theme is 'teamwork', I suggest we play a game that centers on that! You know — a game that requires a long playtime, just like that last one."

'Here he goes again! Sputtering drivel with a straight face…' Baiyi sighed to himself. "Master, could you, pretty please, be a little more reasonable? The sort of game you're getting your hopes up for is very bothersome and complicated, alright? I would have to use a lot of my consciousness just to construct the world and power the random number generator. Not only will that tire me out, but it would also leave this body of mine an empty husk!"

"And? What's the risk here? You're pretty safe here, aren't you? Aya is the one who's conducting the class, while you're practically idle. Hence, all you really need to leave behind is enough consciousness to undertake basic functions and stand guard!" The Archmage was quick to suggest — a sure sign that he was very excited for the game he was about to play.

Honestly, this type of game was perhaps one of those rare games where the Voidwalkers would not look too much like fools.

While Baiyi was still trying to make his decision, the Archmage kept nagging. "This isn't all fun and games, you know! The way we play and the way we form our team could actually be helpful references for proper battle tactics or something — er, materials for your future team-building classes."

"Oh yes?... Oh yes! Er, our experience would prove to be valuable references," agreed a random, poor sod in the Void, who seemed to have been roped into the conversation by the Archmage.

"Perhaps, is it that in the euphoria of showing off your powers and attracting the warmth of ladies in the real world, you have forgotten all about your brothers who have been suffering the coldness of the Void with you for millennia? Dude, we are still here, imprisoned in this chilly, pitch-black darkness!"

"Alright, alright, alright! I get your message loud and clear!" Baiyi buckled under the pressure, surrendering to the rising flood of comments.

Hence, the Fifth Walker informed the students that he had to do something important that required focus, so there were absolutely not allowed to enter his room and or disturb him in any other way. Afterward, Baiyi locked himself in his room, preparing to act as the game server for a bunch of dangerous gamers.

"Remember to give me a template that is more than decent—" The Archmage's whisper came echoed in Baiyi's, just as the game was about to start…

A bright light suddenly flashed before the Archmage's eyes, and he found himself in the game. In front of him was a character who had a commanding aura and the most generic facial features that a game character could have.

The man spoke in a steely but seriously badass baritone, "So, you're the first to wake up, huh? Not bad. You must be the best we have here."If you're wondering how a knight can be positioned on the belly of a dragon, which would make them stay upside-down, then we're in the same boat. I don't know what anatomy of the author's dragon allows for this strange phenomenon.Uh hem, does this remind you of something?This really reminded me of a favorite teenage pastime that I had heard before.

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287 Now That’s A Balanced Way of Teaming Up!

Other than the sleeping Fairy, the 30th Voidwalker; Charlatan, the 31st Voidwalker; Oracle, the 4th Voidwalker — who almost never joined the others to play; Druid, the 8th Voidwalker, who was unable to join them, and Baiyi himself, every other Walker had gladly signed up for the game. Even those who normally avoided these games entered the scene. There were 28 players in total.

Baiyi divided the Voidwalkers into seven small teams, placing four players in each team.

The Archmage's team consisted of himself, three beautiful maidens, and a group of poorly designed NPCs, who all had the most generic facial features that NPCs could ever have. One of the poorly-designed-NPCs, who seemed to be the leader of the NPCs in the team, began to brief the team members dutifully, reminding them to always keep an eye on their watch.

What this poorly-designed-NPC was referring to was not an actual watch, as the Archmage soon discovered, after looking down at his wrist. What he really saw was a black pixel block, which had a screen in its middle, to display text.

Looking around, the Archmage feasted his eyes on the group of poorly design NPCs, who could only be found in budget B-list animation movies. Some of these poorly designed NPCs possessed faces that were shaped more like polygons than spheres. Then, the Archmage examined the room he was in; it was a small room, which had only four white walls. There was a glowing sphere hovering in the middle of the room, and apart from that, there was absolutely nothing else in the room. That made the game seem like a very sloppily-made game.

"Pfft, this apprentice of mine! At least put some more effort into the details!" The Archmage pouted his lips in disapproval, obviously displeased. After all, realism — or the lack thereof — affected one's gaming experience in major ways.

When Baiyi heard that feedback, he was rendered speechless. 'What am I supposed to do? I'm already stretched thin here!'

This time, more Voidwalkers had joined Baiyi's game than usual, and the game being a very complex one did not help him, either. In order to set up the game, Baiyi had exhausted every inch of his computing power — as well as recalling the remote scouting ball of consciousness that was inspecting his future vacation realm — just to create this new game world. Almost all of his concentration was on this game, except a little bit of consciousness that was left behind, in reality, to guard himself against sudden harm.

However, all that was only good enough to construct a basic, overarching world design, with the details that were much more… frugal. There was really nothing he could do to fix the dramatic absence of realism in the game's visuals and graphics, due to insufficient consciousness power. Therefore, a certain someone just had to make do with what he already had. It was not like he could challenge the designer.

However, no matter how mighty a Voidwalker was, they still could not defeat God...

Fortunately, someone else took pity on Baiyi's plight. A cool, clear voice rang out from behind the grumbling Archmage., "He has put a lot of effort into this, and I can see that he is currently strained from the complexity of the game. You, sir, are being too demanding of him."

Another voice, which sounded cuter than the previous one, chimed in. "Uh-huh! Hope is very dedicated in his craft; he doesn't even slack off despite this being just a game!"

"Sir Archmage, if I may be so bold… I need to remind you that the original intention of our exercise is to accrue education materials for his future classes. Ergo, it is fine to be parsimonious in terms of graphical details." This voice of support was also feminine one; it was interlaced with an air of wisdom and grace.

Baiyi felt his heart warm the instant he heard them. 'At least someone still cares!'

"Hmph!" The Archmage turned around in displeasure and looked at the three gorgeous maidens standing behind him. The maidens all sported different styles, but they shared the same mindblowing degree of beauty. The Archmage muttered in a low voice, "You placed me in a team with these three? You brat; you're just trying to sabotage my success, aren't you?"

'Hey, that's just unfair!' Baiyi had only put the Archmage in a team with those three because he could not bear to see the Archmage lose again; after all, the Archmage's prowess at games was so appalling, Baiyi could not save him, even if he bent the rules to his advantage. This time, the Fifth Walker had deliberately placed the Archmage in a team with genuinely skilled players — the Warrior Walker, the Assassin Walker, and the Scholar — just so that he would not lose so embarrassingly, which would cause him to end up sleeping on someone's pity couch.

As the four players bantered, the leader of the team's poorly-designed- NPCs finished briefing the team about the rules of the game. A white light shone down on the team, signifying the start of the game.

As per custom, the first level pitted them against... zombies.

The players in the Archmage's team froze after they were teleported to the new arena. Apparently, in order to minimize computing power and resources, Baiyi had cut corners on every NPC that he deemed "insignificant", and this included the zombies. Every NPC in the game was just composed of a spherical block for a head and a few lines connected to it, completing a matchstick person. In order to help the Voidwalkers tell the matchstick characters apart, there were helpful texts inscribed on their spherical heads: Civilian, Zombie, Kinda Stronger Zombie…

'There is zero terror and excitement in this!' Comparatively, the leader of the poorly-designed-NPCs on the Archmage's team actually seemed more realistic…

"Well, at least Baiyi didn't do a sloppy job when it came to designing game bosses…"

"Well, just ignore the issues and play, maybe?"

The Archmage decided to make the game more eventful in his own way. When a kind poorly-designed-NPC passed him a handgun, to use against the zombies, the Archmage called that NPC aside; then, he pulled over some more loitering poorly-designed- NPCs and began to tell them all the game's plot, spoiling every part of the story to them.

The leader of the team's poorly-designed-NPCs frantically tried to stop the Archmage, warning him that such actions would bring forth the wrath of the 'King of Gods'.

To this warning, the Archmage candidly replied, "Nah, he wouldn't dare because he's my student!"

The poor leader could not compute any information that was not meant for its character. Thus, the NPC glitched, suffering a serious bug which effectively kicked it out of the game.

Baiyi, on the other hand, was pissed. He ignored the Archmage's team and turned his attention to the others.

Although the Archmage was trolling the game because he had a personal connection with its 'King of Gods', other Voidwalkers had, at least, adhered to the rules of the game. They ignored the pitiful graphic design and played the game with the seriousness it deserved.

One of the most outstanding teams was the team containing the Knight Walker, the Caveman Walker, the Hitman Walker, and the Sorcerer Walker. These four were renowned for their prowess in direct combat; they each boasted their own personal fighting styles, vast experience, and guts made of steel. They floored the zombies and became the first team to complete the objective of the first level, earning themselves a massive number of reward points.

The zombies could pose a threat to normal humans, but they were not able to boss the Voidwalkers around, even though the Voidwalkers had been handicapped to make them similar to ordinary humans. The best weapon each Voidwalker in the game wielded was their experience, and with that, none of the zombies could hope to threaten them, let alone zombies that did not look scary.

As the Shonen Shoguns — which was the name that Baiyi decided to christen the Knight Walker's team — began to upgrade their stats, a second team completed the first level: the 'Axis of Evil' team. This team contained the Lich Walker, the Devil Walker, the Incubus Walker, and the Shadow Walker.

The Axis of Evil was just as energetic as the Shonen Shoguns, even though they had not managed to finish the first level as fast as the Shonen Shoguns did. However, their techniques were very subtle; they easily manipulated the poorly-designed-NPCs in their team to fight each other, and by the time the objective had been completed, all the NPCs had died along with the zombies, dropping their items in the process. After plundering the loot dropped by the deceased, the Axis of Evil's EXPs rose tremendously, earning them the path to becoming Team Killers.

The third team to complete the first level was only slightly less impressive. This team, 'the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', consisted of the Cleric Walker, the Paladin Walker, the Engineer Walker, and the Astrologer Walker. They had turned out to be a pretty solid team; the Paladin Walker and the Cleric Walker were actually powerful fighters in their own rights, while the Engineer Walker had useful knowledge about battles such as these. The only member who did not contribute significantly was the sole theorist among the gentlemen, the Astrologer Walker; he had no actual battle experience or important knowledge to share. Regardless of that, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had the potential to brace against oncoming challenges.

However, their team was not the only one to display amazing potential. The Raw Rangers — which contained the Dragon, the Monster, the Soul Armature Practitioner, and the Blacksmith Walker — showed as much promise as the previous team. The Soul Armature Practitioner acted as the chief strategist; the Monster and the Dragon's — who both had pure, unbridled forces — served as the team's tanks, and finally, the Blacksmith Walker had taken on the role of technical support. The division of roles within this team showed exceptional understanding of rapport and given some more time, the Raw Rangers was sure to rise to the top, in later levels.

Some teams did not really inspire the same amount of confidence, however. One such team consisted of the Alchemist Walker, the Charlatan, the Merchant, and the Apprentice Walker. In this team, only the Apprentice Walker had been useful in battle, and that was just disheartening. The team had only managed to clear the first level. The Charlatan charmed the NPCs in his team to be completely loyal to the players, and the other three members of the team upgraded the stats of these NPCs using their own attribute points, hoping that these NPCs could do battle with the zombies all on their own. Because of this, Baiyi christened this team 'the Support Team'.

Apart from the Archmage's team, who Baiyi had chosen to ignore, there was one team left; it was the team formed by the Explorer Walker, the Thane, the Bard, and the Painter —'Team Cliche'. This particular team was very traditionalist; they employed the classic way of assigning roles. The roles of tanks were taken up by the Explorer and the Painter, while the Thane fulfilled the role as the leader; he had to drag the Bard— who was also the team's resident Casanova — around. A team like this seemed very apt for a novel like this.

The game that Baiyi had created was perfectly tailored for the Voidwalkers. The first level contained zombies, but it was not difficult for the Voidwalkers; all the teams had managed to pass the level without any casualty. While the players were sorting out their pre-mission upgrades, Baiyi was finally able to relax a little, and he used that time to turn his attention back to the 'Connection Cronies'— the team the Archmage was a part of.

Three members of this team made upgrades and stats modifications that were useful to them; these modifications granted them some of the abilities that once commanded in real life. Only the Scholar decided to find a slightly different power for herself, choosing to get an ability related to psychic energy; she probably wanted to become a psychic this time.

After making his upgrades and stat modifications, the Archmage used what was left of the team's reward points to get a pair of black-rimmed glasses. He pushed the glasses up his nose and muttered, "Hmph. Mortals and their wisdom."

'Uhh…' Their team now consisted of a fighter, who was very adept in martial arts; a bewitchingly beautiful assassin; the glass-wearing Archmage, who had claimed to be the brains behind the team, and a female psychic. Had anyone seen this sort of team-up before? Maybe if the Warrior's gender was flipped…

The game continued. In the first level, every team had to fight zombies. However, in the second level, each team encountered different scenarios. Some were sent into space to fight alien women; some were in the desert exploring the pyramids, and some were sent back into the past to bully dinosaurs.

Due to the differences in the flow of time within the game and reality, Baiyi felt that second round ended just as quickly. The fastest team to finish the second level was, once again, the Shonen Shoguns. They were closely followed by the Axis of Evil, who believed that there was no method too reprehensible to reach their goal. The team which had been built as it was to give one its members an unfair advantage — and had also received secret help from the gamemaster himself — the Connection Cronies, could only settle for third place.

'I feel like there really isn't anything that can carry my teacher,' Baiyi sighed quietly.

However, in the second level, there was a casualty! The deceased was a member of Team Cliche, which was led by the Thane Waker. This team lost a member because the Bard had flirted with an NPC that was instrumental to the plot progression. That was against the rules, and so the Casanova was briskly executed…

'I can't believe you actually felt sexually-aroused by pixel blocks!' Baiyi thought, his voice failing him. Just in case you don't get it, he is talking about the Archmage.You mean, God as in the Game's Omni Designer (hence, G.O.D.), who design this long, super-realistic The Sims game that I was forced into playing called 'Living'? It was so damn realistic, I didn't even get to choose my appearance and stats!No; There are no "eyes" to see here. Different novel.For those who hadn't heard this term yet— Team Killers are players who kill their own teammates for whatever reasons. Maybe they wanted to gain your loot. Maybe they are just doing it for the lulz. Maybe they held a grudge. Whatever may be, they killed their own teammates, and if a shonen anime protagonist were there he would be telling you how much he hates you and would never forgive you!read: pervs

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288 The Game Is In Full Swing

Although the Bard, who had just died, was removed from the game, his team were now playing even better than before; without the deadweight dragging them down, Team Cliche's performance improved a lot! Baiyi began to wonder how the Bard loser had managed to survive in the Void before Baiyi found and rescued him.

For the most part, the Voidwalkers proved themselves borne for this game. After successfully passing the second level, and arranging their mid-level stats modification and upgrades, the Voidwalkers' preferred powers and fighting styles were basically set in stone. After their upgrades, the basic firepower of every team had increased immensely, so Baiyi decided to jack up the game's difficulty, starting from the third level. In the third level, frightening bosses that had taken up a lot of his game-designing-effort were unveiled.

Unlike the previous matchstick-bosses, these new bosses were more fleshed out and detailed, with a massive improvement in their recognizability and graphics. They looked so real, it was almost as if they were not game characters.

The Shonen Shoguns — the team which now had four melee pros, who all had chiseled muscles to boot — rampaged through the lands occupied by the level's mobs, like a monkey snapping every branch it came across. As soon as the Shonen Shoguns' team members eradicated the last of the mobs, a gigantic silhouette appeared over their heads.

The main tank of the team, the Sorcerer Walker, whose primary duty was to tank the heaviest hits, raised his head in time to see a planet-sized sunflower grinning at them. The sunflower began to sway as though it was dancing, and then with one sudden swipe, the Sorcerer Walker was sent flying backward.

"I'll ambush this piece of shit from behind! You guys try to cover me!" The Hitman Walker ordered, without a shred of fear for the eccentric boss, and he went into stealth mode; however, he was soon sent flying and crashed into the ground, just beside the crater that contained the Sorcerer Walker.

"M-maybe the both of you should switch roles. Sir Hitman, tank the damage and cover Sir Sorcerer, who will try to deal damage," the Knight Walker suggested. He was the captain of the team, and he could not bear seeing his teammates being floored like that.

Both the Hitman Walker and the Sorcerer Walker nodded. The Hitman Walker received the heavy pavise from the Sorcerer Walker, and the two bravely charged forward. The Knight Walker and the Caveman Walker, too, raised and readied their weapons, positioning themselves around the Sunflower Boss.

The second fastest team to finish the second level, the Axis of Evil, were also facing their own nightmare-looking boss. They braced themselves for their face-off against a goliath-sized Owl, which had a very round head — and presumably, a very round brain. The Lich Walker and the Devil Walker brainstormed on a strategy for a bit before raising their staves respectively.

The poor-designed-NPCs, who were unfortunate to be their teammates, quickly rushed forward mindlessly, attracting the Owl's aggro and attacks. The Axis of Evil then lured the monster into the NPCs' residential area. As soon as the Owl-boss began killing off poorly-designed-NPC civilians, the Axis of Evil began to deal it damage, using a variety of stealth attacks and calculated indirect-attacks. This caused the boss's HP to drop slowly but steadily.

The Support Team was fighting an uphill battle. Their boss — a gigantic fox — proved to be very tenacious. This team had always heavily relied on their poorly-designed-NPC teammates to deal attacks, while they provided the NPCs with support items and buffs. Even though the Support Team's members had focused on upgrading the effects of their support buffs, the huge Fox they were facing was one of the toughest bosses in the third level.

The battle was a massacre. Even with the Alchemist's impressive amount of potions, concoctions, and vulneraries, which was supposed to prevent his teammates from dying, had almost all been used.

The Connection Cronies team faced the 'best boss' of the third level. The boss was an adorable girl, who was wearing a short, youthful skirt and knee-length white socks. Her hair was tied into long twin tails. This boss's strongest attack was… her cuteness.

However, unfortunately for this boss, her charm failed to captivate the Warrior Walker and the Assassin Walker. They boldly rushed forward and spanked the boss as if she had been a bad child. They dealt with the boss so hard, the Boss ended assuming a fetal position and pleading for mercy.

Due to the appearances of stronger bosses, the third level saw a few more casualties occur among the players. The Merchant, who had no actual battle experiences, had chosen to take up the role of a psychic — a class that possessed no combat prowess — but he got killed by the huge fox's sharp claws.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen team also lost a member. The boss that this team encountered was a dark-skinned maid with short white hair, donning a maid outfit and a cat-ear headband. When the boss appeared, the entire team was hit by a Slow status effect, and their response became much slower…

After crying out "I heart dark chocolate," the Astrologer Walker leaped straight at the boss. In response to his sudden attack, the boss produced a red lightsaber out of nowhere and met the Voidwalker with her blade, slicing him neatly in half.

With one of its member lost, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen found themselves in peril. Its remaining three members had to admit that this boss was way out of their league, making them doubt their chances of winning. They frantically dodged the boss' attacks, resulting in reoccurring scenes of near misses and near deaths. The team kept darting in and out of the possibility of a complete genocide!

This could not be helped, though. A boss with real combat prowess and a high moe-coefficient was the perfect executioner for this team of extraordinary gentlemen. Even though the Paladin Walker and the Cleric Walker were exceptional bruisers, they would have no chance of surviving the fight if their gazes continued to wander to the area below the boss's skirt!

In the end, their will to live proved stronger as they held off the boss off long enough to reach the time limit of the level, and that was how they passed the level. However, they still suffered serious loses: one of their teammates had been pwned, their tools were exhausted, and the reward points they gained in this third level was too pitiful to cover their cost.

Regardless of all that, the Cleric Walker beamed contentedly, without a sign of grievance. "Everything is alright! I don't mind; after all, she was moe."

Only three deaths were recorded in the third level. The slain Voidwalkers were the Merchant, the Astrologer,Walker and… the main character of the game, the Archmage!

What an unexpected twist...

In the third level, the Connection Cronies were overpowering their boss — who was a tiny-framed, innocent-looking girl sporting a twin tail and white socks — and when the girl had only one-third of her original HP left, she suddenly burst into very loud sobs. While crying, she screamed something unintelligible, and a black meatball monster appeared out of thin air.

The strange black meatball monster wore a blue headband and held a dazzling gold formation on its palm. As soon as the black meatball monster appeared, it made a fist, squeezing the golden formation. With a loud 'whoosh', the NPCs in the Connection Cronies team all bust into black flames and turned into ashes.

The Archmage soon found himself the target of the black meatball monster's relentless pursuit. The Scholar and the Assassin Walker tried to dive in and help, but the monster was more powerful than they had expected. They almost died, even! The Meatball was much stronger than the actual boss who summoned it!

Only the Warrior Walker remained level-headed enough to quickly formulate a plan; she tasked the Archmage with distracting the black meatball monster with every magic he could throw, while the rest focused their damage on the main boss.

Finally, before the black meatball monster could gain an edge over them, the main boss died, and the Connection Cronies passed the trial terrified, but alive...

The Archmage, however, had let his guard down as soon as it was over. The black meatball monster sent out one last black flame attack before vanishing completely, which struck the old man square in the face — instantly killing him.

The shame of losing like that was in itself the sickest burn anyone could ever get.

"...S-sir Archmage has died, girls. We did not manage to protect him properly… Hope must be very upset now, isn't he? What should we do?" The Assassin Walker asked worriedly during their break.

"No worries. We can revive him," the Warrior Walker replied in her usual steady voice, which seemed to ooze confidence.

There was, of course, a revive option in the game. It was because of this option that the Voidwalkers who had died were kept in a dark waiting hall, instead of instantly exiting the game to spectate from the Void. The Archmage was fortunate that his teammates had the desire to revive him; on the other hand, none of the Bard's teammates even considered reviving him…

At the end of the third level, the teams that had managed to slay their boss were poised to earn a tremendous amount of rewards. In the third level, the team who had finished the second level the fastest, the Shonen Shoguns, had exhausted too many resources on their boss fight, so the Axis of Evil ended up being the fastest team to finish the third level. This was because of their consistent teamkilling strategy. Thus, the previous champions, the Shonen Shoguns, was demoted to second place, finishing the third level the second fastest.

This showed that pathetic strategies, such as the strategy employed by the Axis of Evil, was always beneficial in the first few battles.

As per custom, the first three levels could only be considered 'grinding levels'. The next level, the fourth level, was set to be a battle royale between all the teams. They were to try their hardest to eliminate and rip each other apart, in this cruel and deadly war. In this round, the death of an entire team would be highly plausible and almost inevitable…

The Shonen Shoguns were thrown onto a field that already contained the Raw Rangers — which was led by the Monster and the Dragon — and the Explorer Walker's Team Cliche. That field stood as the location for a skin-crawling, soul-shackling three-way battle.

On the other hand, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came face-to-face with their sworn enemies, the Axis of Evil. Their faces glowed with a determination to exterminate the Axis of Evil completely, their confident expressions began to look like pure malice.

Baiyi feared for the survival of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, so he deliberately dropped the weaker Support Team in between the skirmish between them and the Axis of Evil, hoping that the Support Team ends up drawing the ire of the Axis of Evil.

The only team that did not participate in the battle royale was the Connection Cronies. When they were transported to the third level, they found themselves in a place that seemed like the deserts of Egypt, They went on to excavate a pyramid, searching for the revival artifact to bring the Archmage back to life. By the time they succeeded, the two ongoing battles were drawing to an end.

The Axis of Evil, who was now supposed to be the best in terms of actual prowess, suffered a heavy blow in the fight. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Support Team had worked together, increasing their chances of victory and unwittingly causing in-fighting within the Axis!

In the end, the Lich Walker and the Shadow Walker ate the carcasses of their fallen teammates, which helped them absorb the EXP and powers. After that, they became the two strongest players in the entire game. With their newfound powers, they dealt a brutal retaliation and almost wiped out the other two teams completely. They would have succeeded if the Paladin and the Charlatan had died.

The Lich was once a human in the past, and the Shadow is still a human, yet they managed to be more vicious than monsters and demons, who humans considered more daring than the lowest scums could ever be…

In the other battle, the three competing teams were too close in terms of damage and power, and none of them had worked together. Their battle was a chaotic three-way war, decorating the battlefield with gory carnage. Team Cliche was massacred completely, and with no one to revive them, the team was automatically ejected out of the game to become spectators.

The most impressive team was the Shonen Shoguns, who had lost the Caveman and the Hitman in the battle. For some reasons, they could not plunder loot from their dead, so they were unable to offset their heavy losses.

The only team that did not lose any member was the Connection Cronies, the Archmage's team. Since they missed the battle royale selection, they were thrown into another third level to grind and grow, while the other teams were losing their friends in battle. Furthermore, the Connection Cronies arguably had the best team management. At this point, the winner of the game seemed obvious..

"Ahahahhahahaha! Now, this is the game just right for me!" The Archmage beamed proudly as he received his team's 'Mission Report Stats' from the Game's King of Gods, Baiyi.

"Do not get overconfident," the Warrior Walker warned. "We were just lucky."

"That's of-bloody-course! My luck has always been heavenly!" The Archmage retorted smugly.

After a long break for upgrades, modification and rest, Baiyi decided to have the game end by dawn. Thus, he pulled the surviving players into one map and waited for them to start another round of massacre.And then they jumped towards the boss at the same time in triumphant music as the game title leaped onto the screen right when they were about to hit: Teacher Destress: Hitting Your Students Brutally Because You Can't In Real Life… Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in between? This is what Gigguk's new 2018 Anime Fan Guidebook would classify as "Cancer". Go watch that video on YouTube if you wanna know about the habits and observed behaviors of Cancers, or if you wanna learn about other anime fans such as the Lifestylist and the Memer.Ooh! The Cronies fought the Biggest Crony of Them All, who managed to turn the tide only because of her Connection! … What a poetic irony! Hee hee.And that sort of "low, honorless means" was how I survived most of the games I otherwise had no business winning when I was a kid! Don't worry, I was never an online player, neither was I even keen on two-player games, so no important relationships were damaged, really. It's the NPCs who died— NPCs who were too ugly, NPCs who were too buttf*cking idiotic, NPCs who raised my ire; or, well, NPCs who happened to be my sister's favorites.

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289 The Final Battle Royale

The final battlefield looked like a combination of Isythre and Gouve. The earth was Isythre-like, but the sky was filled with floating isles. On each island, one would find a nerd's complete compendium of classic enemies — zombies, mummies, mutated bugs, aliens and more; however, that was not all. The local NPCs were there, but this time, they were incredibly hostile to the players. They seemed hell-bent on lynching the players; it was as if co-existing with the players was not an option.

This seemed too similar to the way the mortals of the world perceived the Voidwalkers.

Not only that, all the bosses they had faced in the previous rounds were all present. The Voidwalkers were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of dangers they faced in this level; not only were they supposed to defend themselves against local NPCs, mobs, and powerful bosses, but they also had to fight the other teams to death.

The only thing good about this high-stakes finale, for Baiyi, was that it was taking place in one location, so the previous pressure and computing load he had to endure previously had subsided in spades. Because of this, the quality of the map and its monsters improved greatly. The NPCs were no longer entirely poorly designed; they now boasted the same quality as the bosses that the as the Walkers had faced previously.

The game's stature leaped from a crappy freemium game — where one would pay cash for a Level 999 blade— to an AAA-grade big-budget game, at breakneck speed. The game now seemed fully capable of bringing out the most realistic and immersive visual, audio, and tactile experience to the players; something the best virtual reality gaming device hoped to achieve.

However, it was unfortunate that the remaining Voidwalkers were not at their best states after the last bloodbath. The extremely lucky Axis of Evil— which now consisted of only the Lich Walker and the Shadow Walker — spawned in the middle of a city, unfortunately. This time, the aboriginal NPCs did not waste any time surrounding the two.

Not only were the Lich Walker and Shadow Walker surrounded by local NPCs, mobs, and bosses, but their combined numbers was too much for both Voidwalkers to tackle, due to the unholy amount of time and energy they would need to overcome the mob; there was also the possibility of one of their opponents sneaking an attack on them while they were occupied! Thus, after a brief discussion, both Voidwalkers began to run away from the mob like embarrassing, headless chickens.

As they fled, they managed to rescue the Charlatan from another mob. No one could understand their reason of doing so, but absolutely no one would believe that their heroics was for a humanitarian cause.

The Voidwalkers who spawned in the middle of nowhere were considered lucky. One such lucky team was the Connection Cronies. They spawned in the middle of nowhere, and without facing any assault from hostile NPCs, the team had the time to gather intelligence and formulate strategies. They also managed to save the Paladin and the Blacksmith, who were both fleeing from a boss that had donned a wide-brimmed witch hat.

Seeing as they were saved, the Paladin and the Blacksmith could not possibly defy the Connection Cronies. Hence, both of them had to pledge their allegiance to the Connection Cronies and suck up to them.

On the other hand, the members of Shonen Shoguns got reunited again. Their luck held even after that, and the entire team spawned in a barren wasteland, giving them ample time and zero distraction to plan their next move, such as accumulating as many resources they could.

Apparently, in an attempt to revive their fellow comrades, the two surviving members of the Shonen Shoguns, who made it through the third level, had offered all of their reward points and the points they had gathered by selling all of their tools…

Now that was the real will of fire that shonen heroes are famed for! They do not abandon hope and bravery, and they don't abandon their comrades, either!

However, despite all four members of the Shonen Shoguns now being well and alive, the loss of weapons, gears, and other tools they had sacrificed, left them in a bind. If they were to meet an enemy at that moment, they may not survive…

Fortunately, Baiyi was so impressed with them, so he decided to lend them a hand in secret. As a result of this, they were able to obtain some basic weapons like cleavers, frying pans, and mysterious berries — which was enough to serve them for that moment. Baiyi even had a boss wait for them; it was a maiden who had with a long, pale blue hair and donned armor and a short skirt of the latest fashion.

The Shonen Shoguns proceeded to curb-stomp this gorgeous boss until she submitted, then she left a black obsidian armor and a large stash of gold coins before fleeing. With this loot, the Shonen Shoguns were finally able to regain some fighting power, enough to stand a chance in their upcoming battle…

As a result of various alliances, the players were moving in 3 groups, with each group containing members of more than 1 team. On their journey forward, these three groups defeated every monster they could find, kept every resource they could find, and completed smaller side-quests, which had been given to them by the aboriginal NPCs so that they could build up a name for themselves. They also strove to battle different bosses so that they could more equipment and gain the allegiance of NPCs, who would then act as their back-up.

The Connection Cronies gained the allegiance of one such NPC. They came across a young female dragon, who had a bear cub striding by its side. After defeating the young dragon, the Cronies took the cub in for themselves. Wanting her child back, the dragon agreed to join their party.

Meanwhile, the Axis of Evil was able to earn the allegiance of one NPC to act as their back-up. This was only possible due to the Charlatan's techniques, which fooled a Boss into working for them. This boss was a saintess wearing a kinky armor set. At the same time, while braving a skirmish in the wild, the Shonen Shoguns accidentally rescued a rich, young female NPC, who had the face of a loli and a very mountainous torso. In order to reward the Connection Cronies, the pink-haired rich NPC showered them with money and gifted them a sorcerer's staff that had Saint Quartz embedded in it. Additionally, she even sent her maidpPosse to aid the team.

Since this was the final battle royale, everyone was very careful and reserved in their action and the route they took. This resulted in them not running into each other. They took their time to grind and gather intel.

"We should strike only after the other two factions have wasted each other. Before that happens, we should consider concealing our tracks," the Scholar said as she cuddled the cub in her arms.

The Warrior Walker did not seem to share the Scholar's fondness for the cub; she only threw a dirty glare at it. However, she nodded at the Scholar's strategy in approval.

After that, the Warrior Walker joined the Assassin Walker in bullying the young female dragon. The poor female dragon NPC had no idea why it was the subject of their ire, so it could only whimper pitifully.

"Our biggest enemy is that sonuvab*tch — the Lich!" The Paladin Walker, who had just joined the Connection Cronies, gritted his teeth and added.

Surprisingly, even though the Connection Cronies contained three gorgeous belles, who were each flaunting different moe aspects, the Paladin Walker never once gave them any more than a passing glance. His attention was fully focused on the battles— like an actual paladin would. Was it because he knew that if he dared harass the girls, his ending would be much harsher than getting 'muted' in the void?

"Here. This is an armor I just made. It is a little less sturdy than my usual work, but you can still use it. I added a special enchantment that increases the armor's resistance to necromancy," the Blacksmith said as he tossed a set of armor to the Paladin. Curiously, despite using all the materials he had gathered, thus far, the Blacksmith was only able to make one armor set, which he gave to the Paladin Walker. Although the Blacksmith defended this action by stating that the Paladin Walker would be the primary force against the Lich Walker, his intentional negligence of requests which the others made for similar armor sets suggested that he had some other motive…

The Lich Walker was not an idiot. Ever since the Charlatan joined them, the Lich Walker realized that his trust in the Shadow Walker was reducing. The two of them had, at least, trusted each other implicitly before the Charlatan came along, but now, the Lich Walker realized he had grown more suspicious of the Shadow Walker.

This was not good from any perspective. To make matters worse, the Shadow Walker shared the same distrust for the Lich Walker. Her mind nagged her that the Lich Walker would definitely look for a chance to devour her to order to gain her power and EXP, making him become the strongest player in the game.

Eventually, the Lich Walker discovered that the Charlatan had been brainwashing the empty-headed Saintess Boss. In a fit of anger, the Lich Walker killed the conman and enslaved his soul.

"You idiotic, insignificant liar! I was originally planning to kill you last, yet you dared do something this foolish under my nose?"The Lich Walker said in a hoarse and low voice.

"Suck it, you disgusting, contemptible bag of bones!" The Charlatan's soul shrieked. "You murdered all of my teammates and killed the only few people who still believed in con artists like me! I am never going to ally myself with you!!"

Just like that, the Lich Walker had snuffed the Charlatan's soul out of the game. The last candlelight of the Support Team was now gone completely.

However, the Lich Walker's problems did not just go away with the death of the Charlatan. At this point, both he and the Shadow Walker no longer trusted each other at all, and the Saintess Boss, due to the conman's death, rebelled against them. The two managed to subdue her, but the fight had cost them heavily.

With their accumulated supply running dry and their most useful technical support member, the Charlatan, gone — the Lich Walker and the Shadow Walker found themselves at the mercy of the local parishes and churches.

These Demigod-level Voidwalkers did not seem to be affected by the downhill turn of event, however. The Lich Walker just calmly muttered to himself, "Hmph hmph hmph. Now, this is the life a Lich should be accustomed to. Hee hee hee…"

The game continued with the three forces reinforcing their foundation. A casual glance at the time informed Baiyi that day was about to break, so he had to execute his masterstroke immediately, forcing the champions to reveal themselves sooner.

A system notice flashed before each player in the game; it said: "A top-tier boss will appear at the center of the map. The reward from maiming this boss will be weapons and tools powerful enough to tip the balance in your favor. All players are advised to hurry over there before the others."

After the players did as told and arrived at the designated area, the boss — or rather, the bosses — had already spawned. One boss was a beautiful maiden who had a single golden-haired horsetail and wore a short skirt and white silky socks. Beside this boss was another boss — a loli sporting black twin-tails hair, who wore the same outfit as the Maiden boss.

Cooperating Bosses? Bosses like these were infamous for possessing too many techniques as well as being a general nuisance. No one — not even from a Random Guild, a G-rank Guild, or a Tagalong Guild — would be delighted to see two bosses at the same time.

Soon, a chaotic battle began. The players threw themselves forward, attacking the bosses as much as possible to gain EXP, and at the same time, attacking their opponents. It was an exciting battle of wits and mettle!

In a high-stakes battle royale like this, the Shonen Shogun's boldness in fighting their hardest quickly became a tremendous advantage. Even though they possessed only they loot they picked from the maiden they defeated previously, they managed to hold their own against both the Connection Cronies and the Axis of Evil! Meanwhile, the Connection Cronies directed most of their attention to the bosses, and this caused them to be the primary target of attacks from the other two teams. The Cronies found themselves cornered...

At this critical moment, the Archmage awakened.

His lone figure braved the Knight Walker's and the Hitman Walker's relentless onslaughts by itself, all the while keeping a vigilant eye on the Shadow and her shady techniques. He was essentially battling three fighters by himself, yet he was more spirited than he ever was, even managing to pilfer a lot of time and space for his teammates.

The old geezer may have been an embarrassing noob in games, but when he started treating the games as though they were real life, he became a force that reminded everyone of his original identity.

"Now that's His Royal Highness, the Sage-Emperor of the Magi. Even without his opulent heavenly robe, whenever he gets serious, a terrifying opponent would be unleashed…" the Lich muttered quietly.

The Archmage's sudden awakening rocked the battlefield's atmosphere. His teammates, who were fully motivated by his powerful performance, became even more dedicated to their tasks. The HP of both bosses' HP rapidly reduced amidst the chaos, almost getting lower than ⅓ of the original amount.

Was the night-long game finally coming to end… right before the sun rises, bringing about dawn?Chinese netizens and ACG fans call a troublemaking brat a 'Bear Child'. Baiyi, coincidentally, had a certain daddy-clinging brat as a student, who acts no different from a Bear Child. This was probably why this boss was a young dragon with a bear cub.Probably because you were created after a young female dragon who these female Voidwalkers wish to bully in reality.

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290 Life Goes On Even After A Game Has Ended

As the HP of both bosses drew infinitely close to one-third of their original values, an impatient strike snaked out from the Lich Walker's hiding spot; he had unleashed pelts of devastating necromancy on the two bosses, reducing their remaining HP by a huge amount!

Suddenly, a small, black meatball-like monster with a blue headband began to pursue the Lich Walker relentlessly. The ensuing onslaught left the skeletal Voidwalker no choice but to run in any direction, screaming; he had no idea on how to retaliate.

As he fled like a dog being stoned, the Lich Walker whimpered, "Why does this always happen to me?!"

With a nuisance like the Lich Walker gone, the skirmish took a leap in an optimistic direction for the Connection Cronies. The Assassin Walker, who gripped an eccentric dagger that looked like a claw engulfed in red hot flame and blue icy flame, hurled herself at her senior, the Hitman Walker.

"Wait... this weapon!" The Hitman Walker mumbled as he dodged her attacks while looking at the strange weapon.

"Frost Fire Warp Claw — pretty expensive stuff!" Lady Assassin grinned before charging at him once again.

At the same time, the Paladin Walker suddenly stopped attacking the bosses. He looked at both bosses and noticed that not only had their HPs each dipped below one-third of its original value, but their silky socks had also been torn apart in the classic sense of clothing damage, leaving their fair skin exposed. Both bosses wore plaintive, pleading expressions.

Hence, the Paladin Walker decided to lower his weapon.

"What the hell are you doing?! Now's the time to hurt them as much as you can!" The Blacksmith panicked.

"Enough… is enough…" The Paladin Walker muttered to no one in particular. He stood still, tanking the bosses' weak fisticuffs.

"What the hell are you saying?!" The Blacksmith was beyond surprised.

"I said… Enough is enough!" The Paladin Walker raised his voice in dejection as his own HP fell steadily. "I'm done going against my beliefs and conviction! This… This is just a game, after all!"

"Why—the—f*ck did you go mental now?! You think this is Dunkirk in 1940?!" The Blacksmith exclaimed, using a reference that no one there actually understood. However, he could only watch as the Paladin's HP hit the floor.

"My teammates! My comrades! Please… Forgive my betrayal… I'm coming… back…" The Paladin Walker looked into the eyes of the beautiful bosses and used his last strength to utter, "So…. kawaii…"

The Paladin Walker left the game, and the League of Gentlemen was no more. They may not have had a colorful game report to present, but they were men of conviction, men of beliefs!

As the game continued, the Lich Walker returned to the main battlefield after running in a large circle with the black meatball monster in tow. Although the Lich Walker was unable to fend off the little meatball devil, who had been hot on his heels in a chase that had caused many of his bones to burn away, the Voidwalker was still a powerful fighter — a dangerous threat, to be precise.

As soon as the Lich Walker arrived back at the battlefield he instantly killed the Scholar, who had been standing at the back line, providing technical support. He also easily repelled the Caveman Walker's and the Sorcerer Walker's assaults!

To make matters worse, the only remedy that was able to curb this killer, the black meatball monster, had somehow changed its target to the Blacksmith. Now the poor working-class Voidwalker had to flee from its restless oncoming attacks…

Was the Lich Walker now the boss that the other players would have to contain?

The Knight Walker instinctively recognized the danger which that threat posed, despite the fact that he was currently fighting the Warrior Walker. He stopped fighting her and declared loudly, "My friends! The real enemy is this immoral, demonic heretic! He will only spit on your face if you fight him with honor and knightly courtesy, so no quarters and defeat him!"

"What's the matter? Itching to return to your pretentious role of the Arbiter of 'Justice'? What shall I do now, dearest Knight? Lower my weapon and beg for your forgiveness and mercy?" The Lich snarled in his signature low and hoarse voice.

"The only mercy I could show to an unrepentant sinner like you is to make your death come quicker!"

"Look me in the eyes, and tremble before the force of death! You and your idiotic ragtag band will never be able to lay a hand on me!"

The battle had officially escalated into an epic showdown. Two sides threw themselves into the fight with reckless abandon. The powers emanating from their sudden clash tore the air apart and ignited the sky with flames. The world trembled at the force of their attacks!

Hence, every one of them forgot about the two bosses that were already on the verge of dying.

As the Voidwalkers cast all of their skills and utilized all of their battle philosophy in this civil war, the smaller boss of the two suddenly looked at the sky. Her mouth opened and closed; she was mouthing a countdown. Understandably, the Voidwalkers who were already absorbed in their last showdown did not notice her.

Suddenly, the smaller boss took out a strange trinket. This trinket was a fluffy, friendly-looking hammerhead shark plushie...

Upon its emergence, the plushie began to spin and soared upwards to the stratosphere. Its size quickly expanded and blocked out the sun, the clouds, the sky, and—

— everything was no more. The game had ended, and every player had died.

"Hey, what gives?! We haven't even finished our last showdown!" The Knight cried oud in lividity.

"Didn't you notice that bosses for this level actually had a time limit in which you had to defeat them? Of course, they would go berserk when the time was up!" Baiyi replied indignantly. At that moment, the sky in the real world had already brightened up. Upstairs, sounds of the students waking and sitting up from their bed could be heard.

The game really did have to end.

On the flip side, the Archmage was not bummed at the sudden climax of the game. He laughed heartily, "Hahaha! Well, sure, none of us actually won, but wasn't the game terribly stimulating? We should enjoy the journey of the game, not the end result, after all."

"I agree! I had hella fun!" The Caveman Walker added, feeling satisfied.

"Thank you so much, Sir Hope," the Hitman Walker was more upfront about his gratitude to Baiyi.

Seeing his teammates' responses, the Knight did not want to look like he's the only one who could not let go. He mumbled his thanks to Baiyi before returning to his normal taciturn self.

"Well, that's all folks. Have fun chatting; I gotta torment the little kids out there." With that, Baiyi took his leave, and sure enough, none of the Voidwalkers seemed to mind or care. They were still absorbed in discussing the previous game, analyzing the strengths and weakness of their strategies and stats modifications. On top of that, the members discussed the lessons they had learned and the issues they had faced while working together. This continued until they started laying out tactics for another round of a similar game in the future.

"Friends! Our team was never weak, neither were we not apt for combat. We were just wrong strategically. We should have used our buffs and boosts on Sir Apprentice, not on those unreliable NPCs. Also, you guys should really have trusted me more with enough reward points so that I can concoct stronger elixirs…"

"You crappy bag of bones! You actually got fooled by that conman, instead of believing in me! Haha! How ironic! His title is the Charlatan, and yet, you still chose to believe him. Has your brain been eroded into bone dust?"

"Ahahahah! Dude, have you ever seen a Lich with brains? I mean, they are all bones!"

"We were a great team! In fact, all of you were indispensable to me, for I was able to fight comfortably with the knowledge that my back will always be covered by my most trusted nakama! But, of course, we got some of our strategies a little messed up, too. For example, the roles which Sir Hitman and Sir Sorcerer took on were not properly managed. You two were tanks, so the roles the both of you played had overlapped. Next time, Sir Hitman could try upgrading himself to become a berserker. Meanwhile, Sir Sorcerer... you can do even without magic, so next time you should not spend your reward points on strengthening your magic. All you need is to use 'Lumos', me-thinks."

"Alright! Order, order! The Gentlemen's meeting for today is to give out judgment on Sir Paladin; he betrayed us! Although he did repent and remembered who he was at the last moment, I still think we have much to discuss…"

With everyone engaged in their own enthusiastic discussion, Baiyi found himself feeling a little lonely. He shook his head in mild dejection, and his hand went for the door.

Suddenly, a trademark chilly voice echoed in his ear. "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you so much."

The owner of the voice, the Warrior Walker, poked him with her consciousness; the poke seemed made to resemble a very soft peck.

Another voice chimed in peppily. "I! Haven't! Had! This! Much! Fun! For a loooong time! Gosh, that was so exciting… So fine, thank you, Dum-Dum!"

After that, the Assassin Walker followed the Warrior's example and gave him a very soft peck with her consciousness.

'Huh? What happened to these Salty Sisters today?' Baiyi thought as he turned his attention to the Scholar.

Seeing Baiyi look at her, she began to panick. "W-watch where you cast your gaze, okay? Y-you still have m-m-many conditions to meet if you desire one from me! I-I'm not as easily impressed as they are…"

'Lady, I just wanted to ask you if you had fun. I have no idea where you're going with this,' Baiyi thought to himself, feeling amused. He ignored her and went to prepare his lessons.

After a peaceful day in the real world, the Voidwalkers were still discussing the game that had undergone. Even when Baiyi was about to obtain his ranking result from the Sorcerer Association and receive his exam mission, the Voidwalkers did not show any interest. Even after a day and a night, the enthusiasm some of the Voidwalkers felt had still not died out…

'Uh, I'll just let them be.' Baiyi stepped onto a hoverdisc, which was headed for a meeting room. When the hoverdisc reached its destination, Baiyi saw the Joseph waving at him. Baiyi acknowledged the greeting and walked into the meeting room, sitting next to his future employee.

"My wife agreed with the proposal, and she would like you to know that she is very grateful," Joseph whispered. His face was bright — the look of someone had when they were excited about the future.

"That's good news! If you have time, you can come and check my place out. I can also help to arrange accommodation for you and your family so that your wife and your daughter could both be around you," Baiyi pleasantly said. He handed the class schedule that he had worked on the night before to the young lad. "Tell me if you face any problems."

"Understood." Joseph took the letter respectfully, then tucked it into his pocket meticulously. "However, my wife and daughter also manage the family farm and mill, while I… I'm used to staying with them there. So you really don't need to worry about me."

"Well, whatever floats your boat." Baiyi was not the type to fixate on the personal preferences of others.

Other candidates slowly trudged into the room as Baiyi and Joseph continued chatting. One of them took notice of the Fifth Walker and suddenly sighed in sympathy. He shook his head and said, with concern, "Hey, don't think of ranking exams as too big of a deal, alright? Your true innate capability is your real strength, okay?"

Meaning… he was sure that Baiyi would not pass...4th stage kawaii waifu-cancer has claimed him too soon! Aaahhh!

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291 You Can Always Find Someone Like This In Any World

The unsolicited words of comfort made Baiyi feel confused. 'Isn't there a misunderstanding here?'

However, the comforting man's face did not house a malevolent expression, and this made Baiyi feel even more awkward; despite that, he nodded at the man, even though he has no words to say.

Something even more magical happened next. Every single candidate was given words of support and comfort, and absolutely none of them took the opportunity to act stereotypically cocky. In fact, the entire scene was a shining example of warmth and camaraderie!

'Okay, so although this is not really a bad thing, did you guys already believe that you won't pass this exam? That's some chronic lack of confidence in yourself, guys! It's just the Legendary-level exam, you know; no matter how unfairly tight the passing quota is, the Sorcerers Association will never allow only one or two individuals to pass, right?'

Just as Baiyi was mumbling to himself, the crowd's attention shifted to him and Joseph.

"Look at that young fella. I'll bet he breezed through the tests! My sources among the examiners told me that in the most critical test, this young lad displayed quite an impressive feat— with an impressive speed, no less!"

"Wait, are you serious? I, on the other hand, was nursing a migraine on that last test... gods! Is this young man really that skilled?"

"However, my sources told me that he wasn't the best in terms of execution…"

"You mean that there was someone even better? You mean there is an even stronger powerhouse among us?"

"Of course! And — it's that Soul Armature sitting beside him… shit. Don't tell me that guy really is the bloody Hope who the Church has been singing about!"

"Hold on a minute!! Come on now, you guys saw the result of his Total Mana Count Test, right? The paper was sporting a stamp so green, it was practically screaming 'Disqualified'! There's no way this guy is Church's Hope. In fact, I'll bet that this guy just a namesake. However, I have to admit that he does pack a lot of skills on his person, even more than common sorcerers could boast of. If only his total mana count was higher…"

Joseph's expression darkened when he heard these stray comments. He was about to stand up and defend his colleague, but he was stopped short by Baiyi's arm.

"Don't fret over minor details," Baiyi said, unconcerned.

Joseph let that thought sink in, then he returned to his seat. "I just… really believe that your real prowess would warrant you a title far superior to a mere Legendary-level, but… Curse the Association's insularity; they put so much emphasis on total mana count that if a candidate does not pass that test, it would seriously debilitate the rest of their test score."

"Aww, there really is no need to worry, son." Baiyi waved his hand in dismissal, acting like a wise old man who had long since placed titles behind him. "Besides, I am not here to pass Legendary-level ranking."

"Eh?" Joseph's face was quizzical. Just as he was about to ask more, an admin barged into the room with his hands full of envelopes.

The man had obviously been tasked to announce the results, so as soon as he came in, the hubbub quickly died out. Joseph did not dare to break the silence, so he let his curiosity go.

"Apologies, gentlemen, for my tardiness." The admin wiped small beads sweat off his forehead and placed the colorful envelopes on his desk. The crowd quickly noticed that there were only five envelopes.

Each envelope had the mandatory ranking mission tucked into it. If there were only five envelopes present, it meant that only five candidates in the room had passed the test. Taking the number of candidates in the room into consideration, each of the ten candidates present had a 50 percent chance of being one of those who passed! Hope flared in the candidates' chests; they may actually be one of the lucky five since the passing rate was this high!

"Without further ado, I shall announce the names of those who passed," the admin stated as he grabbed one of the envelopes — which was pale blue in color — from the desk and called out, "Sir Jones, heir to the barons of the Joseph family, congratulations on passing the test. In here, you shall find your next mission, which is also your final test. Please complete what is required within the stipulated time limit."

"Whoaaa!" A cheer rang out from the room, which was followed by applause. Some candidates who had insider knowledge eyed the envelope with envy and called Jones 'lucky'. This was because the color of each envelope revealed a bit about the sort of mission enclosed in it. Pale-blue envelopes contained academic-related missions.

For most of the time, missions like these only required writing a thesis of some kind. It was the simplest task out there.

This meant that Joseph was not just the first to pass the exam, he was also given the easiest mission there was. His certificate was already assured; it was just a matter of time.

"A legendary-level sorcerer who hasn't even reached the age of 30… please, continue your good work." The admin gave Joseph his letter and a congratulatory remark, and that was all there was to their exchange.

Joseph Jones was a little euphoric as he carefully took the letter from the admin's hand and tucked it into his pocket.

The admin continued announcing the names of candidates who had successfully passed the test. However, the next guy wasn't as lucky as Joseph; he received a yellow envelope denoting a battle-related mission, which may very well have contained a "go to x and kill some y" mission. These kinds of missions were troubling, full of risks, and required a lot of time; a mission for the most unlucky folks. These type of missions were also known as 'The Crowning Mission of Free Labor'.

Afterward, another two names were announced. One of them got the lucrative harvesting quest, while the other was tasked with being an instructor for free — another job that saved the Association some labor cost. The only envelope left on the desk was a black one.

Five of the six remaining sorcerer candidates began to feel as though ants were crawling all over their brains. "This is it, the last one! What does the black color signify? No one ever said there was such a designation!"

However, the admin did not pick up the black envelope. Instead, he announced loudly, "Gentlemen! That is all there is to our Legendary-level ranking results. Those who didn't make the cut shouldn't be discouraged; instead, you should continue striving to improve. Don't think of ranking exams as too big of a deal, alright? Your true innate capability is your real strength…"

'Cut! Why does this sound so familiar — and for some reason, quite unsettling…'

"But what about that black envelope there?" Someone asked out loud.

"This?" The admin lifted the letter in question. "It's not part of the results of the Legendary-level exam…"

Suddenly, an uproar ensued. The sorcerers who had failed were baying for blood, decrying the admin's actions of placing the letter with the others because it had unjustly gotten their hopes up. "You're just trying to stir up a war! This is anti-professionalism! This screams 'lack of care'! I'm filing a complaint! Complaint!!!"

"Gentlemen! It's still a test result… for the Immortal-level ranking exam," the admin said in vapid resignation.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Immortal-level?" Someone cried out. "One of us actually went for the Immortal-level exam? Then, why is that person lumped together with us?"

Each candidate began to gaze at everyone else in the room, chattering and speculating under their breath. Only Joseph gave a bemused glance at Baiyi.

"I told you; I'm not here for Legendary-level ranking," the soul armature casually said as he spread opened up his palms in a shrug. He was not surprised at the result, either.

The admin, upon noticing Baiyi talking with Joseph, finally chimed in. "Oh yes. Master Hope came here to try for the Immortal-level ranking exam. Since the details of the exams are similar, he was tested together with all of you."

"That soul armature — Immortal? But... his total mana count was only Master-level!"

"You guys told me he is a bootlegged Hope! How does a bootleg possess Immortal level power?!"

"Immortal-level soul armature… don't tell me the young lad beside him is his summoner, then?"

The room succumbed to another uproar. Expressions of doubt were hurled in Baiyi's direction; the most prominent one was "Are you the goddamned Master Hope?"

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please restrain yourselves! Allow me to announce his result," the admin said with a raised voice as he held the black envelope. "This is Master Hope's Immortal-level mission; it contains… Vice President Grant's formal challenge to a duel to the death!"

The room almost exploded from the ensuing uproar. Nobody had thought that the color black meant that…

"VP Grant? He is a Holy-level heavyweight! Why would he be interested in challenging the soul armature like this?"

"Which means that this Soul Armature must be the very same Master Hope the Church talks about all the time. Now, I don't doubt that he is an Immortal-level fighter, but… why would a Holy-level powerhouse eye him? Do they have beef with each other?"

"Sir VP has all the fame and fortune he needs already! Hence, this couldn't possibly be about money… So it must be about love!"

"Well, I have heard that Master Hope is quite kinky. He has this partiality towards young girls… Don't tell me he has his eyes on the VP's younger family member!"

It was not just these side characters who were flabbergasted. Baiyi, himself, was just as stunned as they were. In his prediction, the Association should not have the gall to cause him trouble at the very last test.

He had not expected a tactic like this at all…

'Dude, aren't you a Holy-level fighter? And not just any Holy-level powerhouse, but a famous one, the strongest VP of the Association! Your fame may have even reached the seven seas, and I bet your prowess can't possibly too far behind the mysterious President, who is only interested in academic research.' Why would someone like Grant want to duel with Baiyi? Even resorting to challenging Baiyi in a way that made it virtually impossible for the soul armature to refuse.

'Have I crossed him before? No, right? Or maybe… he's after one of my precious students! Little Mia? Tisdale? Or is it Laeticia, Attie?'

The worst case scenario flashed through Baiyi's mind. He had heard rumors that Grant was about 300 years old, which was rather different from how young the VP appeared to be. 'His tool must still be in mint condition, right?' Besides, Baiyi had seen news about workplace harassment before, where superiors would use their authority to solicit sexual favors from their underlings…

Baiyi opened the black envelope in doubt. The letter within contained a formulaic speech, congratulating him on his success. The speech was followed by the details of his mission.

In reality, VP Grant was only asking Baiyi for a friendly spar in front of students in advanced classes, as a battle simulation demonstration.

The Vice President had made special emphasis on the educational aspects of his proposal, as well as it being just a simulation. In other, more honest terms— the VP was only asking for a scripted fight, with both sides pulling punches.

'F*ck you. You called this a duel to death?!' Who would have known that this admin was an expert at click-baiting! He probably used to work in the media, didn't he?The answer is because — whoever said this to you just now may have already memorized this line from previous admins and exams… Meaning, that person has undertaken a handful of exams, yet they never passed once! Dude, this is definitely a case of Fridge Horror.

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292 A Good Choice Is Already Right In Front of You

As soon as Baiyi explained the real details of his mission to the concerned bystanders, the consensus finally united in their desire to choke the admin's irresponsible tongue out. Of course, the admin had probably predicted that the crowd would feel this way, so he had managed to slip away amidst the chaos…

Later that evening, a news article titled "SHOCKING! Association's HEAVYWEIGHT VICE PRESIDENT preparing to COMPLETELY DESTROY FAMOUS SOUL ARMATURE FOR REASONS that will SHOCK YOU!" started to circulate within the inner circle of the Sorcerers' Association. It attracted the attention of many, who all felt an urge to wallop the anonymous writer, as soon as they finished reading the article.

Nevertheless, the news of this 'educational duel' between Baiyi and VP Grant spread wildly, like a summer wildfire in a Californian forest, due to the article's clickbait of a title. However, the anonymous writer had done what the VP originally intended him to do, which was to spread the news about the duel to as many interested individuals as possible. Most sorcerers, representatives from other associations, and the interested public had marked the duel's date, which was three days later, on their calendars, for it was an event they would not miss. Afterward, betting pools were formed, and money began to pour in.

Meanwhile, Baiyi was sitting in his room, wondering how in the world he was going to handle the fight. He had already designated his teaching duty to Aya and the hammerhead shark plushie, which contained the Soul Armature Practitioner Walker.

Baiyi knew that the fight was not going to be an easy one — even if it was just for the visuals. Although Baiyi knew that he need not worry about losing his life, he understood that he ran the risk of losing something even more important than life — his face. Furthermore, this was happening when his reputation was one of his biggest assets!

His opponent was a Holy-level fighter, who had received the rank a long time ago and had the corresponding experience for one with such caliber! Even though Baiyi could give VP Grant a run of his money in a fight involving experience, the Fifth Voidwalker still had a limit to his mana output.

The key constraint here was also the publicity of this duel. He simply could not go up there and deploy his Void Energy; hell, he could not even use any martial art or assassination techniques. His pool of techniques would have to be restricted to those that sorcerers use, despite fighting against a Holy-level powerhouse. This made the upcoming battle even more challenging than Baiyi would have liked to admit. Besides, apart from Baiyi's armor and his Saint Quartz Staff, he was practically vulnerable. Even if armor did not matter in a high-level fight, Baiyi could not fight in his birthday suit, right?

'So let's see what we have here: insufficient mana output, lackluster gear, no home base advantage…' The only advantage Baiyi had was his limitless mana reserve, which would prove useless in a high-level battle, anyway! Therefore, nothing worked in his favor. Baiyi did not even have the opportunity to overwhelm his opponent with a wide array of techniques.

In battles like these, both opponents would go all out, and that would greatly accentuate Baiyi's low mana output problem.

This was nothing like the fight between Mia and Vidomina back then, where they both took turns to attack and defend. As a matter of fact, sorcerers would hardly stay on the ground for the entire duration of their battle, so except for when they have to draw formations, the duel between Baiyi and VP Grant would be held in the air.

When that happened, the two sorcerers would have to execute a variety of almost-impossible aerial maneuvers, like modern fighter jets, bombarding each other with colorful magic. The fight would be even more exciting than fights between magical girls; it may even resemble a certain old-school, bullet-hell shoot'em up.

Battles like these were not fought on land because land-based fights were lame. They were fought in the air because, in battles involving of two incredibly powerful opponents, the impact of their clashes would be fatal. No high-level sorcerer would opt to tank the full impact of their opponent's magic. This was because most normal energy shields would only be able to protect their user from one or two attacks. In a battle where multiple magic attacks were cast with lightning speed, the opponent who chose to tank the attacks with their energy shield might as well be wearing an eggshell.

Mana shields, which are constructed from a sorcerer's own power, are no good in high-level battles, either. They expend too much mana and require the caster to focus on defense, which makes it difficult for them to make headway in battle. Elemental shields are another form of defense that advanced sorcerers could use in battle. These shields are formed with the element that the sorcerer is proficient with.

Whenever sorcerers are faced with elemental attacks, they deploy elemental shields which have elements that directly contradict the element in the attacks; for example, water shields counter fire attacks. However, sorcerers had long since learned to infuse additional elements into their elemental attacks so that it cannot be stopped with elemental shields having only one element.

Debuffs, such as Silence, Sluggard, Bling, etc., can also be sneakily inserted into elemental spells, along with additional elements, and fired off an opponent.

Hence, in high-level battles, sorcerers have only two options to choose from when faced with attacks: they could choose to evade the attacks, or they could change the trajectory of the opponent's magical attack with a magical attack of their own. They could also disturb their opponent's spells when it is being conjured, and wipe out the bit of psychic energy that their opponent uses to track their every move. No matter how one chose to defend, the most vital factor would be their ability to move at high speeds, and one could attain a faster speed by flying, rather than running on the ground. Flying would also allow the sorcerers to avoid tactics that involve hiding attacks underground, which would only trigger when the target is standing right about them.

A battle between sorcerers was, therefore, very exciting but risky. It was similar to playing Contra; one misstep was no different from a lethal mistake. Hence, sorcerers choose to move in a team of five or higher.

After all, these were sorcerers, not wizards. Even with two ice-rayguns in each hand, they still would not be able to shoot every other class to death… except for shamans, of course.

"Argh, this is so bothersome," Baiyi cried out in the Void. He turned to the Archmage and asked, "Okay, may I know where the Book of Servitude is? I think I'm gonna have to borrow it for a while."

"If I knew where it was, I would not shut up about it! I have always desired to pass my possessions to you," the Archmage replied, feeling helpless at his beloved apprentice's new predicament. He was unable to come up with any solutions — a situation that Baiyi also found himself in.

"Hey, what about my skills? You could use them; they are more reliable than the skills of normal sorcerers'," the Sorcerer Walker suggested.

"It's already a hand I plan to deal, but it alone will not be enough," Baiyi replied. "This time, it isn't about how exhilarating the visuals are. I want to win this, badly — for the benefit of my future plans."

"If I may? I propose that you use my Great Sage's Staff to your benefit. My staff must still reside within the Doors of Conundrum. I understand that it may be in the hands of a new possessor, but your membership should suffice in granting you temporary ownership," the Scholar added helpfully.

"The Great Sage's Staff is meant to quickly replenish mana reserves, and it has some passive effects that work wonders when forming battle strategies; thus, this means it's just not suitable for my case this time," Baiyi sighed. The Scholar's old weapon was really not the best complementary tool for him on this occasion.

"How about demons?! Ahh, enslave some demons!" the Devil suggested. "There are a special few of them that are natural predators to sorcerers. If we snare one of them, your problem would be taken care of!"

'Huh. That's surprisingly helpful— except the part about demons! However, I could summon some sort of animal or plant spirits to aid me… The Soul Armature Practitioner is the best man to ask for professional opinions.'

The Voidwalker in question was still teaching the students. Baiyi began to wonder if the classes were going well. He believed that they should be going well, considering how professional this Walker has always been.

Baiyi left his room and headed for the classroom; he was curious to know their current progress. As he got closer to the class, he heard the neutral, mechanical voice of the hammerhead shark plushie. "Mia, answer this: What is the evolved form of Butterfree?"

"Um…" A sweet voice replied. "Um… Metapod?"

'How does a butterfly evolve into a cocoon? That's a regression! ...And wasn't the class supposed to be about Deep Meditation? How does this question even fit that curriculum?'

"Wrong! Butterfree is the final form of its evolution! That was a trick question!" The hammerhead shark plushie replied in a coy voice. "Next! What would Beedrill evolve into? Nota, your turn. "

"Huh?... Um, Queenbee… drill?" Nota's weak voice rang out hesitantly.

"Nuh-uh! The correct answer is Mega Beedrill!"

'That's not even evolution in the actual sense! Also, what the hell are you teaching them? Even if you call this class 'zoology', those critters still don't exist here! I-is this your professionalism? Grooming my adorable students into compulsive animal-hoarding trainers?'

Unable to contain himself, Baiyi stormed into the class and grabbed the plushie, and the Soul Armature Practitioner's consciousness was immediately yanked back into the Void. Then, Baiyi lambasted the man to no end.

"Why won't there be critters like these in this universe?! There are so many realms here, and humans have only explored a fraction of them! Who's to say that there won't be these magnificent creatures in uncharted realms, huh?" The Soul Armature Practitioner retorted indignantly.

"Besides, I already finished your Deep Meditation class. What you saw was the result of our Special Subject Voting Gauntlet," he added.

The aforementioned Deep Meditation was actually a trance that could be used as a substitute for sleep; it would help the kids improve their mana reservoir. Unlike normal meditation — which was really just a strange way to sleep — Deep Meditation was truly meant to be a substitute to sleep. This was because, in this state, the practitioner would be able to analyze and dissect knowledge they already possess in order to understand them even more deeply. This is the same as being able to meditate and improve one's of skills. It was a technique that could only be used after learning a significant amount of theories.

If one did not possess enough knowledge, Deep Meditation would only become deep lullaby because the practitioner would sleep after some thinking. This was one of the reasons why Baiyi kept feeding his students these theories.

After all, in this world, and to its sorcerer, knowledge was mana, and mana was power. Even combat-type sorcerers like the Sorcerer Walker possessed an impressive amount of knowledge.

After handing out some simple exercises to the students, Baiyi returned to his room and continued discussing his battle plans with the Soul Armature Practitioner. "So, do you have any good ideas?"

"If you are allowed to summon a being to aid you, I do have some suggestions that could help boost defense or mana," the Soul Armature Practitioner replied after some thinking.

"Bring up bizarre names again, and so help me I'll silence you for one full day," the Fifth Walker hissed.

"Me? Do that? Am I that unprofessional! To be honest, your student, Nota, is already a great choice for a summoned being. Fairies have always been highly complementary partners to sorcerers, you see. They can boost your mana and help you execute magic," the Soul Armature Practitioner replied. "You know what? Just bring the lady with you. Saves you the entire 'summoning' thing."

"Are you out of your mind? Nota may be a small creature, but she's still as large as a human child! Do you think people would not notice her when I bring her along with me?" Baiyi remarked in resignation. Nope, no idea which game is this. Seriously, aren't all shoot'em up a bullet hell by default after a certain set of levels?Pokemon!Pokemon!Pokemon!Pokemon! All of them! Good times— also first gen stuff are the only stuff I'm sorta familiar with!Someone, somewhere, might take a look at this and say, 'That's it! The rainbow unicorn angels had spoken to me! I know what kind of expensive class I'm gonna conduct next! /cha-ching of enlightenment/'

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293 The Grand Overture

Baiyi informed his students about his duel during lunch.

Immediately he finished speaking, forks and knives were placed down, and the students' gazes shifted from their plates to his face, with expressions of deep concern. Aya was so worried, she practically jumped up, held Baiyi's hand, and told him that he could ride her...

Not that kind of ride, though! She meant that she wanted Baiyi to be her dragon knight...

Not the sort of dragon knights from Quanzhen school, either!

Aya just meant to tell Baiyi that she wished to help any way she could in his upcoming battle.

Baiyi tapped on her hand and declined her offer before the two female Voidwalkers, who were known for their snorts, throw another tantrum. Although fighting this Holy-level Vice President, Grant, could be similar to fighting the final boss on the last level of a difficult game, Baiyi was not that desperate to ask for her help, yet. He was not going to get killed in that duel, and furthermore, the Voidwalkers had finally pieced together a strategy for the upcoming battle.

"I need your help, Nota." Baiyi turned to look at the fairy.

Nota was nibbling at a piece of bread like an adorable critter, and when she heard her name being called, she looked up and gave Baiyi a quizzical look. "Mentor?"

Baiyi laid out the simplified version of his battle plan, highlighting her role in boosting the strength of his magical power. "Just take it as training for your aerial combat skills, okay?" Baiyi said, finishing his briefing.

Surprisingly, despite her usual meek and soft-spoken demeanor, Nota agreed to his proposal, without any hesitation. She did not even seem to consider the risks; she just nodded and said, "It will be my greatest honor to be able to help you, Mentor."

"You're not scared?" Baiyi asked in astounded curiosity. "It is a fight between two advanced-level fighters, you know. Even if it is just for show, the danger would still be real."

Nota nodded. "I have heard about your heroic deeds from Mia and others. I believe in you, and I also believe that you will do everything in your power to protect me from harm."

'What a sweet girl! She believes in me unconditionally,' Baiyi exclaimed internally. She may be a small girl but hidden within her is a big heart, which is full of compassion and courage. A girl like her deserves all the happiness in the world.

"Great. I would be giving you a private consultation before the duel," Baiyi said, nodding to show his appreciation of Nota's support.

"Thank you, Mentor!" The fairy returned the sentiment happily.

She knew that the stakes were high, and she also knew that this duel was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her prove herself. She also figured that it was a rare chance for her to observe a great battle between two high-level sorcerers. This was a chance that other students were not offered. What did her life matter when compared to the value of such an opportunity?

"And you too, Mia." Baiyi turned to Little Mia. "You are also a key player in this duel. My strength depends on you."

"Mm!" The girl nodded her head hard — a response more determined than Nota's gentle nod. Frankly, Mia had long since begun to suspect that Baiyi's power was only limited because of her; she just did not know how, yet. Baiyi may not have told her the underlying detail of his power relationship with Mia, but she trusted him, believing that if she did as he said, everything would work out.

With that out of the way, the trio decided to make the waiting period, which was 3 days, a productive one. Baiyi had to free up some time in order to set up consultation period for Nota, conduct special training sessions for Mia, and prepare the necessary weapons, tools, and gears. Although gears would not tip the scales too much in a battle between elites, Baiyi still prepared them because he felt that everything that could aid him counted. Because the waiting period was so short, Baiyi was not able to obtain high-quality materials, so he had to make do with what he had on hand.

The students who were participating expressed their support by being remarkably docile and sensible, restraining themselves from causing trouble that may distract Baiyi. Instead, they channeled their energy into helping him in any way they could think of. Those who could not do much, such as Attie and the mischief-prone Mordred, would sometimes help Baiyi relax by carrying out their adorable shenanigans. Meanwhile, when Undine heard the news, she quickly founded a huge fan club for Baiyi to help raise his spirits.

With such a strong show of support for him, the Fifth Voidwalker's confidence swelled. Although Baiyi was not able to output enough power, did not have the necessary gear, and was probably barred from using Void Energy or even martial arts in the duel, he still believed in one thing...

"In the Void, failure is not an option! Watch out, Holy-level; I'm gonna break you!" Baiyi declared confidently in the Void when the D-day finally arrived.

After making the journey to the designated location, Baiyi was finally standing on a tall stone dais, approximately 33 feet tall, which was located on one of the Babel Tower's many floors.

Right in front of Baiyi was an area that had been completely cleared. The duel was to be held there. Behind Baiyi was a huge ring-shaped stadium, erupting with roars and cheers. The stadium was filled with a crowd whose members came from different tiers of the societal hierarchy. Seated amongst the audience were Baiyi's students; best friends; fan club members; sorcerers of advanced classes, who were all members of the Association; various organizations, including the Church, and nobles and merchants who could afford the extolling ticket and bets.

In the middle of the ring-shaped stadium was a gigantic silver screen that had been enchanted to display the battle, which a customized spectator spell would record. Hence, the audience would be able to watch the fight in even more vivid details, while those who could not attend the show would be able to watch the fight live from their location. The spell would broadcast the battle from all sides.

The Emperor, the Pope, the North, and South Dukes, and other officials had all set aside their tasks to focus on the once-in-a-lifetime performance, which was set to captivate many, even in the future.

To be fair, since this was supposed to be an exam mission, all the attention could be considered excessive. The attention garnered was through the roof. Baiyi, who faced the pressure of dueling a Holy-level fighter, would also have the real extent of his abilities.

In reality, Baiyi did not mind showing off only his magical abilities. In fact, he would love to have a larger audience watch him perform because he considered this duel the largest ad campaign he could do for his future academy. The best part of it was that Baiyi did not even have to spend any money; it was all funded by the Sorcerers Association. The Association had gotten the funds to stage the event from the revenue generated by the bets…

After Baiyi entered, the deuteragonist, Grant the Holy-level grand sorcerer, stepped onto his stone dais, amidst loud screams and cheers. Grant had made some changes to his usual appearance; he had donned a sorcerer's robe that looked fit for royalty. His face had been beautified by makeup, which made him look as young as a handsome twenty-years-old boy-next-door. With his unforgivingly breathtaking look, complemented with his gallant countenance, the female members of the audience were left screaming at the top of their lungs.

On the opposite sise was Baiyi, whose helm was partially covered by a plain yellow scarf. Not only did it make the soul armature look like an outlaw, but it could also have passed as the default appearance of mist video game mooks…

Emperor Walhart had his eyes on Baiyi for a while, then he started to wonder out loud, "Wasn't the Sanctus armor set elegant and commanding when I gifted it to him? How the hell did he turn it... into some farmer's garb?"

The two opponents were ready, and the bets were set. The duel was about to begin.

"Aha! I bid good day to you all, ladies and gentlemen! I'm very pleased to be hosting this heaven-gasping, earth-shattering, world-shocking, society-revamping, skills-showcasing Duel of Destiny! I am your humble host, hailing from the Arena of Blood and Glory, whose name you should not be bothered with! Let us begin by checking out our two contestants…" The announcer's voice rang from the middle of the stadium — a voice that Baiyi found familiar because it sounded like a talk show host's voice.

"On our left is Master Hope; he is, undeniably, the very same man often featured on the news lately! With the help of the Church's incessant publicity, I hear his name almost every single day! I'm sure everyone here already knows Master Hope's heroic deeds by heart. He is the man who had defeated the demon Thaas, Lord of the Abyss, and he is also the man who fought against nature herself to save the residents of Gouve! Is that's all there is to know about this enigmatic man? This is why today is special; we shall watch his real prowess with our own eyes today, and hopefully, all our questions regarding this mystery can be answered! Also, I would like to introduce you all to Master Hope's incredible students…"

As if on cue, the gigantic silver screen in the middle of the stadium showed where Little Mia and the rest were sitting. All the girls had made extra efforts to accentuate their best features; Little Mia's change was the most obvious. The girl was wearing an exceptionally elegant, black lean dress. As soon as Mia appeared on the large screen, the crowd gave her ovation even more generous than the one given to Baiyi when he was introduced.

Afterward, the screen quickly cut to Grant. This time, the host used even more sensational descriptions to introduce the VP, dumping titles and epithets in droves; such as, "the Greatest Holy-level ever", "Undefeatable by Anyone Below Holy-level", "The Ultimate Warrior Most Likely To Breakthrough Into Demigod-level In This Few Years", etc.

Grant was not embarrassed by the overly lavish praises. He lifted his head in a poised manner, taking in the crowd's cheers and praises.

After the introductions were done, one of the judges, who was standing at the edge of the field, asked both combatants if they were ready. Grant did not seem to worry about Baiyi's gears; he casually made a "please" gesture to Baiyi.

Baiyi was not as relaxed. He scanned every inch of Grant's body, then he whispered, "Ready?"

Seated in the audience, Little Mia quickly produced a makeshift magical apparatus, which Baiyi had constructed before the duel, from her storage pouch. It was a soccer ball-sized dodecahedron, which was made with hollowed out Octuplet twin crystals. Its surface was already coated with a bunch of illusionary spells in order to ward off any unneeded attention.

Mia scanned the interior of the apparatus with her psychic energy and concluded that it was in a stable condition. She brushed a part of her dress lightly, and the dress — which was actually the Owl in disguise — shuddered; that was an affirmative response.

Mia turned to the side and looked at Laeticia. The Village Girl flashed Mia a grin and grasped her hand.

"We're ready." Baiyi heard two voices answer him at the same time. One was Little Mia's, coming across through communication magic, while the other voice, strangely, came from inside his helmet. It was as if Baiyi was talking to himself.

The referee, who was standing close to Baiyi, seemed to have heard it as he turned to give Baiyi a puzzled look.

The Fifth Voidwalker only nodded at the referee, then he turned his attention back to Grant, who was standing atop another dais which was just opposite his. He made the same "please" gesture back at Grant.

The two sorcerers leaped into the air, soaring high into the stratosphere.

At the end of the overture was the beginning of the duelAlright, this one is a Chinese in-joke. In Jin Yong's wuxia novel, The Return of the Condor Heroes, one of the totes-beautiful-ladies was a powerful, mysterious, reserved yet hopelessly naive female martial artist named Xiaolongnu, whose name literally meant 'Little Dragon Maiden'. One of the unfortunate events in the story was the gullible girl being raped by a practitioner of the Quanzhen Taoist school. Hence, the joke term 'dragon rider' was borne!Hey, to be honest, I like dissonance. I like Baiyi's appearance. I like how awkwardly he sticks out.

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294 Tour de Force

Baiyi and his opponent moved away from each other, putting some distance between themselves. With his right hand, Baiyi placed his Saint Quartz Staff diagonally in front of his chest, and at the same time, he slowly swiped the air in front of him with his left hand.

Five small spell formations glowing with pale blue lights consolidated on the trail which his left hand made. As mana of different elements poured into spell formations, the formations lost their neutral blue glow, one after the other, and started to emit bright elemental glows, starting from leftmost formation to the rightmost formation.

Opposite Baiyi, Grant seemed to be making the same gestures, but he was using modern runes, not spell formations.

This was only natural for advanced sorcerers. Normal sorcerers could only shape their mana into one element at a time, within their body, regardless of how fluidly and quickly they are able to shift between elements. Hence, if a sorcerer planned to use a technique which required synthesis of more than one element, they would always prepare the corresponding elemental mana close to them so that they can draw the mana from their vessels — the formations or runes — to complete their spells.

With that, their last preparation was completed.

However, neither of them was eager to attack first. They remained standing in place and sent their psychic energies out to each other, scanning and trying to discern each other's next move. Both opponents attempted to deduce the technique the other was about to unleash by reading each other's preparatory mana vessels.

This was the most exciting and pivotal part of a battle prelude. In fact, the anxiety that stemmed from the heightening tension had begun to elicit an elevated heartbeat and soft breathes from within Baiyi's helm.

He whispered reassuringly, "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

Nota the fairy was hiding inside his helm.

This was part of their battle strategy. Nota, who was in her fairy form, was now the size of a sparrow. On her back was a pair of intricately-marked, transparent wings, and her body glowed faintly. Small leaves were used to hide her private body parts, similar to the image of pixies in a children's storybook. This was the form best suited for her to aid in battle, as fairies greatly enhanced their masters' spell-casting speed, mana recovery, the accuracy of their psychic energies, and magical effects.

Baiyi had two reasons for having Nota hid inside his helm, instead of letting her dart beside him like Tinker Bell. First, her presence was not supposed to be known. Second, this may very well be the best protection he could offer her — the safest place in the entire world she could stay in for the duel, right?

Nota only forcefully muttered a muffled "mm" when she heard Baiyi's reassuring words. "Mentor, I-I-I'm not scared! I'm just a l-l-little n-nervous…"

She had every reason to be scared, though, especially given the situation they were in. The powerful mien and intense flow of energy flow leaking out of Grant's majestic robe were overwhelming; it was a strong indication that their opponent was no average joe.

Right as soon as Baiyi and Nota finished talking, Grant decided to stop waiting.

His runes darted behind him and formed a ring, and a circle of scarlet flames combusted in front of the Vice President. This was an indication that he was chanting a Fire-type offensive spell; however, the actual rune had been concealed by a special shrouding technique to prevent his opponent from recognizing the exact spell.

"Incoming!" Baiyi muttered under his breath. His own elemental formations streaked to his Saint Quartz Staff, forming a circle of light around the head of his staff. Then, Baiyi aimed his staff at Grant, and suddenly, two overlapping formations manifested above the staff. One was a flaming crimson, and the other was a chilling white.

Both Baiyi and Grant finished their chants at the same time. The formations above Baiyi's staff spawned a flaming ball that contained scorching flames and chilly frost fire. After manifesting, the flaming ball wasted no time in streaking towards its target. Grant's rune ring spewed two orbs of dazzling ivory light and ebony shadow. The two orbs spun in circles around each other, soaring towards Baiyi's magic spell.

The attacks clashed and exploded.

Although this was only their first attacks, both Baiyi and Grant had opted for seventh-grade combination magic. Baiyi's Gelum Ignis and Grant's Sol Luna were both magical offensive spells formed by combining two elements that directly conflict with each other. The two contradictory elements reacted violently, and their chaotic fusion energy would explode upon collision with a foreign surface, dealing significant damage.

Those who were slightly in the know could immediately tell that this battle was no longer faithful to its original "educational" purpose.

"He's on his next one. You concentrate on fortifying my magical damage; I'll handle the psychic energy tracking and disruption myself," Baiyi said to Nota. The way he had opted to use the fairy's exponential boost was unorthodox, and as a result of his tactic, his speed improved dramatically. A formation stacked above another formation, and each of them fired off similarly lower-graded but swift magic.

Grant made his move at the same time. In order to counter Baiyi's rapid spells, he waved his Augustril staff, which was made out of the same material as Baiyi's armor, and three runes flashed briskly around its head. In the same instant, three low-damage, high-speed light orbs were spawned. However, Grant did not use them to directly counter Baiyi's attacks. Instead, he focused his own psychic energy on the Soul Armature's rapidly moving figure, before releasing his answer to Baiyi's attacks.

Grant was confident that his psychic energy and agility were enough to evade Baiyi's attacks, while betting that his own attack would be quicker than Baiyi's, which would force the Soul Armature to release his psychic energy tracking, which was currently locked onto Grant's figure, in order to protect himself.

"Whoa, that's unexpected," Baiyi sighed quietly as his gaze followed the guiding missile-like glowing orbs.

Baiyi re-adjusted his flying position and began to fly backward. Pure blue energy poured out of Baiyi's hands, and he twirled his Saint Quartz staff very quickly, causing the pale blue energy to morph into a thick blue barrier that blocked the incoming attacks.

That was one of the defense techniques commonly used by war druids. They forcefully released the purest form of their manas, then they re-shaped the released mana by spinning their staffs close to the mana in order to form a special magic shield. This type of defense was especially used to deflect smaller ranged attacks like Grant's.

The Holy-level Grand Sorcerer, who had been gracefully evading his opponent's relentless attacks, still found time to make a comment. "Oh, a tactic straight out of a war druid's book! So unrefined, yet so effective…"

He proceeded to retract his psychic energy in order to critically disrupt Baiyi's psychic target lock. With their guiding system turned off, the conical-shaped attacks wavered, and Grant dodged them easily.

Then, he began to chant a high damage seventh-grade spell.

This time, the rune rings which Grant had prepared beforehand began to glow with dazzling technicolors. Not only that, a few offensive magic which had been enchanted on his gears before the battle was released, at the same time.

It was clear that Grant was going for the kill!

"Tsk tsk. Someone ran out of mercy…" Baiyi sighed. He stuffed his left hand into his storage pouch, grabbed a few scrolls and squashed them.

Suddenly, the air around Baiyi became saturated with countless glowing dots, which formed a curtain of tiny blocks that covered Baiyi's body completely, and the Soul Armature braced himself for the onslaught.

Grant was unperturbed by Baiyi's countermeasures. He knew very well that Baiyi's countermeasures were really just low-graded magic. They were not offensive, and they did not match the mettle of his own mighty pre-enchanted magic. Grant's chanting did not stop, and soon, he had almost reached the end of his spell.

Lethal runes had appeared around him, forming the shape of a planet-sized firebird.

This was ninth-grade magic — the Wings of Inferno! Furthermore, the magical enhancement from Grant's gear had vastly improved the damage output of this spell, making it capable of rivaling tenth-grade magic, or even forbidden technique. Worst of all, excluding forbidden techniques, this particular spell covered the widest range that fire magic could manage. With the speed at which Grant had chanted the spell and the speed of his magic assembling, this could very well be his tour de force in this battle!

Unfortunately, Baiyi could nothing to stop his opponent; he was completely surrounded and cornered by the Grand Sorcerer's powerful pre-enchanted magic. Because of this, Baiyi could only watch Grant speak the last syllable of a spell that could melt the soul armature completely.

Some members of the audience instantly recognized the iconic firebird, and others gasped in horror at Grant's chosen finishing blow. A voice even cried out, "Isn't this supposed to be an educational battle? Why did he use a spell like this? Do they secretly share some kind of blood feud?!"

Baiyi himself was just as stunned. This magic is way out of this duel's league! Just exactly how highly did Grant look up to him, to the point of assuming that he would be able to survive this attack?

"...Or had he… planned to kill Hope all along?"

While Baiyi was mulling over the direction which the fight had taken, Grant's magic finished taking shape. A terrifying phoenix made purely out of flames spread its towering, wide wings, blocking every inch of the sky. The clouds seemed to combust into flames, and the temperature skyrocketed, scorching the sky into a shade of apocalyptic red. The edge of the phoenix's wings and the sky were lost in the flames.

Then, the quagmire of scalding redness that shrouded the scorched sky plummeted straight towards Baiyi's tiny, unmoving frame.

Baiyi could not dodge an attack that came at him from all sides, so he conjured a fire barrier. It seemed like he was betting on using an elemental shield to assimilate and protect himself...

Grant could only shake his head when he saw this. Quite a number of his gears were made specifically to improve the shield-piercing ability of his spells. Hence, even if an elemental shield was able to deflect a weak round of attacks from Grant, it would not be able to tank larger, more devastating round of attacks. To Grant, if Baiyi did not any gears that could subdue fire with him, then the shield he conjured would not save him from the inevitable, becoming a puddle of molten metal.

"Am I seriously winning this round?"

Grant hesitated. If the victor was already obvious, then there was no need to continue. He may have unleashed a fatal spell, but he never intended for Baiyi to die at his hand just like that! With that thought in mind, the VP retracted his mana so as to terminate his attack.

Suddenly, the sound of blowing wind rang by the side of his ears.

The instinct of a Holy-level fighter instantly prompted him to tilt his head to the other side and trigger an energy shield from his gear. However, in the next instant, a loud blast resounded behind Grant, which was followed by the sounds of his energy shield cracking. A massive force struck Grant from behind, and he was sent flying across the sky.

At the spot where Grant had been standing moments before… stood Baiyi.

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295 A Sudden Change of Events

An expression of confusion and trepidation appeared on Grant's handsome face after he was struck. Because he panicked, the domineering phoenix of flames dissipated as its source of power had been cut abruptly, causing the sky to return to its normal color.

In the next instant, both sorcerers lengthened the distance between themselves and withheld any more attacks. It was as if they had both realized that the duel had long since gone astray of its original intention.

Grant still could not come up with any explanation for Baiyi's sudden appearance. He did not believe that Baiyi had any form of space-style magic to simulate teleportation; this was because he had watched the Soul armature naively try to protect himself with an elemental shield, and his psychic energy had never left Baiyi. If Baiyi had used any space-type magic, Grant would have been alerted to it instantly. Hence, there was no way Baiyi could have teleported behind him in those few seconds!

However, solving this conundrum would not help soothe the Holy-level sorcerer's soured mood. Grant gazed down at his robe, unable to ignore the loss of its luster. In a desperate act of self-defense, Grant had used the best protective gear he had to save himself from Baiyi's sudden blow. That was why he was shocked to see how dim his robe now looked.

'Was his attack that lethal?'

'Should I even continue? Or should I call it a tie?'

Grant had lost his confidence. His state of the art protective gear may have saved his life, but he could no longer afford to be relaxed. Although he was not completely sure of how he was struck, he had realized that the attack was lethal. At that moment, Grant felt that he had survived only because Baiyi pulled his punches.

Grant's speculation was right; Baiyi did hold back. The soul armature had realized that his opponent had not really intended to go all the way, so he figured out that Grant did not intend to kill him. This was why Baiyi chose to spare his life, instead of inviting the vendetta of the entire Sorcerers' Association. As for how Baiyi managed to escape his predicament, probably only one person among the audience knew.

"Why didn't VP Grant halt Master Hope's Teleportation spell? This allowed Master Hope to get out of that whole thing easily and swing a hard punch while he was at it!" One of the advanced class members thought out loud.

"Maybe he focused too much on the Wings of Inferno, so he was not able to detect and disrupt that teleportation spell?" Someone next to him offered, helpfully.

That suggestion was instantly met with skepticism. "You mean VP Grant lost be he displayed a weakness that only a fledgling sorcerer would make? Do you know how far-fetched that sounds? No, his opponent must have used something we have never seen before…"

The spectator was right. No seasoned sorcerer would neglect the possibility of their foe trying to escape their high-damage magic using teleportation, let alone a Holy-level sorcerer like Grant.

As the audience focused on debating, Baiyi's students were focused on something else.

Little Mia tapped her flat chest and sighed in relief. "That seriously scared me…." Her other hand, which Laeticia had grasped, was wet with sweat emanating from panic and worry.

Mia did not really care how Baiyi had escaped that dreadful attack. To her, Mister Hope was always awesome like that!

Tisdale also heaved a big sigh of relief and smiled. "Sir will always be Sir, huh? There's no way he would get beaten by a ploy like that!"

She dropped her voice suddenly, asking, "But then again… How did Sir get out of that mess? Anyone of you saw what happened?"

Attie brought her mouth very close to Tisdale's ear and whispered, "The War God's Sword."

Tisdale's face brightened. Her teacher's gear was no less powerful than his opponent's, at all!

Since it was a gift handed down by an actual deity, the War God's Sword could not possibly be overwhelmed by a mere Holy-level human. In fact, as long as Baiyi had the sword by his side, he would not be harmed by any form of danger; thus, even if he could not fight his opponent, he would have no problems escaping easily!

That was one of the reasons why he was not worried about this battle.

"Shall we continue with our dangerous game, or shall we tone it down for the students?" Baiyi asked good-naturedly as he watched the Vice President's shaken expression. Baiyi was not only trying to remind Grant of the original intention of this duel, but he was also letting Grant know that if he tried something fatal again, Baiyi would not hesitate to reciprocate.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Grant's face for only an instant, and his usual composure returned. "Master Hope truly is unlike any other I have ever faced. I do hope to learn a bit more from you… of course, appropriately."

Grant seemed to have realized it as well. If he shed all pretense of cordiality again, he would not be able to gain the upper hand as he would have liked. His original plan had been to show off his powers and his skill in manipulating mana, but that had gone south already.

The next round began, and this time, the fight was toned down. Both sorcerers soared through the sky, shooting all kinds of colorful orbs, light rays, aura, and just-about-anything-dazzling at each other. When their opponent retaliated, they were just as conservative in defending, and neither of them tried to one-up their foe through brute force.

Honestly, this seizure-triggering light show was much more breathtaking to those who had no idea how sorcerers fought. The second round scored more in the special effects and visual departments than the first round did.

However, to the knowledgeable members of the audience, especially to the advanced class sorcerers, the fight had become a little too tacky. A real fight between seasoned sorcerers would never focus incessant special effects; it would be like the first round, where both opponents quickly unleashed their most devastating techniques. Hence, to these members of the audience, the most essential part of the duel was already over.

This did not mean that the rest of the fight offered nothing of value. As the battle progressed into a comfortable turn-based tempo, Grant began to gain the advantage because he had high-end gears and higher mana output. With both of them, Grant was able to put Baiyi on the defense for longer periods of time.

"How boring. Once the fight was toned down, the advantage of being in a higher rank overtook having any real battle prowess. I mean, our VP is overwhelmingly better in mana output and speed of spell-casting! It's all about tossing elements at each other now… That Hope guy is probably done for, but gosh do I pity him. Hey, at least my bet is safe!" One of the advanced class students commented, feeling pity for Baiyi's current plight.

"I don't think this battle is a foregone conclusion, yet! Hope may be getting pushed back, but he's superb in his defense! Sir Grant may have the upper hand, but he has not really been able to take Hope down. Maybe Hope is saving up a big one for the right time!" Another student argued.

Watching direction that the fight had now taken, Baiyi's students were starting to worry about him again. Seeing Baiyi at a disadvantage, Little Mia was sweating and panicking. Her free hand pinched on Laeticia's hand so hard, and no matter how Laeticia struggled, she could not retract her hand. Hence, the village girl could only comfort Mia by rubbing the back of her hand, saying, "Don't worry too much. Have faith in Mr. Hope."

"I-I think… I think he just doesn't want me to be in too much pain…" Little Mia blabbered in guilt. On her side, the king-sized octuplet twin crystal was no longer transparent; it was now completely blue. The blue was so vivid, it seemed as if the color was about to burst out of the crystal. It was obvious that the vessel was at its limit. The Owl, which had transformed into her long dress, was tasked with taking on some of Mia's burden, and it was now shivering — a sign that it had also reached its limit.

Whenever a battle occurred between individuals in different ranks, especially elemental battles, the party occupying the lower rank would easily get pushed around. Baiyi did not fret much at the disadvantageous turn of events; he just sighed. "Tsk tsk. Even with my Expansion Formation, and some help from the Owl… I'm still completely outmatched, huh? This is one difficult fella right here, eh?"

'Having your mana output restricted is seriously annoying…' He concluded quietly in his mind. Then, he asked Nota, who was still hiding in his helm, "Are you scared?"

As soon as Baiyi asked that question, flaming meteors soared towards him. Blazing fire rained down on Baiyi like a pyromaniac's net. The soul armature nimbly dodged the rocks and deflected other flame projectiles by spinning his Saint Quartz Staff around himself. Using his psychic energy, Baiyi disrupted his enemy's Sluggard and Binding spells, and escaped the flaming meteor shower via the least dangerous path.

Nota could see everything that Baiyi could because she had been inside his helm the whole time. To a lily-livered fairy like her, the entire battle had been nothing short of cardiac arrest inducing. Many times, she had believed that flaming meteor brushed right past her, inches away from scorching Baiyi's helm.

The fairy could no longer contain herself and shrieked in fear.

The sound of a lady's scream did not escape Grant's ears. He froze in mid-action, and his mind was filled with questions. "What was that? Was that… the sound of a young lady? Don't tell me… Mr. Hope's real identity is a woman?!"

'An opening!' Baiyi seized the opportunity and retaliated.

If one could only tell a soul armature's gender by their voice, then most would consider Baiyi a transsexual, for they had seen him speak with a manly voice and scream like a girl.

Nota's screams disrupting his opponent's tempo was never part of Baiyi's plan; he considered that a low blow. However, Baiyi had not expected a soft-spoken fairy like Nota to scream so shrilly, neither was he ready for the fairy to give away her presence at this point!

On the flip side, Nota's scream bought him some time, and Baiyi had no plans to let the opportunity slide. He released a flood of spells at his opponent, he cast a Calming Spell on himself to pacify poor Nota.

"This is it! Raise the cap of my magical damage, Nota, 'cause this is it! It's now or never!" Baiyi cried out as the hidden horns of his helm sprang out from its case.For those who have trouble imagining how it feels to be crippled by "low mana output", imagine being so good at a game that you unlocked your favorite BFG and armor— and then a certain bratty sibling just had to save her new game on your game save and suddenly, just SUDDENLY,  you had to restart a New Game. God f*king damn it, save your gameplay on a bloody empty slot instead of my 54:44 slot, you monster that I am forbidden to hunt!!! — Oh my god did I just get knock to the ground by a skinny purple dinosaur who was even named 'Little Dog Dragon'?!

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296 No Bloody Way!

When the horns hidden in Baiyi's helm sprang out, his Sanctus armor finally recovered a little bit of its original badass look. One could even call this a transformation sequence if they liked. Its perfect timing even made the sudden event seem quite epic!

'Fine, so the reason why the tables have turned is that of something that looks like deus ex machina. But eh, who's counting?'

"Hm. It appears that you have an acute sense of seizing chances whenever they present themselves — a surefire indication that you're a battle veteran," Grant muttered. "However, in a battle where prestige takes precedence,along with the limited amount of techniques I can perform out here, I believe that this is merely a struggle before death."

The three rune rings surrounding Grant suddenly lit up the area around him, indicating his intention to retaliate!

However, a brief wave of nausea immediately hit him, and the spell he had begun to conjure dissipated.

This was the sign of a psychic attack!

'Impossible!' Grant's heart skipped a beat. How could the opponent's psychic energy possibly be more pervasive than his? 'Just how powerful is his psychic energy? Is it on par with a Demigod-level fighter? Was he a Demigod-level fighter when he was alive?'

Panic had disrupted Grant's tempo. Instead of actively counterattacking, Grant found himself barely dodging Baiyi's offensive, inducing more near misses.

The truth was, despite the difference in their rankings, Grant was not completely better than Baiyi, even in sorcery alone. In terms of total mana output and strength of psychic energy, Baiyi was not on Grant's level. The duel had now become a fast-paced battle, and the two sorcerers had only dispatched small, low-grade magic spells that had not expended much mana. Since both opponents were no longer trying to cause the other to experience a "blue screen of death", the total amount of mana which opponent had played no significant role in determining the victor.

It was incredibly hard to notice the effects of psychic energy in an actual battle. It did not possess any attribute that could deal physical damage. It was mostly used as a supplementary tool in battle. Sorcerers use their psychic energies to scan; lock onto their targets, in order to guide spells to strike them, and to disrupt their foes' psychic energy. Merely pushing one's psychic energy at an opponent was a very primitive way to employ it, and this would have dealt zero effects to sorcerers of decent caliber. One could only use this method to bully little girls like Mia.

In the past, when Baiyi was still struggling to give the horns on his helm a purpose, he decided to turn them into an extension of his psychic energy; this was inspired by someone who was considered a demon in the past. He had also done it hoping to use Psionic Inundation someday, but he had forgotten all about it. He had only remembered when he was reminded by one of the Voidwalkers a few days before, during strategy preparations.

Baiyi never really considered this 'gardening trick' as anything practical. This was especially true when one's opponent was at the holy level. However, as the fight continued, Baiyi began to believe its viability.

First, Grant started the battle with a ninth-grade magic — a spell that exceeded what Baiyi could cast at his level — and this expended a great deal of psychic energy. Afterward, Grant tried to destroy that ninth-grade spell, and this also cost him a great deal of psychic energy. In the ensuing battle, Grant's dynamic, hi-speed spells chipped away at his remaining psychic energy, bit by bit. And not long after, his psychic energy was so low, even Baiyi could detect it.

This mistake was common for advanced-class sorcerers. Since they venture into battle with state-of-the-art gears, a large reservoir of mana, expansive psychic energy, and the ability to finish fights very quickly, advanced sorcerers almost never put any care into the amount of psychic energy they expend. Only in long battles, or battles of attrition war, would advanced sorcerers ever have to worry— other times, only the rookiest of all sorcerers would need to worry about their psychic energy reservoir.

And the same applied to VP Grant, who was no doubt advanced enough to ignore any possibility of his psychic energy being exhausted. Although he had used a lot of his power, his energy was not close to being completely exhausted, either. He could still carry on performing highly-taxing spells in this battle, over a long period of time. The only downside to it was non-fatal lethargy he would experience at the end of the day.

Nevertheless, consumption was still consumption, and it showed in Grant's overall power. Baiyi was already much more powerful than Grant was in terms of psychic energy, and with the help of his "antenna", Baiyi had finally reached the point where his strength could cause an impact.

This was precisely what Baiyi utilized. He used a technique the level of a parlor trick to forcefully interrupt Grant's chanting!

Unfortunately for Grant, he had not foreseen this turn of events. To be fair, no one could have foreseen Baiyi from using this weak attack on a heavyweight. It was as if someone had won the MMA championship by scratching their opponent's itch to death. No sane man would think of using a childish move in a serious fight! How much would one have to look down on a Holy-level sorcerer to think of using Psionic Inundation? That is insulting!

In reality, using the technique to win a battle was not feasible. This is because a normal Legendary-level, or even Holy-level, sorcerer possessed similar amounts of psychic energy; hence, when both sides expend the same amount, neither opponent would gain an advantage over the other. This technique had only worked for Baiyi because he was an atypical powerhouse, who was only limited in certain conventional aspects. Hence, it was not really Grant's oversight that had allowed this to happen.

That was why it did not really matter if Nota's scream had happened or not. If Nota had not screamed, before long, the situation would progress to the same stage, and Baiyi would still have been able to use this to his advantage. Nota's scream only sped up the process.

Grant mustered enough courage to try chanting another spell, but Baiyi quickly overwhelmed the VP with another wave of psionic blast, nullifying the new spell.

That knocked Grant's confidence down another peg. He no longer dared to chant spells; instead, he took a leaf from Baiyi's book and stuck to dodging the incoming attacks with his agility, albeit without the same grace that the soul armature showed.

"What's going on?" Someone from the crowd asked. "Why isn't VP Grant countering his attacks? If the VP could just start attacking again, his level advantage should be gain him an advantage, right?"

"What do you know? This is an educational duel, man! VP Grant is showing us how a pro performs evasive maneuvers in a high-tier battle. Isn't he cool?"

"I know, right! After all, this Hope is still the Church's guy. VP can't let him look too bad; that would be too uncourteous, yes?"

It was quite fortunate that Grant could not hear the crowd's comments, or he might very well suffer heavy internal injury from the 'optimism' they were displaying! However, Grant did regain his composure. He slowly came to understand his problem and came up with a solution to it; he realized that he should focus on recovering his psychic energy back to above the safety line before trying to retaliate.

'I must put this situation down into our textbook as a case study!' Grant thought as he deftly evaded Baiyi's slowed attacks, relying on his protective gears, pre-enchanted magic, and his array of techniques.

However, Baiyi did not plan to give him the time he needed. As he chased after the maneuvering Grant, Baiyi whispered to Nota, "Now, as we have planned, you take the lead in offense!"

"R-right! I'll do my best!" Nota replied in her soft, shy voice.

Suddenly, formations rose in front of Baiyi's face, and a variety of low grade spells shot out from it. From afar, it looked as if Baiyi was spitting out the attacks.

Baiyi had stopped casting spells with his hands, however. Instead, he used them to swiftly form a series of hand seals in quick succession; this was how he planned to end this battle.

Since Nota had taken over the offensive, Grant could feel the pressure lessen. Overwhelmed with joy, he guessed that Baiyi's mana had run into some sort of technical problem. Despite nursing that conjecture, Grant was still wary and did not dare launch his own attacks.

Instead, he waited and turned behind to glance at to his pursuer. It was at that moment he saw Baiyi making those hand seals.

"No no no!" Grant panicked. He quickly took an attack stance. However, Baiyi had finished his secret technique and spoke in a baritone voice.

"Six Realms Five Planes — The Divine Figure of Kurikara."

After Baiyi's incantation, his body split into two identical copies, then from two to four, and from four to eight. In front of each clone was a formation, and each of them was forming a deadly spell!

"Illusions? Mirage?" Grant wondered as his heart lurched. He used the little psychic energy he could muster and scanned all the Hopes, and his face paled. All of them were emitting real mana vibrations! Their incantations are real, and each one of them could easily take his life!

In other words, Hope possessed the ability to cast eight different spells at the same time!'

'No goddamn way! Grant conjured his own formation in defiance, aiming his attack at one of the clones; however, before he could finish his incantation, his head was once again assaulted by a searing headache, and his spell was dispelled!

'Holy f*ck?!' Grant's experiences and beliefs were being trampled at this very moment. 'No one, absolutely no one, could possibly cast eight spells at the same time... and still possess the strength to disrupt someone else's spell! This is just illogical!'

'What the hell is this monster? Is he even human, or a demon? Or is he the avatar of some divine power?! '

Grant watched his own psyche crumble. He no longer had any fight in him to face this otherworldly enemy. He only wished that his opponent still remember that this was supposed to be a friendly match aimed for education.

Hence, Grant raised his hands in defeat and lowered his prideful head. He could not possibly defeat a monster like this. 'F*ck me; I just met a monster who can perform eight spells at the same f*cking time! This is way out of anyone's imagination!'

"Well fought, Vice President Grant," Baiyi said to the Holy-level Grand Sorcerer as he vanished the clones and dispelled his secret technique.Blue screens of death — what is blue, has a :( face, and is an indication of a machine coma? — a Blue Screen on your computer, duh!Too bad the author did not see it fit to TELL US WHO THIS IS! ...sorry.

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297 Tying Up Loose Ends

When Grant raised his hands in defeat, the Void shook — with laughter. You would laugh too if you never expected a fake ploy to actually work in a high-stake battle!

It was true that no one could cast multiple magic spells of different varieties at the same time; that rule also applied to the Voidwalkers. Even with the activation of the secret spell, Six Realms Five Planes — The Divine Figure of Kurikara, Baiyi's current limitation in his mana output would not have been enough to allow the other Voidwalkers to cast high-damage spells at Grant, anyway.

In the three days time period before the duel, the Voidwalkers had poured all their resources into improving the Baiyi's own version of the Descent spell, making such that seven Voidwalkers could use it as a gateway to perform their own techniques through seven mirages of themselves. Then, the Charlatan imbued his specially-crafted hallucinatory spell so that each of the eight mirages would emit realistic mana pulses while they were "performing" their spells. Lastly, one of the Voidwalkers used a special masking technique to conceal the original form of that spell just to jack up the appeal and display eye-catching visual effects!

Grant bought it! He bought it so hard, he gave up immediately. If he had not lost confidence and decided to stay a little longer, he would have noticed that the clones' chants were just for show, for they would not have cast anything after the chants… Grant lost the duel because he lost his confidence, and he ended up submitting even though he was being fooled.

Trying to fool a seasoned Holy-level sorcerer was basically almost impossible, even if the opponent had the Charlatan's ability to simulate eight different sets of mana vibrations lucidly. However, Baiyi had help from some cunning and experienced folks, and he was able to pull it off!

This trick could not be used a second time. In fact, it could only be used outside life or death battles; for example, this educational duel.

However, if Grant had decided to go all out in their battle, using everything he had, Baiyi would not have resorted to trickery. Instead, he would have lifted up his robe and use his Void Energy!

Grant approached Baiyi to ask the spell he pulled off at the final moments of their duel. All Baiyi could say was, "Er, actually, that was just my special illusionary spell…"

After Baiyi replied, the Vice President's expression became hard to read. He mulled over Baiyi's answer in his head. When Grant finally understood the underlying trick, a few seconds after pondering, he really wanted to slap himself.

However, he could only force, shake his head and say, "Master Hope's Illusion technique really is something to behold! To be perfectly honest, I had started to wonder if you were the avatar of an actual deity."

"There can't be this many deities in the world, right?" Baiyi replied.

"I know. That's… impossible/" VP Grant sighed before changing the subject. "So, I was wondering if Master Hope would like to register this special illusionary technique for copyright? A technique that can be used to skillfully turn the tides in a battle against Holy-level powerhouses must be the dream of many, right? If you would like to do that, I'm happy to help."

"Nah. A parlor trick like that shouldn't be treated as some kind of magnum opus," Baiyi replied, feigning humility. What he really meant to say was "You normies can't possibly replicate what I did, at all; you gotta have some Voidwalkers aiding you first!

Grant VP did not say anything the moment Baiyi indirectly rejected the offer. Although Grant understood that most people would rather not publicize their secret moves, after a while, he replied, " I respect your reasons, but… I just found it a little unfortunate many had watched your battle today, and even if you could trust me to keep the secrets of your techniques, I'm afraid others might not be bound by the same code of honor."

The implication was simple and was what Grant really thought in his heart. 'Do you think your secret technique is still a secret after our televised event? Come on, man; everyone saw it. Even if everyone else is not as strong as Thanos, they still will not be fooled by a fake cloning technique more than once, Mr. "Mysterious".'

Baiyi hid his sneer and replied, "Oh, it's fine — really. There's no need to fret about it." 'You really think all eight spells the mirages were about to cast were worthless? Pfft. Wait till I sucker-punch you when you get distracted next time!

Nevertheless, Baiyi had won the duel and successfully completed his ranking mission. No one dared to doubt his strength now, including those who had previously harbored skepticism about his skills. Grant, too, had gracefully admitted his defeat. After giving Baiyi a handshake, Grant handed him his Legendary-level Qualification Certificate in front of the crowd.

Baiyi's fans in the audience cheered jubilantly. Even Nota could not contain her joy and excitement; she exclaimed with her sweet, soft voice, "This is the greatest ever!"

Grant, who had been hovering right next to Baiyi, directed a pointed glance at Baiyi.

"Cough! That was my communication formation. The volume was a bit too loud, so what you heard was just my students' cheers," Baiyi replied quickly.

Grant nodded, albeit slowly.

The atmosphere turned awkward after that, so Baiyi gave a flimsy excuse and left, flying towards his students. He allowed his adorable students to surround him, and they began to clap and cheer so earnestly, Baiyi could not help but feel proud. Hence, he announced that there would be no homework that day. He went to express his desire that every one of them relax and rest up for the upcoming wilderness exploration up in two days times.

That night, Baiyi and his family enjoyed a happy family time. Vice President Grant, however, did not celebrate — or relax.

Baiyi left after the match, but Grant had to stay behind and clean up the site. Later that evening, Grant used his free time to review the battle with the advanced class students, as well as manage their bet winnings or losses. By midnight, Grant was still awake. There was an oil lamp beside him, which lit up the grave expression on his face as he scribbled something on a piece of paper.

Grant scribbled very swiftly, but when the top of his pen brushed against the piece of paper, it left no ink trail; Grant was, in fact, writing a specially encrypted letter whose content could only be revealed under a highly-specialized scanning magic.

The letter contained the scores and details of every test Baiyi undertook before the duel. It also contained Grant's deductions about Baiyi's battle prowess, which he had theorized after dueling with the soul armature: Mana output — unable to exceed Master-level; he can easily dispatch spells as high as seventh-grade; he possesses strange illusionary prowess and space-type magic; he also possesses an uncannily powerful Psychic Energy, and he was possibly a Demigod-level fighter when he was alive.

At the very end of the letter, Grant added a note: Unidentified gender. He could be female.

When the letter was finished, Grant folded it and sealed it inside an envelope, which he proceeded to place in the middle of his palm.

A tongue of flames suddenly rose from his hand, burning the entire letter completely, without even leaving ashes behind.

A few moments passed.

Then, deep within the Basilica of the Godsfall cult, the three High Reverends assumed their dark silhouette forms.

"What do you think?" The first silhouette spoke.

"Tsk tsk. He lost all pretense of enigma before the might of a Holy-level pugilist, didn't he? I do not, for one second, believe that he was still hiding anything. His air of mystery has already been forcefully ripped open, and all his tricks and tactics are now completely exposed; he's no longer a threat," the second silhouette replied confidently as if he had already seen through everything. "Pah. He is called 'The Mightiest Great Sage Ever', yet this is all the depth he possessed! The reason why those bumbling idiots in the Doors of Conundrum were so quickly impressed must have been because they never had a powerful member like him before."

"Do you honestly believe that we have him?" The third silhouette asked. "That was just a friendly spar. Do you really think he used everything he had in that match? His illusion trick that could fool a Holy-level fighter and that inexplicable, unpredictable teleportation magic should already warrant our highest caution."

"What? Are you suggesting that he might even be able to use combat chi? Or that he is as adept in stealth as assassins are? Or that he can even assume another form?" The second silhouette retorted, wearing a sneer. "At the end of the day, sorcerers will always be sorcerers. Even if he managed to use some of those barbaric druids' techniques, he is still a sorcerer. If he really has more up his sleeves, do you think he would have acted this indecisive in the fight today? Do you think he would have wasted so many of his trump cards — even that little party trick and psychological attack — just to win?"

"Even if he still has more aces, I don't think they will be able to even leave a dent on us," the second figure added. "Tell me, are we honestly going to lose to a mere Holy-level worm?"

"I see your point there…" the third silhouette relented. It was just as the other silhouettes had said. It did not really matter how powerful Baiyi was; he would always be limited by his class. There was also the fact that Baiyi had shown every card he had just because he would not have been able to best a Holy-level fighter without them.

If that was the extent of his power, then what would the odds of his victory over an organization like theirs? He would not be any more threatening than a pebble — which they could kick at any time.

"I have another question, though: if he was already this capable, why is he satisfied with his lowly occupation — a homeschool teacher? It cannot be because of what those rumors say — that he has ephebophilia — right?" The third silhouette asked.

"Not possible," the first silhouette replied, surprisingly defending the soul armature. "According to my observations and conjecture, his innate capabilities are… unstable, to say the least. His performance today is an exception, not the norm. I believe that it has something to do with his summoner and Soul Armature Practitioner — that little girl with twin horsetails. She is unremarkably weak, and I believe that her own limitations caused similar blocks in her Soul Armature."

"A result of an incomplete summoning process, I presume? Ho ho ho. Is she lucky, or is she unfortunate? I can only wish them a happy Grace's Day… Because this is very likely the last festival they ever celebrate," the second silhouette said.

"Oh! This soon?"

"Of course!" The second silhouette answered in a raised voice filled with bloodthirst. "I made myself clear before; the only protection this man has is the enigma surrounding him. The time the shroud is torn apart is the time he pays his price."As they say, huh? The monsters are in your head!

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298 A Proper Self-Introduction Is In Order

Baiyi had no idea that someone out there had arbitrarily decided on his expiry date.

He, on the hand, had been happily constructing his trans-realm transporter portal, and he had already purchased the materials required for the last few steps of his construction. Since the items he ordered had not yet arrived, the Soul Armature busied himself setting up the preliminary parts, first.

He was not too pleased with some minor details, however. Although Baiyi excited for this trip, his students did not share his enthusiasm, especially the girls; they showed no signs of eagerness. They did not really want to go on an excursion; they wanted to celebrate Grace's Day properly, instead.

Grace Day was the biggest and merriest festival of the year, and it was enticing to the kids. Little Mia had long since invited all her friends to celebrate it at her home, but Baiyi's sudden excursion plans made the schedule become a bit too packed.

"Don't you fret. We most certainly could return before the actual festival," Baiyi lied, feeling a little guiltily. It was not like he did not want the kids to enjoy the festival; he just could not help getting plagued by misfortunes that always jeopardize any events he attended. Hence, he felt that his students should concede willingly, especially because this he felt he had always been an impeccable teacher.

The portal was finished in just two days. This perks of being a certified Legendary-level sorcerer played a large role in the feat. The Association had not wasted much time in sending Baiyi the necessary materials, and Baiyi himself had already finished making their camping preparations.

The girls removed their stylish short skirts and put on some sturdy clothes, then they gathered in front of Baiyi.

"I think I need to remind you all of something before we leave: you should always listen to what Miss Aya and I say, alright? Please apply discretion to whatever you do! We're exploring a new realm, a place where no one has ever set foot on before; this is akin to a real realm pioneering exploration! Now, I'm sure you already know the dangers involved in exploring an unknown realm, so I can't stress enough how important vigilance is…" With his back against the transporter portal, Baiyi repeated his previous day's briefing to his students one more time.

Aya stood by his side, beaming. As long as she was still beside her favorite Mr. Hope, she was happy!

"Uh um, I keep getting a bad feeling..." Little MIa tugged at her hair and furrowed her eyebrows. For the upcoming excursion, she had opted to tie her hair into a single ponytail.

"Don't worry, Mia. Nature is our best companion," Nota the fairy said reassuringly and held Mia's hand. As a spirit of the wild, Nota was, of course, not against such explorations.

Someone else, who had zero reservations about frolicking in the wild, was holding Mia's other hand. "Don't be scared, Mia! I'm a tough cookie, and I can scare them all away from you!" Mordred added.

Afterward, Baiyi's posse stepped into the portal. Baiyi stood at the front of the group, and Aya stood at the back. With that, the crowd disappeared with a dazzling flash of bright light.

After they left, a few maids from the House of Wright swiftly stepped into Baiyi's mansion. They were there on the Soul Armature's request that they take care of the house in the group's absence. However, before they could even start cleaning, they felt an intense wave of lethargy. Unable to fight back, the maids fell into a deep sleep, and their bodies crashed to the floor.

A few moments passed, and out of nowhere, four humanoid shadows appeared in the mansion's courtyard. The owners of these shadows had all donned cloaks that had hoods. One of them eyed the sleeping maids, and suddenly produced four glinting daggers from his sleeves, without hiding his intention to kill!

"Hold on! I'll advise you not to do that," one of the hooded figures spoke. "We shouldn't be creating unnecessary troubles to ourselves by acting recklessly."

He crouched beside one of the sleeping maids and studied the mini emblem pinned onto her uniform. "They are from the House of Wright. More reason not to attract their ire."

"Pfft!" The man who was holding on his daggers clicked his tongue in annoyance. The daggers twirled around his fingers for a bit, emitting cold sparks, before disappearing back up his sleeves.

The figure was a bit crossed; he eyed the couch and walked over to it, preparing to sit down.

A large cloaked figure caught his hand before he could sit.

"Do not touch anything in this house!" The large third cloaked man pulled him away from the couch to a very safe distance. "Did you not notice? The entire mansion is being watched by an indiscernible barrier of some kind. If you touch anything, it might trigger that Hope's detection."

The second cloaked man, who had been stopped from taking a seat, hissed in a low voice, "Why are you all such chickens? Even the sleep-inducing spell we used on maids took three days to prepare! And now what? We don't get to do anything at all?"

"Patience, youngster," said the fourth cloaked figure. His voice sounded ancient and hollow; it was not the kind of voice a living man could imitate. Not only that, none of the fouth cloaked figure's actions resembled a human's, and every part of him emanated the chill of death and decadence.

"I do not wish for all of the efforts we poured into this plan to go to waste, just because of some youngster's pathetic oversight. If you have no idea how to be patient, then perhaps a long period of inactivity gifted by death would be the perfect lesson for you," the fouth cloaked figure coldly said.

"Oh; no one can wait for nothing better than a corpse, right?" the impatient second cloaked figure was not the least perturbed; he retorted, "Yet, I'm curious. If you die the second time, will you still be able to keep that calmness?"

"Oh? I implore you to try," the fourth cloaked figure coldly said.

The atmosphere suddenly got tense. The first cloaked figure quickly walked in between the second cloaked figure and the fourth cloaked figure, trying his best to pacify the situation. "My two friends, please! We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves! We may not have met each other frequently in the past, but the High Reverend saw enough talent in each us, making him put us all in an assassination team. We should maintain the most basic rapport and have the most basic amount of respect for each other."

At the mention of the High Reverend of the Godsfall cult, the two cloaked figures suddenly remembered their true roles, so they distance themselves. After a short period of complete silence, the second cloaked figure said, "So, what are we waiting for? That Hope has long since fled his nest. Are we supposed to stand here to waste our time like this?"

"We aren't wasting time; we're waiting for our last member. He's our team leader," the third cloaked figure clarified.

"I am not gonna be led by some asshole who doesn't understand punctuality," the second cloaked figure snapped impatiently.

"Oh? Sae what sort of man would ye prefer tae be led by?" A new voice resounded behind the crowd, prompting them to quickly turn around.

A towering, muscular man was standing behind the four cloaked figures. Unlike the four, the muscular man did not wear a black cloak. Instead, he wore shabby, forgettable linen-clothes, tailored in the distinctive Northern style. Additionally, this man's look and mien strongly suggested that he was a Northern warrior, and this is strongly supported by his heavy Northern accent, making him a pretty awkward figure overall.

However, neither of the four cloaked figures dared to comment on the muscular man's appearance or accent. They dared not make fun of someone who was emitting the aura of a Holy-level fighter.

A Holy-level Northern warrior! Being able to reach this rank as a member of the rarest class of fighters warranted the muscular man such respect.

"Oh ho ho. Not bad, not bad. A Holy-level one…" The second cloaked figure hissed, even though he seemed to be trembling slightly. Suddenly, cold flashes of bright silver tore through the air, soaring straight towards the Northern warrior.

The warrior's left hand blurred for an instant. In the next second, everyone's gaze finally shifted to the point where the silver flashes stopped, and they saw the muscular man's arm raised, with three daggers as thin as cicada's wings between two interlocking fingernails.

"Whoa! Such skill!" The second cloaked figure exclaimed earnestly, with a low whistle. "Now that's what a Holy-level knight should be."

"I bear na relation wi' the knights tha the lot of yer are familiar wi'. I am a warrior," the northerner replied obstinately. His fingers came together, and the blades were immediately kneaded into small metallic marbles.

He eyed the second cloaked figure. "You're quick oan yer hands, but alas, yer nae fleet enough. Yer braun...is equally negligent."

When the last syllable of the muscular man's sentence left his lips, he flicked his fingers.

The second cloaked figure only momentarily saw a very minute blur in the air before feeling a hot, warm sensation spreading across his face. He dabbed his hand on the numb spot and found it drenched in blood.

"Let this pat an end tae any ither similar attempt," the northerner coldly said. His fingers shook a little, and the second cloaked figure heard a loud buzz behind him. He turned around and saw the small metallic marbles, which were the remains of the squashed knives, hovering in mid-air, moving back and forth in perfect sync with the northerner's fingers.

Although he had injured the second cloaked figure's face by hurling those metal marbles at him, the muscular man was still controlling them firmly with his combat chi so that they did not touch anything else in the room.

This level of proficiency in controlling combat chi was obviously not something a Southern knight could do. This was not because the Southerners were weaker in combat chi; it was just the difference in their cultivation method.

To a fragile speedster such as the second cloaked figure, a lightning bruiser like the warrior in front of him was a predator, and this was probably why the warrior was chosen as the team's leader. The second cloaked figure could only dab his face in silence, not daring to utter a single word.

"You, Sir, are truly amazing! No wonder the High Reverend wanted us to wait for your arrival before we begin our mission," the large third cloaked figure said, eager to ease the tension. He was big and buffy, but when compared to the towering Northern Warrior, even he was small.

"Gentlemen. Fae this point onwards, we ur band o' brothers servin' th' identical cause. Oor success warrants trust oan one anither, sae a proper self-introduction is in order," the northerner spoke. "I am th' forsaken student o' th' Azure Cloud Sect. Ye kin ca' me Oni Chief."Seriously, you have no idea how many times I wanted to just call this "trans-realm transporter portal" as the Bifrost. Heimdall, I need you to get me back up!

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299 A Near Miss

Azure Cloud Sect was a martial arts organization, known even to some Southerners. It was the equivalent of another association or guild, but it had no actual influence in the Southern Land. If it had any influence in the Southern Lands, even Godsfall cult would have to nurse a headache.

However, who exactly was this "forsaken student"? According to the northerner, he was once the Chief of the Azure Cloud Sect. He once had a little disagreement with another member of the sect. This member practiced a deviant style of cultivation whereby he ate others to their power. Additionally, the member had been taught by many old masters, causing his innate capabilities to soar to new heights in a short amount of time. Unfortunately for the northerner, when that member had gotten strong enough, he sought to make the northerner pay for their old feud, so he waged a war against the northerner's family. In order to protect his family from further harm, the northerner left the sect. After leaving, he was only able to support himself by working as a watchman for the wealthy. The northerner kept advancing in the business until he found himself working as one of the most trusted bodyguards of a powerful noble.

Although the northerner was not a member of the Godsfall cult, his boss, and it was his boss who had ordered him to come and help out in the cult's business by leading this team. The Godsfall cult was not as pervasive in the North as it was in the South, so the cult appreciated a powerful ally from that continent.

With the Northerner taking the lead, the rest of the team quickly followed suit, in introducing themselves. The large, muscular third cloaked figure called himself "the Mage Reaper". Hailed as the very best in the military's sniper unit, the third cloaked figure was adept in assassinated mages using a bow.

Next was the knives-savvy second cloaked figure. He called himself Nergal; he was an outcast from Umbra. He had also received training in Umbra's assassination techniques. Although he had not actually mastered the organization's ultimate technique, after joining the Godsfall cult, he later became a force to be reckoned with. The cult had bestowed on him immense power, which was specifically for assassinating sorcerer. Now, he considered himself an expert that field, boasting that more than a hundred sorcerers had died by his hands!

As for the ancient fourth cloaked figure, who spoke like a corpse, he was actually a lich! He proclaimed himself to be the Demigod Lich, just like the very famous, nightmarish lich of old. However, the fourth cloaked figure's power was not even close to the power of the real Demigod Lich of old. He had only taken up the title because he was a major fanboy of the real deal, and he hoped to be as great and glorious as the original one day.

One thing about the fourth cloaked figure stood out from the other liches, however; he was incredibly proficient in fighting sorcerers. He had been defeated by a sorcerer during the civil war of old, and a thirst for vengeance was what made him turn himself into a lich.

However, the fourth cloaked figure had no idea that his most respected idol was still alive, and only because of his target's help. He also did not know that his idol was now meek, for fear of being muted in the Void.

The first cloaked figure was the last man to introduce himself; he quietly referred to himself as "the Sorcerer Terrier". In truth, he was a man hunted by the Sorcerer Association. Although he was a sorcerer, he was incredibly adept in some other skill-sets, such as tracking, trap-setting, protective barrier-breaking, and the arts of illusions; in short, he was a special sorcerer. The team was only able to break into Baiyi's mansion because of his expertise.

As for why he was being hunted by the sorcerers association, it was because he could not keep it in his pants whenever he was around the spouses of other members; therefore, he had elicited the anger and killing intent of other members. He only managed to survive the hunt because of his talents, and the Godsfall cult eventually took him in.

Judging from his sordid past, the first cloaked figure was probably better off calling himself "the Sorcerer Ted", instead.

Judging from the identity of the members of this team, one could easily tell how desperately the cult desired Baiyi's head. Every member of the team that the cult had sent out this time were all specialized in killing mages — the type of elites who could get the job done.

Forget Baiyi — who had displayed competence, not invincibility — this five-man team was probably capable of taking down a Demigod-level sorcerer.

However, how far they could fare if they faced Baiyi wielding some of his hidden powers, was something that remained to be seen.

"Alas, we now ken whence our comrades come. I hope this will suffice in setting up th' foundation o' trust among each ither. Th' foe we face is gey powerful; we will only persevere tae th' end, 'n' prevail, if we trust each ither." Although the northerner was the only Holy-level fighter in the team, he had not shown any sign of looking down on his target. His refusal to relax was evident that he held Baiyi in high regard.

"Pfft. It doesn't matter how 'powerful' that guy is; he's still just a sorcerer. Look at us! We are all experts at dealing with that lot. His death is assured already, mates. Especially when you take into account the fight between him and that Association's VP. The entire time while I was watching, I could only think, 'gods, if that's the weaksauce we're supposed to take down, they should have just sent only me," the second cloaked figure, Nergal, remarked with a sneer.

"Don't underestimate him!" Sorcerer Terrier said. "How skillfully he had set up his barriers made me realize how close our levels are. The barriers were designed with such impeccable precision; I'm very sure he had put in a lot of thoughts into it. Which, of course, goes to show that he must be a very vigilant man, who may not even fall for your assassination techniques. In fact, our superiors already told us that he alone defeated a master assassin from Umbra, who had mastered their ultimate technique and had marks carved on his gauntlet."

"Puh-lease. You can't hope to reliably measure the worth of an assassin by the number of marks they possess on their gauntlets," Nergal retorted defensively. "If we adopt their stupid measurement, then all the kills I made in my missions so far should have earned me even more marks than that useless Umbra assassin, at least by ten, even!"

"Perhaps so. However, vigilance is— more often than not— a lifesaver," the muscular archer said. "Problem is, he's not here. What shall we do? Give chase, or stay put for an ambush?"

"The materials he purchased from the Sorcerer Association suggests the construction of a trans-realm transporter portal. As a matter of fact, I can sense fluctuations from the recent use of a transporter portal. I think he took his students to some other realms. If we were to give chase, we might find ourselves in a little bit more trouble than we expected," Sorcerer Terrier answered. "A small-scaled transporter portal like his is common for realm pioneering. I guess he may have taken his students out on an exploratory trip to a no man's realm."

"'No man's realm'?" The leading Northerner mulled over the phrase in his head and slowly nodded in agreement. Then, in a tone of certainty, the northerner added, "Mercy… Mercy indeed! 'Tis th' best steid fur us to complete our mission. Na Church hounds on our tail, n' na ither ar th'ere unneeded forces blocking th' way. All o' ye gentlemen kin even play with our prey ow ye like; this is fortune's smiling on us, 'n' it will be a fool'ish nae tae seize th' chnce. However… Ye mentioned students? How tough are they?"

"One hit is all it takes," Sorcerer Terrier replied, licking his lips as if he could taste the students already. "They are just some cute, gorgeous little girls, except for two of them. These two seem to be Elder Dragons. They could pose some trouble."

"Dragons? Most brilliant. I was just fretting about how I needed a dragon's bone as a material, and now, here they are on a silver platter!" the lich said excitedly, looking ready to jump into the portal.

"Splendid. Let's depart immediately. Kin ye operate th' portal?" the Northerner asked.

"Piece of cake," Sorcerer Terrier confidently replied.

On the other side, Baiyi had no idea that his house had been breached and that his pursuers had chased him all to way to this unpopulated realm. He was too busy enjoying the fun of traveling and exploring; he did not know that danger had followed him this time.

Baiyi had built the basic type of transporter portal, and because of its cheap nature, the transporter portal teleports its users to a random spot in the desired destination. The landing spot would only be fixed if he constructed a portal here that led to Isythre, just like those used by the Association. For the time being, he planned to treat the location they ended up as a lucky bet.

They were lucky. They were teleported onto a small hill, at a location close to its peak. The hill was situated in the middle of a lush forest. Meandering between the slopes, which could be seen from their location, was a clear creek, which further beautified the location's picturesque ambiance.

The eldest and the youngest students quickly forgot their earlier worries as soon as they saw the beautiful scenery. The temperature in this realm was meeker than Isythre's, so the girls quickly kicked off their shoes and socks before wading into the creek to play. Their laughter echoed through the woods.

Baiyi sat down and watched the kids have fun, and Aya was busy setting up their picnic as lunch; it was a typical family scene.

After laying out the food she had prepared the previous night on top the picnic blanket, Aya boldly strode towards the soul armature and sat right next to him, then she leaned softly on him. As she watched the kids playing, she muttered in a low voice, "I really love going out like this. It makes me happy… It makes me remember those times back in Gouve, you know, when you brought me along on all kinds of crazy trips. Those are such precious memories, huh?"

'Cough, cough. Flirtatious words with a very specific tone to them, such as yours, is just asking to get it from the two "hmph-ing" piggies in the Void, you know.' Baiyi could only awkwardly distance himself from Aya and explain, "Er, we shouldn't be seen like this by the kids."

"I… I know. Just… a little while longer." She curled her lips into a coy smile.

She sat up straight, then, with an even lower voice, she whispered, "You and I can also have some fun at night. Just so you know, Mordred really likes Mia, so I'm sure she would want to have a sleepover with her."

The underlying meaning of that observation was clear...

"Cough, cough!" Baiyi could only cough awkwardly in reply. "We're outside, Aya. This can't be appropriate."

"Huh? I didn't know you're actually this reserved!"Aya replied, visibly disappointed.

'If I don't act reserved, the two piggies in the Void are gonna huff and puff and blow my house down, then cut me up into pieces!' Baiyi thought. He stood up from the ground quickly and started scanning the surrounding with his psychic energy.

He did not find anything amiss. Only harmless critters were within a 10-mile radius from the group.

It was at this time that the assassination team from Godsfall arrived. It was not known if this team were lucky or not, for they had arrived quite far from where their target was, and more importantly...

They had landed in a barren gobi.

"Fie me. This is a crap steid tae land on," the Northerner cussed as he eyed that small patch of green under his shoes — which was the only "oasis" in this place.

He added in dismay, "We git tae reach oor target as quickly as possible. Oor rations wan sustain us fur lang."Hoo boy! An archer!Ted, as in the goddamned horny teddy bear!

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300 Delivering Yourself Right To Their Doorstep

The realm that Baiyi had chosen for their excursion was neither big nor small. It was about the size of five Arfin cities, or the size of Shanghai on Earth. Locating a person in an environment that was wide and untouched by civilization could be considered quite a challenge — even for the experienced sorcerer, Sorcerer Terrier.

The assassination team strode through the shores of the gobi. Although they were without mounts, they did not take off into the air because they were afraid that Baiyi would spot them first. Since flying was not an option, they could only travel by feet under the heat.

Naturally, any sense of patience they had before the trip easily evaporated; this was especially for one of them who had very little patience to begin with. "Any results at all?!" Nergal, the Knife-savvy Assassin impatiently asked over and over again.

Sorcerer Terrier shook his head helplessly. He gave the same reply he had given only minutes ago, "I cannot detect what is outside my psychic energy perimeter."

"Urgh!" Nergal cried out in frustration. He really wanted to scream at Sorcerer Terrier, asking him to expand the scope of psychic energy so that they could acquire Baiyi's location immediately. However, if they did that, they would also be exposing their presence.

This was of no concern to Nergal, however. So what if their presence was exposed? There had five people on their team, and all five of them were adept at dealing with sorcerers; furthermore, they were only going up against one sorcerer, who was the only one on his team that could put up a fight against them. Nergal felt that even he added the dragons into the equation, his assassination team would still be the party with more damaging power. 'Why don't we just blaze through their entrails?' For him, the only problem was that he wasn't the one calling the shots. Their team leader, the Northerner, had stubbornly insisted that they be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible.

'Only God knows what worries that big guy. Is it that Hope? Or that dragon? Why the hell do we even have to act so scared and handicap ourselves in the middle of nowhere? Isn't this the perfect playground for us?!' Nergal thought, feeling unhappy and confused.

Baiyi also felt confused at that moment, so he directed a question to the Void. "Guys, why do I detect anomalies in my psychic energy? I mean, these weren't there before. Did… Did someone else come here?"

The psychic energy from Baiyi's current body could only encompass a few miles; however, he still had that twenty percent unused power — which he had smuggled in after defeating Thaas — and the bit of consciousness he attached to the power, and both of them were still floating about. In order to maximize protection for his students, Baiyi did not stop the extra power and consciousness from scanning the realm.

Since the power operated outside of the realm — kind of like a satellite— the assassination team did not detect it.

"Wanna go check it out?" the Archmage asked.

"Yep; I kinda have to. Honestly, it's a little unsettling. The psychic energy I detected was deliberately made to occupy a very small radius and frequency, which is abnormal. If it belonged to someone who was exploring a new realm, then the person would have expanded it as wide as possible to see if it picked up any energy signatures," Baiyi replied.

"Maybe… It's not human," the Soul Armature Practitioner jumped in.

"That's possible. However, I can guarantee that the psychic energy does not belong to an unknown Pokemon — a scenario I'm sure you are hoping for," Baiyi replied. "I'll have to ensure that the kids settle down first before I check it out, though."

Baiyi had mentally prepared for the possibility that the psychic energy belonged to someone or something that would be hostile or harmful to them. That scenario was fine by him. If he was to fight in a place without a lot of people, he would not hold back; instead, he would go on a rampage!

Unlike the possibilities of enemies, Baiyi found two of his students more troublesome. The eldest student, Tisdale, and the youngest student, Little Mia, were playing some kind of brute game in the creek while Baiyi wasn't paying attention. When Baiyi snapped back to reality, Tisdale had already shoved Mia into the water and fell in herself not long after. By the time the Soul Armature managed to fish them out, both girls were completely drenched.

Baiyi held Mia and brushed her hair hard with a towel. Both girls changed their clothes and had thick blankets wrapped around them. Only their hairs hadn't dried at that point.

Baiyi's attempt at drying Mia's hair was too painful for the girl so she let out cries of agony. Tisdale, on the other hand, fared better. She was being towel-dried by Aya, who did the drying mildly, causing no pain. This, however, did not seem to help Tisdale's mood. She lowered her head in dismay as she received Baiyi's scolding. "Can't you, at least, take care of the younger one?"

"Sniff… Mr. Hope… Big Sister Dale wasn't doing it on purpose — owww! You're too forceful..." Little Mia said, defending her beloved big sister.

"Didn't I talk about this before we left? Safety first! You didn't listen to a single word I said, did you? What is this? Teenage rebellion?" Baiyi continued in a helpless tone as he ruffled Mia's hair which had almost dried.

Baiyi caressed Mia's cheeks a little, then he pulled Tisdale over and began to dry her hair with his painful method. Little Mia scurried to Laeticia's side and allowed the girl to comb her hair.

"Oof… Sir, please be a little gentler, okay? My neck is coming off…"Tisdale protested in a small voice.

By the time Baiyi was done setting the two troublemakers straight, it was noon — time for the sumptuous lunch prepared for them by the Aya, Attie, and Nota. This feast was even more bountiful than what they always had back home. The sumptuous meal washed away the dejections felt by both girls after their little accident.

Baiyi took the girls' clothes to the water and washed them, then he wrung the water out of the wet clothes using magic and folded them neatly into stacks, which was then transferred to their storage pouches.

When Bayi was done with the domestic chores, he issued an announcement. "Alright; let's camp here today. Please, set up your tent after lunch, then rest here. There is something I want to check out, so we'll organize our activities after I return."

"If I return a little later than expected — Aya, please take them around the woods to hunt for some food. I assume that Zakum the fox and friends are pretty good at that. Am I wrong?" Baiyi finished, eyeing the kitsune. It raised a paw and wore an expression which seemed to mean "You can count on me!".

"That's all. I'll be heading out now," the soul armature said, then he soared into the air and streaked into the horizon. He left a dozen storage pouches where he stood, and they were all filled with different, mundane household items that the girls used at home; for example, the girls' little round mirrors.

It was as though the man had stuffed the entire house into pouches he left behind.

"Is he always so… meticulous?" Aya smiled forcefully and asked the students as she pulled out a wooden pail used for baths from a storage pouch.

"Mr. Hope has always been very meticulous. Whenever I'm by his side, I feel like home is wherever I go," Little Mia smiled and answered.

It was too bad Baiyi did not get to hear the nice things Mia had to say about him. He was off speeding in the direction he had detected the anomaly, and in a short while, he left the woods completely.

Soon, he found himself in a barren wasteland — the gobi.

"It's gone?" Baiyi looked around. He spotted some small desert shrubs, and that was it; there were no other living beings around. Even the strange, unidentified psychic fluctuation had disappeared. "Did the culprit detect me and severe it? Brr. That's kinda creepy—"

Suddenly, a very soft sound emanated from the shrubs below Baiyi.

It was the sound of a drawn bowstring being released! Instantly, a long, thin stand of blackness had reached the nape of Baiyi's neck, without a sound!

Baiyi did not turn. He cocked his head to a side just at the right time, and the black rod brushed by his neck.

As soon as it did, the Fifth Walker's fingers closed around it, catching the object. He looked at it and was surprised to realize that it was an arrow made out of pure darkness.

'Seriously? Using bow and arrows against a soul armature is not very bright…' Baiyi thought in amusement and hurled the arrow in the direction it had come from, controlling it with his own mana, this time.

However, the arrow had not reached its destination before Baiyi felt a strange force forcefully interfere with his psychic energy, causing him to lose control of his own mana. The arrow lost its force and felt down weakly.

Baiyi immediately dispelled his Levitation spell, and in a matter of seconds, he was speedily descending to the ground below.

The instant Baiyi landed, a large and mighty silhouette leaped out from the sand beneath him. With a roar filled with power, a fist the size of a casserole streaked towards him.

"Holy-level knight? Nah… It's a warrior…" Baiyi initially froze for an instant, but he quickly regained his senses and teleported away from the path of the fist that had come at him like a tank. He reappeared a short distance away. As soon as he appeared, he leaped higher into the air to evade three more raven-black arrows.

Whilst in the air, Baiyi quickly spun his body into a manner that defied the laws of physics, successfully evading three knives.

As soon as Baiyi landed, he had no time to adjust his footing before the Holy-level warrior arrived. The warrior was big and heavy-looking, but he was so fast that he moved like a phantom! In less time than it took to blink, he had arrived right in front of Baiyi. A fist engulfed in flames raced towards the soul armature's chest with a momentum that threatened the earth itself.

One blow from that, and Baiyi's Augustril armor would be smashed like glasses.

Fortunately, the warrior was not the only one who was fast; Baiyi's reflexes were just as quick. A wall of ice appeared instantly appeared in front of the fist, stopping its momentum.

The flaming fist crashed into the ice wall, causing a huge explosion. Afterward, a huge cloud of mist surged from the middle of the hot gobi desert.

Baiyi took the chance to perform another short-distance teleportation, putting himself out of the warrior's attack range. This time, the opponent did not advance, and instead, he stood where he was.

It seemed that the testing period was over.

"Aye. That wuss pure brilliant physique. Ye bear makings far beyond a sorcerer," the northern Holy-level warrior spoke first.

"Hmm? This is interesting. You guys are not here to kill me, are you?" Baiyi asked, feeling intrigued. "Good, I'm dying for some afternoon entertainment."Oh my god, Baiyi. You're such a dramatic father! Bad enough that you like nagging, or the fact that you expect everyone to obey your words at all times (I don't recall you ever encouraging them to think for themselves and on their own), but come on! "You didn't listen to a single word I said?" Calm down, daddio; it was just an accident! XDNot to be confused with the other Fox and Friends!Holy shit, is that flame their version of 'chakra', or did it appear as a result of the man's speed causing friction with the air, resulting in flames?

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301 A Little Entertainment and Warm-up

When the other members of the assassination team saw the Northern Warrior cease his attacks, they all paused mid-attack, as well. They had planned to relentlessly pelt Baiyi with quick attacks while Sorcerer Terrier would stand aside and disrupt Baiyi's magical attacks. The idea was to prevent their opponent from having any breathing room in the fight, wearing him down till he was completely exhausted, making him as useless as a broken toy.

They came up with this plan when Baiyi was flying towards them. Sorcerer Terrier's psychic field may have had a limited range, but the archer had the keenest eyes; he was the one who first spotted Baiyi zipping through the skyline. When the assassination team spotted Baiyi, they became overjoyed because their prey had carried himself right to their doorstep.

However, the plan was abandoned halfway as the Northern Warrior, the leader and core of the team, stopped attacking the target, and instead, began to talk to him, forcing the rest of the team to follow suit and cease their attacks. Hence, they just stood there and listened.

"Tae judge us as mere entertainment is a little tae overconfident, isn't it, sir?" The Northern Warrior said, steely.

"Hey, pot calling kettle black here. You're the same, thinking you can face me in this place," Baiyi replied, feeling amused. He whipped out his Saint Quartz Staff from his own storage pouch and held it vertically in front him. Frankly, the Manhunter's previous assaults had put some pressure on Baiyi, giving him no chance to pull out his own weapon whilst dodging their attacks.

"Hmm..." came the cold sneer from the Northern Warrior.

Suddenly, he was gone. In the next instant, he reappeared right before Baiyi. His teammates, who all seemed to develop subpar dynamic visual acuity everytime he attacked, did not even see the Northern Warrior move, at all. As soon as he appeared, he was shrouded in orange flames made from combat chi, and his palms were closing in on Baiyi from both sides; it was as though he planned to squash the soul armature, turning him into a piece of scrap metal sheet.

Baiyi, however, had reflexes much higher than an average sorcerer. The moment the warrior activated his combat chi, Baiyi took a small step back while lifting his Saint Quartz Staff in a horizontal position, and the warrior's palms struck both ends of the horizontal staff and not the soul armature.

This made the Northern Warrior furrow his eyebrows a little. He had believed that Baiyi would either be squashed flat in a second because Baiyi was not able to follow his speed; that the staff would break in half like a twig under his immense strength, or that the staff would fly out from Baiyi's grip due to the severe impact. However, none of that happened. Instead, the opponent had reacted just as quickly, and his staff was sturdier than expected; it did not break in half, neither was it smacked away from the opponent's hands.

Saint Quartz, which was a very powerful material, could not be destroyed by flesh alone. Furthermore, Baiyi's strength was not any weaker than the warrior's, or else, he would not have been able to retain his hold on the staff after the double palm strike.

"Yer braun is surprisingly on par wit mines. Urr ye really a sorcerer?" The Northern Warrior asked out of curiosity.

"You talk too much!" Baiyi snapped. A formation appeared in the middle of the staff, aimed right at the warrior's chest. It was as if Baiyi was going for his life!

In the next second, however, the formation vanished; it was as if Baiyi himself had canceled the spell. This was the same way Grant's spells had vanished during his duel with Baiyi.

Baiyi was sure that no one in the world could possibly use a cheap trick like Psionic Inundation to stop him from casting spells. In other words, the enemy had other ways of doing so…

"Yer magic cannae save ye!" The Northern Warrior bellowed, and the orange flames of combat chi surged out of his body, sweeping through the air and surrounding Baiyi!

Since his staff was still locked between his enemy's palms, Baiyi could not use his short-distance teleportation technique to evade the incoming attack. Since he was holding onto a physical object, the short-distance teleportation spell would not work. He could only watch himself being drowned by the sea of flames…

When the flames dissipated, Baiyi was nowhere to be found. The Saint Quartz Staff was still wedged between the Northern Warrior's palm. It had turned crimson and was scalding hot. One could only guess how hot the flames had been.

Baiyi had abandoned his staff at the very last moment, distancing himself from the Northern Warrior.

The opponent was not keen on giving him any breathing room, however. The Northern Warrior tossed the staff aside and streaked toward Baiyi like a phantom. The rest of the team were not staying idle, either. The archer, who had been hiding in the shrubs, leaped out of his hiding spot.

Hir right arm moved so fast, it left a blur as he pulled and released his bowstring in quick successions, firing tons of arrows at Baiyi and the places that he could dodge and escape to. The incoming arrows were so much, it seemed as though Baiyi was emitting a black glow.

This was Astra — a common technique used by archers of all ranks, including the run-of-the-mill archers. However, employing Astra at a speed so fast that it blurs — making the bow no less fiery than automatic rifles on Earth — was something a normal archer would not be able to pull off!

The ensuing events from the small face-off between Baiyi and the warrior were according to their plan. With his immense speed, the Northern Warrior was to get close to Baiyi and strip his weapon off him, preventing him from using the War Druids' impenetrable Moloch Tanuora, the move that caused VP Grant to surrender. When that happened, Baiyi would have one less way of defending himself, and he would only rely on dodging or blocking attacks.

Furthermore, the pitch-black arrows were no normal arrows; they were engineered from the combined genius of the military and the mage killer archer. Therefore, the arrows''anti-mage tips' could easily pierce through any sorcerer's defense — both shield and armor. The arrows could even pierce through elemental shields, like Mudwall and Icewall, let alone a soul armature!

Hence, as the black arrows sealed off all of Baiyi's escape and dodging exits, the Northern Warrior was hot on his heels, executing his next attack. Furthermore, two spellcasters were standing by the side, ready to disrupt Baiyi's magic. A thought flashed through the archer's mind: 'It's over'.

Little did he know that Baiyi was no ordinary being; his real identity was something no sane person in this world could fathom. Thus, how could he possibly be defeated this easily?

Just as the arrows were about to hit Baiyi, he vanished. His entire being seemed to have completely evaporated.

Furthermore, the Northern Warrior, who was still in mid-attack, suddenly felt a sense of cold dread running through the nape of his neck. It was his instinct — which had been forged through countless battles that had him hovering between life and death numerous times — warning him; hence, he responded by lowering his head without hesitation.

Suddenly, the Northern Warrior's ear registered the resounding boom of an explosion, which seemed to have gone off just behind him. Just as he was about to move to address the situation behind him, he felt the same spine-tingling dread spread all through his body.

The Northern Warrior obeyed his instinct once more. He stomped his feet into the earth, causing a storm of sand and dust to rise. Then, as he felt the recoiling force charge into his legs, he allowed the force to bounce him off the ground and boost his forward acceleration.

Just as he was propelled forward, the Northern Warrior then sidestepped something unseen, and Baiyi's sword slashed through the air of the area where he had been standing a millisecond ago.

This was when the Northern Warrior finally saw his opponent's new weapon. It was a bizarre-looking longsword, with a blade that seemed to be made entirely of light; half of the blade was red, and the other half was blue.

'Fie me, whit in tarnation is that thing?' The warrior shuddered internally. At that moment, the same nagging instinct that had saved him a while ago kept telling him that he was in a very dire situation. It was as though the instinct was shrieking; "ye should ne'er, ever catch that blade wi' yer bare hands!"

Yes; Baiyi may have lost his Saint Quartz Staff, but it was really not a big deal, at all, especially when one remembered that he also possessed a sharper and more dangerous weapon with him; a blade called the 'War God's Sword'. It was only a shame that Baiyi had not learned how to use the sword with as much dexterity as his Kitty Cat Maid, or else, with a power that could slice through the fabric of space in his hand, he could send all of these mooks to their makers in no time.

Even more regretful for Baiyi was the fact that the Northern Warrior had not tried to catch the blade with his bare hands! Normally, Holy-level fighters like him would opt for a more… a direct approach to fighting. They were normally so pleased with the effects and strength of their combat chi that they would boldly tank attacks with their own hands. This was why Baiyi was stunned. 'Why didn't this guy here do the same as any common Holy-level would? How the hell did Godsfall even possess the merit to attract someone like him?"

Everyone on the battlefield seemed to have a lot of questions in their minds. However, no one made any moves; this gave Baiyi enough breathing room to start a conversation.

"Fine, I'll admit it. You guys are so much more fun than an afternoon entertainment. I could even go as far as to say that you guys really do qualify as a warm-up!" Baiyi declared cockily.

He had no plans to use Void Energy… yet. After all, these mooks had not posed any actual threat.

"Sir Hope, prithee tell… Wha are ye? Sorcerers who hud died by mah hands hud been numerous. Mah judgement, wish is honed by those very experiences, tell me that ye ought nae be able tae evade oor onslaughts," said the Northern Warrior as he rose back to his full height. His eyes never once left the dangerous blade on Baiyi's hand.

"Who says I am a sorcerer? I just like roleplaying as one. However, when a situation calls for it, I can play some other characters, too. Let's see… How about an assassin?" Baiyi said in a tone of levity. He vanished again from his spot, then suddenly, he appeared right behind the muscular archer and swung the War God's Sword, leaving a red line in the blade's wake as he aimed for the archer's neck.

"Coup de grace?!" cried Nergal in terror from his spot in the shadows. He had no idea how someone known as a sorcerer could use an ultimate assassination technique that a real assassin like him had not been able to pull off.

However, his scream did nothing to save his teammate. Instead, it was the someone else, a person who everyone secretly looked down and called 'profane' and 'wicked', who had come to the rescue — the fourth cloaked figure.

Just as the War God's Sword was about to slice off the Archer's neck, a chilly white wall of bones suddenly appeared in front of Baiyi. This wall of calcium, of course, had no hope of completely stopping the blade, but the extra moment used to cut through the sudden, bony hindrance was more than enough for the Archer to make a move. Quickly, he spun and swung his bow to meet the lethal sword strike.

The wall of bone was cut cleanly, leaving only shards behind, and the bow was cut in half. The Archer's nose and forehead were barely brushed by the War God's Sword, leaving only a very shallow cut on his skin, but blood gushed out from the openings.

The archer grunted in pain. On the bright side, he was still alive. After rolling away from the sword slash, the archer raised his bow to retaliate, but he discovered that his bow was no unusable.

It had been barely minutes since they began to battle one opponent, and the one of the assassination team had already lost their primary weapon. Could it be that the elite team handpicked by the Godsfall Cult was incapable of even making Baiyi expose more of his trump cards?

"Mercy, Sir Hope; we need tae talk," the Northern Warrior said hurriedly. They had not expected the enemy to utilize that ultimate assassination technique which is more dangerous when using it in combination with an indestructible sword. As the leader of the team, the northern warrior had to find other ways to do things; this was because he sure as hell did not have any intention to fight Baiyi head-on anymore.

"Umm… You're just trying to buy some time for your lich friend so that he can summon his revenant army, right?" Baiyi replied with a smirk.

The previous attack that the assassination team had used was only their first strategy; they had a backup plan in case they failed at first. Should the first tactic fail, the lich would summon innumerable revenants to overwhelm Baiyi with numbers, buying time for the others to look for an opening.

"That kid ain't half-bad. At least he can forcefully summon revenants without needing corpses nearby," Baiyi continued coldly. Since the battle prowess of liches was almost completely dependent on their summoned dead, they invented some unique summoning techniques. As the knowledge of necromancy improved over time, advanced liches could open up a special pocket dimension called 'dead space'; they used it to store their army of revenants and ghouls so that their master could summon them whenever they were needed.

For example, the Lich Walker in the Void — who was the strongest Demigod Lich ever recorded in history — had a dead space so large, his army of the dead, which was believed to be innumerable, could all fit into it. Whenever the Lich Walker needed them, all he had to do was wave, and it would be as though hell had sent forth everything and everyone it had.

That was quite different from this lich, who was a fanboy of the Lich Walker! This lich actually had to take so much time to summon his own army, and he was so bad at it that Baiyi could sense his summoning magic!

Although Baiyi knew that the opponent was trying to bring his army, he was in no hurry to stop the lich. He was not sure if the army or the lich was bait. The cloaked figures could only be considered cute to Baiyi, but the Holy-level Warrior had reasons to be feared.

Although the Fifth Voidwalker was in a slightly more advantageous position, the 'hmph-ing Voidwalker', the Warrior Walker, kept telling Baiyi that the northern warrior had, in fact, been pulling his punches; he had not been fighting with all he had.

As for the lich… Well, Baiyi was sure he had one way to snuff out the lich's hopes.

"Fie. Despite seeing thro' oor plans, ye have na intention tae see us as par," the Northern Warrior said coldly, emulating Baiyi's tone. "As it may, yer hubris shall be th' answer tae th' cause o' yer death."

As soon as he had said that, his scarlet flame-like combat slowly change colors to the color of mint, and the flame's temperature soared. The rocks and debris beneath the northern warrior' feet began to melt under the monstrous temperature.

"Alkaid Inferno of the Azure Cloud Sect. He is showing his real hand now," the Warrior Walker said calmly in the Void.

"Are they good?" Baiyi asked.

"Meh. I beat all of them up," the Warrior replied in a more childlike tone, hoping to ramp up a little of her moe factor.

"Alright then. Warm up is over; time to get serious," Baiyi said coolly. He took down the cape from his shoulders and packed it back into his storage pouch carefully.Spidey-sense tickles!

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302 A Sinister Hunch

Generally, once a cape was taken off, a transformation sequence would occur.

Streams of Void Energy surged into Baiyi's body without a moment's rest. The change in his mien was so abrupt, the assassination team felt it, too. However, most of them could not feel the sudden increase in oppressive force as much as the Northern Warrior did, and it made his face go pale instantly.

He suddenly felt like a moth eagerly rushing towards a blazing flame. That realization made the Northern Warrior change his direction, despite having just mustered up some power himself. He slowed down to a halt and leaped backward as quickly as possible, instead.

Suddenly, Baiyi froze. The Void Energy, which had just surged into his body, suddenly changed into average mana, and the mana surged out of his body intensely. All that build-up towards his comeback move: Specialized Encasement Shaping Spell... had turned into average mana?

"What's the matter?" The Northern Warrior, who had been quietly observing Baiyi, hurriedly asked.

"Something… Something's not right." Baiyi turned his gaze away from his and looked around the surrounding, instead. "There's something—"

He did not get to finish his sentence when a wall of domineering heat, emitted from an intense combat chi, surged towards him. Baiyi's thoughts were left hanging as the he was forced to take a few steps back.

The Northern Warrior, as it turned out, was aware that the fearsome mien Baiyi acquired only moments ago had dissipated. Although the Northern Warrior did not know why that happened, he did not need anyone to tell him that this was the best time to take action against the target. Seizing the chance, the Northern Warrior lunged forward. The other members of the assassination team came to the same conclusion as the warrior had and began to support their team leader.

"Alas, gentlemen! Hold naught back, lest th' craven regains his fearsome power. Let's jyne oor might 'n' seize this yin!" The Northern Warrior quickly stirred his combat chi and encased himself inside it. More combat chi coalesced around his arms and formed two long sabers.

Armed with two long sabers, the Northern Warrior swung the blades around, in ways that only Northern martial arts masters would recognize. As the long sabers were swung, the air around the Northern Warrior moved and bent with his chi, then it seemed to combine with the afterimages left by his long sabers. The enormous phantom of an imposing, roaring tiger formed around the super fast sabers.

Furthermore, a beastly and brutish aura burst forth from the Northern Warrior, and he seemed to have transformed into a tiger leaping out from the jungle. Then, he lunged at Baiyi.

"Roaring Tiger Slice? That's… a military-style saber martial technique. To perfectly unite this particular fighting style with the Azure Cloud Sect's Alkaid Inferno means that this man has some real skill in fighting," Baiyi muttered. "W-what's wrong with you? What are you standing for?" the Warrior Walker exclaimed from the void.

Something had gone quite wrong with Baiyi. He could barely dodge the Northern Warrior's imposing blade attacks. It was as though the soul armature's soul had exited his armor. Seeing Baiyi in a very precarious situation, the Warrior Walker, who had always spoken in a calm, indifferent tone, was left with no choice but to voice her concern in a high tone. This was most certainly the first time she had ever done that.

The enemy, however, did not plan to give Baiyi any breathing room. They unleashed an onslaught of attacks, like a group of farmers battling a defanged wolf. Nergal did not exit stealth mode as he flung dagger after dagger at Baiyi, aiming at his armor's most damaged points. Nergal was so fast, he ended up hurling seventeen daggers in under two seconds. Although the Sorcerer Terrier was not good with offensive magic, he was adept at casting a variety of interfering and limiting spells, which would cancel any spells that Baiyi sought to cast, cornering the soul armature even more. The archer, who had long since discarded his broken longbow, created a green bow using his own combat chi and fired combat chi arrows at every area Baiyi could possibly dodge to or escape to.

The lich had seized the opportunity to complete his conjuring of the dead. An army of the dead could be seen marching forward, in the distance, emanating sickening, clanking noises caused by their bones hitting their armor. In the air, silhouettes of banshees and phantoms soared above the marching revenants.

The situation spelled nothing but trouble for Baiyi. Faced with the barrage of attacks, Baiyi could do nothing else but dodge, seeing as he was not given the chance to fight back. Since this round of attacks began, Baiyi's armor had sustained visible cracks and dents. All of that was earned in under two minutes. It felt as though his armor would get shattered in the next second.

Baiyi had taken his cape off before this round of attacks, so that was not in harm's way like his armor was, at least.

The Assassin Walker, who was watching from the Void, could not hold herself steady as the situation unfolded. She poked the Warrior Walker repeatedly and whimpered, "Big Sister Warrior, he's not gonna make it! Please don't chide him anymore, he... He needs help!"

She had barely finished her sentence when the Northern Warrior took advantage of an opening that Baiyi left. His long-saber unleashed a horizontal slash at the Fifth Walker's abdomen, making the phantom of the savage tiger, which was formed by the sabers, open its enormous maw in a bid to bite Baiyi into pieces.

If the Northern Warrior succeeded, Baiyi would most definitely be fragmented!

At that pivotal instant, something stirred Baiyi. It was the tearful cry from the Assassin Walker. The soul armature was finally jolted from his reverie and stomped the ground, causing a wave of sand to rise, and leaped into the air. Baiyi swung the War God's sword, and a line of dazzling light, which alternated between red and blue, slashed at the phantom tiger's neck.

The indestructible War God's Sword could cut everything under the sun — including a person's combat chi. When Baiyi's slash hit its target, the connection between the warrior and his chi was severed, and the phantom tiger was beheaded. The rest of the phantom began to dissipate.

However, that did not stop the Northern Warrior, at all. To him, it had only bought Baiyi a little breathing room. The Northern Warrior didn't even look alarmed. He flashed a cold smile, and combat chi began to surge out of his hands again, and it regrew the phantom tiger's head.

The Northern Warrior lunged at Baiyi, who was still in midair. As there was no surface for the Fifth Walker to land on, it seemed as though the phantom tiger would maul him this time.

However, the Northern Warrior's attack missed its target as Baiyi had disappeared yet again. The Northern Warrior spun around without a second thought and hurled his long sabers with every ounce of momentum he had towards the ground.

When the long sabers hit the ground, they smashed into pieces, unable to withstand the force of impact. However, that explosive force of impact created a terrifying heatwave that soared into the sky around the Northern Warrior. It was if he had just ignited every molecule in the atmosphere.

The terrifying heatwave forced Baiyi, who had just appeared behind the Northern Warrior and was about to strike, to back off and distance himself.

When the heatwave finally subsided, Baiyi had retreated to a safer distance. The Northern Warrior's combat chi seemed significantly weakened, losing its previous oppressive edge. The sand beneath the Northern Warrior was bright red — the after-effect of the terrifying heatwave. With the Northern Warrior standing atop the red, hot patch of sand, the scene looked like one from an infernal hell. Dust floated down around the Northern Warrior, making the scene seem vivid in its dramatic outlook.

The Northern Warrior had ceased his unrelenting attacks. The way the Northern Warriors cultivate their combat chi was different from the Southern Knights'. While advanced Southern fighters focused on training themselves to greatly improve the total amount of combat chi within their body, Northern Warriors focused on concentrating and cultivating their combat chi to achieve certain levels of purity and control, which boosts the offensive power of Northern martial arts. The downside to this was that their combat chi reservoir became lackluster, and that was why the Northern Warrior sought to buy some time to recover after unleashing Chi Fury.

Holy-level fighters still had the advantage brought about by their rank, however. It only took seconds for the warrior to recover his combat chi, and the aura surrounding him became deep green once more. It was good that there was some distance between Baiyi and his foe because it allowed him time to chat with those in the Void.

"I was thinking about something while scanning the surrounding with my psychic energy," Baiyi said, elucidating his earlier state.

"You were almost punched into a big pig-head while thinking about whatever you were thinking about!" The Assassin Walker huffed in anger.

'A pig-head and a huffing piggie? That's quite a pair, isn't it?' Baiyi replied internally, then he continued to explain, "When I was about to use Void Energy, a gut feeling just… tickled. An alarm within me seemed to go off… I can't really explain or describe that instinct, but it felt like something very dangerous was watching me from the shadows… Hence, I stopped focusing on the fight."

If the assassination team had known that Baiyi had not been paying attention and was mulling over some things, how would they feel?

"If you had to think about it when you were in the middle of a fight… It must have been something very significant. You say you felt like you were being observed? Do you mean that one of them was using a Spying or Recording Spell?" The Archmage asked hurriedly.

A battle like theirs would have attracted attention, so it was possible to have someone record the battle with some sort of Recording Magic, like how people on Earth would record with cameras and smartphones. This type of magic was very easily detected, but it was possible that someone had enhanced their capability to prevent others from detecting their recording spells, just as how denizens of Earth came up with peephole cameras.

Baiyi's answer was far more sinister, however. "No no no. It's not something that simple. It felt like… someone from up there."

"Those... Higher Powers?" The Voidwalkers cried out in alarm. An unexplored mini realm like the one Baiyi was on was like a single crystal of silica in a huge world. Why would any higher power be interested in the place?

"I just felt like it was them. I was trying to figure it out, of course, and in the end, I thought it most probably wasn't any one of those lot. Gods are divine, aren't they? They would never stoop so low as to spy like a voyeur. They need their faces," Baiyi disagreed with their guess. "We still need to identify what is really is going on, but I'm afraid I can't use Void Energy for fun right now."

Although Baiyi was only guessing based on his gut instinct, it was still the Fifth Walker's instinct. That was far from the "I might be able to win her heart!" or "I think she likes me too!" sort of guess.

"Not that it matters," Baiyi stared at the Northern Warrior. "Even without Void Energy, I could still finish them off."

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303 On My Honor As A Warrior

The Northern Warrior stood far away from Baiyi. He had no idea that the Fifth Walker had seized the time to have a conversation with the voices in his head, as he himself could not possibly hear the conversation. To the Northern Warrior, Baiyi was acting proud again, looking down on him even after he had gotten serious; in fact, to him, Baiyi was so proud, he was giving him, the Northern Warrior, time to recover his depleted combat chi.

The Northern Warrior sneered in fury. When his combat chi was restored to 80% of its total amount, he finally spoke.

"Fie. Despite everything, a'm still met wi' utter scorn from ye. Yer grave shall be engraved wi' a cautionary stoory o' hubris 'n' ego, Sir,alang wi' yer deepest regret. O' that, a'm sure."

"Gods, you really think you're some kinda big cheese, huh?" Baiyi replied, feeling amused. "Ah well. I guess it falls to me to educate you — on what "the Gap of Unequal Power" really means!"

Baiyi's body suddenly began to emit a torrent of combat chi, which quickly encased his body, just as the Northern Warrior was doing. Unlike the Northern Warrior's scalding green combat chi, Baiyi's combat chi was a deep azure. The combat chi seemed like it was made of ice, yet it flickered like flames.

The Northern Warrior's face paled as soon as he saw Baiyi's combat chi. Then, he exclaimed in disbelief, "F-Frozen Fire?! B-bit that's impossible! There is na wey ye cuid hae kent th' unsung secret o' th' Azure Cloud Sect!"

"Oh, please; you sure it's impossible?" Baiyi retorted, snickering. "This was never the Azure Cloud Sect's creation, anyway."

Baiyi stowed the War God's Sword back into his pouch and proceeded to copy the Northern Warrior's previous actions — condensing his combat chi to form a Northern long saber. He sought to duel with the Northern Holy-level warrior… the Northern way!

As Baiyi's long saber twirled in the air, his combat chi began to distort before taking the shape of a gigantic bird which was unfurling its wings.

The Northern Warrior's face turned as white as a sheet of paper. His lips trembled as he stared fixedly at Baiyi; he had even forgotten to attack! All he managed to mutter was: "How… Howdifur cuid ye possibly kno th' sacred dance o' blades? Wh-what manner o' kinship dae ye hae wi Th' Martial Saintess?"

In the past, before the Northern Warrior's glaring feud with his junior, he was once the most promising student of the Azure Cloud Sect. He was the focus of the sect's training, earning prestige because of his potential. This also earned him the right to know the deepest secrets of the sect, which it had guarded for a long time. This was how he came to know about the existence of the strange combat chi form called Frozen Fire; a fighting way so potent, the sect treated it as their ultimate, sect-saving technique. The Northern Warrior also learned that it was a technique made by someone else…

There was a legend most Northern warriors knew by heart. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful maiden who was rumored to possess the charm of a goddess; somehow, this maiden only had a passion for martial arts. She was not ranked high, but her true prowess was immense. She desired only the paragon of power, so she traveled the land, challenging fighters she deemed valuable, collecting martial art techniques that she found interesting, and leaving many fables and tales in her wake.

She hailed from the Northern Land, so she resided there for a very long time. With her innate talent, she invented her own form of elemental combat chi named 'Frozen Flame'. She also went on to invent a complete set of an entirely new sword-fighting style called the 'Kun-Peng'; that was all she needed. Armed with Frozen Flame and Kun-Peng, the maiden defeated every fighter the Northern Land had to offer, until everyone that was worthy had been challenged. She even managed to do the impossible — defeating the entire Azure Cloud Sect alone.

In the end, in exchange for her Frozen Fire, she obtained many martial secrets from the defeated sect.

Thus, her landmark track record earned her the title of "The Martial Saintess", and she became an idol and an inspiration to countless Northern warriors, both new and old. The maiden herself, however, was rumored to be very reserved and even cold; she only wanted to be referred to as 'The Warrior'.

Then, one day, she disappeared without a trace. Some people speculated that she finally met her match and was erased completely by whoever that may be; some people speculated she had achieved the arete she was looking for her whole life, and so she had retired into the mountains; however, even more people speculated that she had simply married a very fortunate man, had a happy family, complete with her own children, and was living a normal life.

No one could have guessed the truth. The Warrior had been suppressing her power for a very long time, too long. She eventually could not suppress it anymore, and when the immense power gained from her previous breakthrough was unleashed, the Laws instantly erased her from reality and hurled her soul straight into the Void. Similar to an unstable esper who gained too much power, and because of this, the esper promptly gets sent into a singularity.

It was a pity that the famous warrior had now become a little piggy who spent the majority of her time 'hmphing' and huffing to blow some steam away from a chronically-unaware idiot, Baiyi. She had even managed to infect another Voidwalker with her bad habits — a Voidwalker who was known as the most powerful assassin when she was still alive.

This was the tale of the 28th Voidwalker — a tale that a Northern folk like the foe Baiyi was facing, knew. He just never thought that one day, he would live to see the legendary arts, Frozen Fire and the Kun-Peng Sword-fighting style, in action.

"A' o' ye — Withdraw! Nobody gets intae mah wey!" The Northern Warrior commanded his teammates.

He seemed to have completely forgotten the objective of his mission. He raised his blade before his chest and gave a salute that Northern warriors give to one another. "Tae see both Frozen Fire 'n' Kun-Peng is my greatest honor. Prithee, shaw me."

'Never having the chance to learn the secret technique of the Sect. Seeing the legend reanimated before my eyes. The shame of being forsaken before I ever had the chance. The grief of being leashed by the nobles like a hound.' At that very moment, he finally remembered what it meant to possess the pride and honor as a Northern Warrior.

"Captain! We're here on an assassination mission—" Sorcerer Terrier was perplexed as he sullenly reminded their leader.

"Quiet." That was all the Northern Warrior uttered.

"Urgh…" Sorcerer Terrier shook his head quietly. 'Can't ask brawns to have brains, can you?'

"I'm as honored. Prithee, after you!" Baiyi replied as per the Azure Cloud Sect custom, and the large phantom bird spread its wings wide open, ready to soar into the sky.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!" The Northern Warrior gave a low warcry, releasing every bit of combat chi from his body. The long saber in his hand was swung so fast, it was only a blur to the naked eyes, and with every swing, it created dangerous gusts that sounded like a tiger's roar.

Baiyi and the Northern Warrior moved at the same time, lunging at each other. All the bystanders could see was a large bird tearing through the skies, while an enormous wild tiger rushed forward, with a thunderous roar. Both beasts — no, both long sabers collided in mid-air. The arms of both opponents had moved so fast, everything the bystanders had seen were blurry afterimages.

A huge explosion brimming with combat chi engulfed Baiyi and the Northern Warrior, and shattered the earth around them, leaving only gaping dark ditches and crystalline dents in its wake.

None of the spectating members of the assassination team could even tell what was going on in the battle. The archer stood at a distance, gripping his combat chi longbow, and beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead. The uneven flow of air, disrupted by the unstable combination of combat chi emanating from the battle, was starting to make breathing harder even for the archer. He could not believe that he had been engaged in a battle with someone like that.

More laughably, he could not believe that he had considered Baiyi only a mere sorcerer, the entire time.

"The Northern Land. The home of the heroes…" the archer sighed. Then, unable to contain himself, he muttered to no one in particular, "But this Hope… Who are you, really?"

Meanwhile, Nergal, who seemed fond of talking, was stunned silent. He almost could not hold on to his daggers as the battle ensued. The only thing he could do was to ask himself, dumbfounded, "What the f*ck did we do to meet someone like that?!"Kun-peng is a mystical beast in Chinese myth. It's like a super-big hybrid of a bird and a fish (likely a whale!)See AKIRA (Japanese film).

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304 A Pretty Novel Way of Communication

Although warriors from the North and knights from the South used combat chi to battle, they were different from each other. Their differences made them separate classes altogether.

The combat chi users from the South, the knights, favored using their combat chi as it was, while the combat chi users from the North, the warriors, infused certain elements into their chi. According to a certain theory, the warriors from the north preferred to infuse elements into their chi because the north was a challenging place for humans to live in. As a result of this, the first and earliest settlers in the north considered natural elements as forces to be reckoned with, and so they developed a system wherein they infuse natural elements into their own chi.

The most appropriate cultivation method suitable for combat chi utilization was still a topic of debate. Element-infused chi was certainly more powerful than normal chi, for it plagued enemies with status debuffs. However, those that cultivated element-infused chi were unable to learn just martial arts at will; thus, most northern warriors could only learn two or three martial art forms in their entire lives. Furthermore, their battle gears and fighting style had to perfectly suit the element that had been infused into their combat chi. However, this gave rise to other problems; for example, opponents could combat element-infused chi users with an element that directly opposed the element in the element-infused chi. Since the element infused into the chi of northern warriors were fixed, once their opponent found the opposing natural element, it became exponentially harder for the northern warriors to win. Therefore, despite the advantage gained from having element-infused chi, in battle, northern warriors were not as dynamic and adaptable as the southern knights.

This was the reason why the Warrior Walker's inventions were christened "the gem of martial arts". Frozen Fire utilized two elements at the same time, after all. This also explained why this particular Northern Warrior had gone down the cliche route of going into a duel when he saw Baiyi switch to martial arts; after all, Frozen Fire was the stuff of legends! Who wouldn't want to experience its power firsthand?

The Northern Warrior had been a Holy-level fighter for such a long time. In order to break through, past his current rank, he needed some groundbreaking revelations or epiphanies; fighting another advanced-level fighter would be an encounter fortuitous enough for him to get what he sought.

As for the cult's mission… well, fie! Who cared? He was never part of Godsfall, and even his boss' relationship with Godsfall was purely professional.

Baiyi's subpar performance in the last few rounds had prompted the Northern Warrior to forget that his target was actually a terrifying presence. The Northern Warrior did not even consider his chances of coming out of the duel alive. However, he now felt that he should have, seeing as his opponent, Baiyi, was superior in both magic and martial arts, making him someone that was out of the Northern Warrior's league.

However, the Northern Warrior knew that doubting himself would not help him in battle. He could only win if he took action!

The new round of battle between Baiyi and the Northern Warrior did not take long; it only took five minutes, and both of them were done.

The chaotic air currents slowly subsided, and the large phantoms, the Kun-Peng and the tiger, dissipated into thin air. The surrounding area had undergone a complete change; it now contained a large crater that spanned for miles. It was as though a gigantic asteroid had crashed there.

Baiyi withdrew his icy, azure combat chi and touched on his chest armor plate. There was a shallow cut on the metal, which went all the way across. Within the cut, the warmth of flames still lingered like embers.

The Northern Warrior's knees buckled without a sound. Then, mustering all the energy he had left, the Northern Warrior smiled and said, "Aye… T-the stoory wis true…"

With that, his head drooped feebly, and his entire body was instantly covered with crystals made of ice, like a huge, frozen flower. Beneath the thick ice, blue flames could be seen dancing on the surface of his skin.

Despite using all his might, the Northern Warrior had left only a shallow cut on Baiyi's chest armor plate, while he himself had his internal organs completely frozen and eventually crushed by Frozen Fire. Despite that, the Northern Warrior was still able to utter a line before he died, and that was nothing short of impressive.

The Northern Warrior had been defeated despite the disparity in power levels between him and Baiyi. Although Baiyi had been using element-infused combat chi, he still had access to an unlimited reservoir of Void Energy, which he had converted into an endless supply of combat chi during the battle; furthermore, unlike the Northern Warrior, he did not have to worry about running out of combat chi. Needless to say, while Baiyi was able to maintain his high output of combat chi, the Northern Warrior was struggling with his.

"What a fearsome foe. Now that's a real Holy-level fighter right here. If I was not a soul armature, I might have suffered a heavy injury, too, right?" Baiyi muttered to himself. This was the first time he had sustained such a large degree of damage, since his descent from the Void into this world.

"On the other hand, I gotta admit that martial arts are really convenient. They don't even have a rigid power output limit!" He exclaimed.

A cool voice echoed in the Void after Baiyi's remark. "You were the one who stubbornly wanted to become a sorcerer."

When Baiyi heard the Warrior Walker's reply, he was reminded of something, and so he replied, "Hey, you saw me, did ya? I did pretty good whilst fighting with your style, right? And you called me an idiot!"

"Hmph! Fighting is all you're good at," the Warrior Warrior snapped and went quiet.

'That was no fun,' Baiyi thought to himself. He ignored the Northern Warrior's frozen corpse and walked out of the crater that their battle had created. However, as soon as Baiyi left the crater, he became the target of a rain of combat chi arrows and an army of undead.

The remaining members of the assassination team, the four cloaked figures, had not lost their courage, despite the death of their team leader, the Northern Warrior. They had watched the duel intently, with the intention of exploiting any openings they found; however, the chaotic and fast-paced nature of the duel had rendered their strategy inapplicable. In the end, all they could do was to watch the Northern Warrior get beaten up and eventually, killed.

"Alright. Tell me what you know, and I'll be merciful," Baiyi said — trying to intimidate the remaining members of the assassination team — and unsheathed the War God's Sword, which he then used to deflect the combat chi arrows that were on target. Without the Northern Warrior's relentless attacks, the pressure on Baiyi had been lessened drastically. He felt that he did not need a lot of time to finish off the 'small fries'.

These 'small fries' included the marching army of innumerable undead. Baiyi stared at the marching undead calmly, and green flames lit up within the small eye-slits of his face mask. As soon as the green flames emerged, the spartoi and revenants, which made up the undead army, all fell to the ground; it was as though their power supply had been cut. When they hit the ground, their bones were shattered into bits and shard. Meanwhile, from far, a terrible, hoarse howl pierced the air.

In order to control undead, one had to utilize a secret controlling technique, which in turn relied on a special type of mana called "death force". Unlike the fourth cloaked figure, the lich, Baiyi had a deeper understanding of the nature of both the controlling technique and death force, due to the access he had to Lich Walker's memories. Hence, Baiyi was able to easily severe the cloaked lich's control over the summoned undead army, and this triggered a backlash that directed the death force back into the lich's body; the returning death force then consumed the lich completely, leaving only bones behind! Baiyi barely had to do much to take this cloaked lich down!

Since Baiyi never liked the Lich Walker's "arts", he only opted to severe the cloaked lich's control, or else, he would have forcibly taken over the undead and make them work for him, instead.

As Baiyi had said before, he did not need to rely on Void Energy to take the assassination team down. He had only chosen to use it to shorten the time required to defeat them. If he had not used Void Energy, he would still have been able to easily defeat the mooks, using the knowledge and experience of the Voidwalkers.

The remaining members of the assassination team did not want to give up, though. They ignored Baiyi's advice and gave their all, but there was no longer any possibility of them winning the battle. This was either because their talents had been placed in the wrong mission, or because they were facing a foe who was way out of their league, or because as people who specialized in killing sorcerers, they could never find a way to overcome a man who had such versatile skills at his command.

"Don't kill all of them," the Archmage reminded Baiyi. "We're in another realm now. It's possible."

"I'll try…" Baiyi replied as he swung his sword. Suddenly, a sharp shriek of pain tore through the air as a severed arm soared through the air and fell to the ground. Nergal, the knives-savvy assassin, had revealed himself.

"Still not giving up yet?" Baiyi placed the War God's Sword against Nergal's neck. He coldly said, "We are in a different realm now, you know. While you're here, there's no reason to fear that your life might be taken remotely by whoever your boss is."

"W-wait!" The archer finally relented, no longer able to retain his battle strategy, which demanded a high combat chi consumption rate. The archer's combat chi was running out, and he had been even less effective using the combat chi bow than he was when he was using a normal bow. With his hope gone, he wisely chose to accept Baiyi's previous offer as a way to preserve his life.

"Put down your weapon, and come over here—" Baiyi started, but before he could even finish speaking, the remaining members of the assassination team, who had just laid down their weapons, suddenly went into extreme fits. They began jerking wildly, and moments later, they stopped and fell to the ground.

'How the hell?' Baiyi was stunned speechless. He bent down to inspect Nergal's body, and just as he had guessed, the man's heart was charred from a sudden combustion of flames.

Generally, effects from long-distance techniques — Power Marks and Faustian Tattoos, for example — were not able to cross realms. Realms had large cracks that lead to the bottomless abyss situated between realms, and this abyss had characteristics similar to the Void. In order for power to permeate this crack and go to other destinations, physically and mentally demanding preparations would be required to construct unique formations. An example of that would be trans-realm portal formations and communication formations.

No one could have such formations set up inside their bodies and not be able to detect them. At least, that was what every Voidwalker's memory had shown Baiyi. This was also the reason why the Archmage had been adamant that Baiyi, at least, left one of them alive.

"Don't tell me that apart from being unable to celebrate any festival in peace, I also have a 'moe factor' that prevents me from keeping a captive alive…" Baiyi lambasted himself in dismay. He could only look for clues from the dead bodies.

However, before Baiyi could crouch, Nergal's one-armed corpse suddenly scrambled and stood upright.

If it was someone else, their heart would stop from fright because of the jump scare! Baiyi, however, only took a few steps back and whipped out the War God's Sword from his pocket.

"Huh? That lich isn't dead yet?" Baiyi eyed Nergal's body doubtfully. Nergal now looked like those lower-level zombies Baiyi had seen earlier, right down to his incomplete set of arms. Baiyi was not sure if the zombified corpse of Nergal would explode.

However, a synthesized voice, which sounded like it had come straight from a machine, escaped undead-Nergal's lips. "These underlings won't have the answers you seek; if you have any questions, why don't you ask me."

'Oh ho, looks like the mastermind behind this wants to talk to me using this corpse.'

Baiyi lowered the War God's Sword and coldly asked, "Who are you?"

"You may call me 'First High Reverend'," the corpse replied with the same mechanical voice. Their voices echoed loudly, making it seem as they were conversing in the middle of several mountains.

"Ho? You guys actually managed to force your will and power across realms. I guess you are not slouches, either," Baiyi said.

"We are more powerful than you could ever imagine; the same way you're more powerful than we had imagined," the First High Reverend replied.

If the person speaking through Nergal's corpse had been able to kill his subject from a different realm, then it would not be surprising if the same person had used to an unknown means to spy on Baiyi's fight. Did that mean that it was this person that Baiyi's instinct had detected?

Earlier, Baiyi had believed that someone was recording using his battle with Recording Spells, so he sought to find the person and kill them. However, he had not expected the person watching to be doing so from across realms.

Baiyi's choice not to use his Void Energy now seemed like the smartest choice he had ever made.

Just as Baiyi was reflecting on this newfound revelation, the corpse continued, "You truly are mighty. In fact, your power defies the norm. We have been conducting extensive research on you, trying to unveil your true identity; and for that, we have used many of our underlings to test you. I admit that we did not expect you to fool us so easily. But now, we know who you are."

It was at that moment that Baiyi realized that the 'educational duel' he had with the Sorcerer Association's VP grant was, in fact, not for the purpose of teaching the young sorcerers in the advanced classes. That seemed to have been related to the Godsfall cult, as well. This implied that even the vice president of the Sorcerer's Association was a member of the Godsfall cult. To Baiyi, this also explained why Grant had tried so hard to coax Baiyi into taking the power-ranking examination.

Godsfall had gained control over Holy-level fighters! Although that seemed impossible, the fact that Baiyi had battled two Holy-level fighters from the cult, VP Grant and the Holy-level Northern Warrior, verified the conclusion.

Just how pervasive had the cult become? How many powerhouses and heavyweights had the cult attracted? How many nobles had been recruited into serving the cult? These were questions that Baiyi would a lot of time to ponder…

"So what if you knew my real identity?" Baiyi retorted. Even if his real identity got exposed, it may not end doing the damage that his enemies thought it would. The person controlling Nergal's corpse was a member of the Godsfall cult, a cult with a terrible reputation. Baiyi, on the other hand, was someone who had experience in being the subject of rumors that were not true, and back on earth, he was someone adept at disproving rumors. Hence, he figured that if his identity was exposed, he would be able to twist facts to prove the rumors as false.

"Nothing, really. But listen, O' War God's Messenger! We are on the same side, looking for the same thing. We need not be at odds with each other." The corpse hung his head in a stunted angle as it stared at Baiyi's sword for a few seconds.

After that, the corpse suddenly burst into flames, and in only seconds, all that was left of Nergal's corpse was ashes.

The High Reverand had said all he wanted to, after all, and then proceeded to leave with an awkward bang.

Baiyi was quite amused. He did not really understand every part of this, but his foe seemed to have gotten his identity mixed up. Again, they did not think of the Void, at all; instead, the High Reverend thought that he was one the War God's people, just because Baiyi held his sword.

When a person was a divine messenger, they would automatically receive knowledge and power from their god, which would have explained Baiyi's powers. Seeing as the High Reverend also arrived at the wrong conclusion, it now seemed even more likely that no one would ever correctly guess Baiyi's identity — a Voidwalker. The High Reverend had only taken one look at Baiyi's sword and decided that he was one of the War God's people.

'Fine. It's not like he is wrong. I did work for the War God that one time, and I did receive some swell rewards. Hence, it's not like I could not be that god's divine sidekick.' However, as soon as Baiyi remembered that the real messenger of the War God was Attie — his kitty-Cat Maid who was hellbent on being adorable — he began to feel a tad bit consternated.

What exactly was the Godsfall cult's purpose in making these revelations?

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305 Inescapable

The enemies had been defeated, but the lingering questions were now more bothersome than before. "We need not be at odds with each other." What did that even mean?

The War God was a god of peace, at least from what Baiyi had gathered. The god did not have a lot of worshippers; in the plains, only those barbarians believed in him. The Church had come to know of this pagan god's existence through a few failed missionary projects, but they never discredited him by referring to him as a 'diabolical god of the heretics'. Perhaps, this was because they did not see the War God as a threat, seeing as he had only a small amount of followers and almost zero miracles attested to him.

The Godsfall cult, however, was a completely different story! It was one of the most stereotypical cults and a force of evil that checked off every item on the list of the Pop Culture "So You Think You're A Cult?". Cultists like these were supposed to be mortal enemies of the War God, yet when the High Reverend misidentified Baiyi as a messenger of the War God, he had said something amusing. To Baiyi, those words contained something sinister.

Furthermore, one of the basic tenets of the cult was to "not believe in gods"; they even went further down this path to advocate for "overthrowing the tyranny of gods". Although cults like Godsfall always sought the best ideology to deceive their followers, the higher-ups of these cults would never go against the beliefs they had about gods, especially in front of a stranger like Baiyi, no matter how unreliable the leaders were.

The fact that the High Reverend had made such a statement may have highlighted the Godsfall cult's reluctance to engage the War God or Baiyi in battles. Nevertheless, the fact that such an evil cult had hinted at the possibility of a truce confused Baiyi. However, even though the cult had taken a step backward for Baiyi, there was no guarantee that he would return the favor.

The Fifth Walker was not the slightest bit interested in the affairs between the Godsfall cult and the Church. To him, there were not nearly enough fine people on both sides. Both were Baiyi's enemies; hence, if they fought each other so hard that their brain juices rained down, he would be there to clap and cheer, with an umbrella in hand. The Godsfall cult had been unnecessarily psychopathic in their actions, and they were always trying to kill him. The Church, on the other hand, was quite cordial with Baiyi, and Baiyi himself needed their reputation to build his name. Thus, Baiyi would have no choice but to lean in favor of the church if anything was to happen, for now.

"Don't believe those empty words. Don't you once let your guard down," the Shadow Walker uttered a reminder from the Void. As the fallen ex-candidate for papacy, she was an expert in matters like these.

"Of course I won't! We were enemies a second ago, and now I am supposed to share their agenda after a conversation? What is this? The plot of a Japanese shonen manga?" Baiyi replied, feeling amused. "I bet that those words were only a smokescreen to divert my attention! As if I would be this gullible."

"What I meant was that both the Church and Godsfall are two sides of the same coin. You can't trust the Church, either," Shadow Walker clarified. "I also advise you to take Little Mia's safety seriously. They might just go for her next time, and if they send men like the ones we just saw, then a plushie will not be able to stand in their way for long."

"Meh. I say they can't organize an assassination of this level every time," the Thane Walker interjected. "If they could so easily deploy Holy-level pawns to play assassins, then they would have been controlling the world already. Of course, sir Shadow has a good point. You'd best pay more attention."

"Understood," Baiyi replied agreeably. He may not have admitted it, but after what happened, he was starting to form new opinions about this cult; in his mind, their threat level had risen. 'This isn't a normal foe. I really have to be careful the next time I see them.'

"To cut things short, one must always have their own force; only then will many of these problems be solvable," the Archmage added. "We gotta hasten up your Academy project, son. The Godsfall cultists have just shown their intention to call a truce, so we have less dead bodies and bones to worry about. That's good news!"

"Um, speaking of academies… have we forgotten about something?" Baiyi suddenly said. He stood up and took out his communicating slab; this was a method of communication he shared with his students. "We were engaged in such an intense fight over here, so our power vibrations should have reached where they are, right? But why haven't those kids asked me if I were okay? Are they asleep?"

"Maybe they just don't really care about you?" The Paladin Walker chimed in.

"No bloody way," Baiyi snapped, fidgeting with the slab for a while. Then, he waved the slab about for a while. "Odd. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this slab, and the spell is working fine, but… why can't I connect to them?"

"Something's definitely wrong here," Baiyi kept the slab in and soared into the air, then he streaked towards Mia's location.

Baiyi flew for a long time, but he still did not see the hill where he had left them. All he could see below was the deserted gobi; it seemed endless.

"A Delusion Labyrinth?" The Charlatan blurted out. "But, that's impossible! No one could possibly fool you with their illusions!"

A 'Delusion Labyrinth' was a large illusionary spell, containing a number of minor illusions, which encompassed a large area, forming an inescapable area; areas like this appeared in standard adventure fantasy stories that involved grave-robberies. Once someone got stuck in the middle of a Delusion Labyrinth, they would not be able to get out even if they tried; it was an advanced illusionary spell.

"No, nope. Not a Delusion Labyrinth," the Explorer Walker muttered. As a professional grave-robber, he was well-versed in all kinds of labyrinths that could be found in tombs and forbidden areas. He could tell that Baiyi's situation was completely different from what he had seen before. As Baiyi streaked through the air, the sceneries beneath him kept changing; not even the plants and shrubs he passed were the same. This meant that Baiyi was not circling a fixed area; he really was flying straight.

"Very intriguing," Baiyi said. "I just scanned the surrounding with my psychic power, but I did not find any illusion spells or suspicious vibrations. The bit of my consciousness outside of this realm shows that I really am moving forward. I do not think an illusion is at work here. Could it be that… although I'm still within the realm, I may have entered some kind of special territory?"

"The Godsfall cultists again?" the Assassin Walker asked, with worry.

Baiyi shook his head sideways. "Impossible. The people they sent to kill me could not possibly pull this off, and neither could that First High Reverend. They might have been able to conjure some abnormal tricks, but this…?"

Baiyi landed on the ground and picked up a fistful of sand, examining it intently as he rubbed the sand between his fingers. He plucked a leaf from a shrub and raised it close to his eyes.

Afterward, Baiyi said, " The sand and leaves… they are all real. This… This feels like we are still within the realm, yet existing outside of the realm, at the same time. It is like a special space. To construct something like this is not possible for mankind. It's only possible if something else is involved. Something like.. the Laws."

"The Laws?!"

Roars of astonishment resounded within the void. The Scholar Walker was especially enthusiastic about this. "What could be the elusive cause behind the existence of a mysterious law in a location like this? Why would this unhabituated realm even host such an enigma? This place does not seem significant; rather, it exemplifies the concept of normalcy."

"Normalcy? Maybe. However, I remember what those Ancestors from the Alpine Barbarians said before," Baiyi said, his thoughts flashing back to the times he contacted the Ancestors in Harrogath. They, too, had mentioned being in a very special place where one can neither see them or sense them, but they could still see everyone, and bestow anyone with miraculous powers.

"You can no longer call this small realm a 'normal place', seeing as it possesses a territory like this! Did you really find this place by coincidence?" The Archmage asked.

"Yes, a coincidence through and through!" Baiyi replied, with certainty. "That bit of consciousness that I left outside of my body, and outside of Isythre, had scanned this realm multiple times, like a satellite, before I brought the kids here; it never spotted any anomalies! In fact, I came here before this trip, and I still found nothing. Besides, neither the assassination team we met previously nor that High Reverend from Godsfall, who could use a dead man as his talking piece, had discovered this territory. I'm starting to wonder if that hunch I had previously was not because of Godsfall's secret surveillance, but because of something else…"

"If I'm not mistaken, the 'hunch' we are referring to was the alarming, spontaneous instinct that had struck you whilst you were summoning the Void Energy, yes? Moreover, back then, you neglected to erect a Shield Barrier around yourself before summoning the Void Energy, solely out of the need for convenience," the Scholar Walker chimed in. "Fascinating. Could this special space have been created as a result of a reaction from the Laws to the abnormal, barbaric nature of Void Energy? Is it an automated defense mechanism triggered whenever danger or foreign forces are detected? Is that why it went ahead warp you in this special space?"

"You're scaring me," Baiyi replied with a mirthless smile. "Not that your conjecture is completely false, though. The Void has always been an existence repulsed by the world. There was even something like a shield that was constructed by the Laws to purposely separate the Void from everything else. So it's possible that I got trapped here because I summoned a forbidden energy."

"I doubt that it's something this dramatic. Remember, many people who are not as strange as you have also obtained the method to utilize a little Void Energy. This shows that the realms have not been too hostile to anything from the Void, or else those people would long since been trapped in this purgatory, just like you are now, instead of waiting to be captured by the Inquisition." came a reply from the Paladin Walker, who was rarely this serious.

"H-hold on! I think I have an idea of what this space may be!" The Astrologer Walker suddenly spoke. "Long ago, when I was investigating the stars, I noticed something that resembled galaxies; they were like paintings. Although their boundaries seemed endless, their details never changed. It was because I was investigating this curious phenomenon that I got captured by the Inquisitors and banished to the Void."

"Think about it. Doesn't that sound similar to the place you're in? I had also studied some other subjects in the past, and one of them was theology. There was something I noticed in the ever-so-ubiquitous Scriptures, which says: 'The land that God watches over is called the Holy Ground, and it is out of reach from the mortals; ever eminent, ever boundless.'," the Astrologer Walker said. "At first I thought it was just another one of those liturgies which worshippers sing to their God, but the term 'ever boundless' had left an impression on me."

"You're saying… this is a Holy Ground?" Baiyi exclaimed in surprise.Damn, the irony. Maybe the War God auditioned for that Goddess of Peace role but got landed with another?That's what he says…

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306 You Can’t Beat Me That Easily

There was a barrier in every church building that was set up to provide surveillance on heretics and pagans; the Church called this barrier a 'Holy Ground'. However, considering the embarrassing turn of events that was Godsfall infiltrating the Church, the barrier did not seem to have done its job, as they had hoped.

However, the Astrologer Walker seemed to be suggesting something completely different from the church barriers. He was suggesting that the special space Baiyi was in may be similar to the special space he once saw in the sky, which seemed to have a galaxy painted in it. Whatever that space was, the Astrologer Walker had concluded that Baiyi had entered something similar.

That deduction did nothing for Baiyi, though. He could not leave the space, neither could he check on the kids. What would he do if Godsfall sent more assassins after them? What would the kids have been thinking when they felt the power the vibrations emanating from Baiyi's previous battle? Would they have been worried or frantic?

Baiyi's mind was slowly filling up with thoughts, and he began to lose his calm and cool.

"Hush, son. Relax. They have a dragon with them, remember? You should have faith in her," the Archmage tried to console his apprentice.

'But, she acts like she needs someone to take care of her, too,' Baiyi thought, feeling helpless.

"Perhaps this is the opportunity for you to conduct an experiment. If it was your use of Void Energy that brought you here, then what will happen if it is continuously applied?" The Scholar reminded him. "Take care to remember that the result may not even be mildly discomposing, or it could trigger a chain reaction that influences innumerable variables. Try it at your own discretion."

"I kinda have to try, don't you think? I can't be stuck in this place forever," said Baiyi. He willed the power within his body to transform into Void Energy. The process was slower than usual because he was exercising caution. He cast his psychic energy out around him, expanding it to cover as much of the area as it could, and he used it to observe the surrounding intently.

However, when Baiyi's body became filled with so much Void Energy that black flames were visible through the cracks in his armor, nothing happened to him or the surrounding. If something did change, then he had not felt it.

"No response? Now that's infuriating," Baiyi said, feeling fed up. Black flames began to coalesce around his right hand, solidifying to form a pitch-black javelin. Was he planning to forcefully pierce through this space with his energy?

"Let's see if this triggers a response!"

Baiyi hurled the javelin at the ground with all his might. A resounding, heaven-shuddering explosion erupted the moment the javelin struck the ground. The world seemed to tremble a bit, and the black javelin burst into black flames on impact. The pitch-black flames quickly spread through the surrounding, consuming everything in its path.

The earth, sand, and shrubs were all reduced into white ashes. The area around Baiyi was suddenly clouded with darkness. It as if the crater had bored so deep into the ground, the Void beneath the realm was left exposed. From high up in the sky, it looked as though this barren wasteland had suddenly sprouted a huge, pitch-black eye.

Baiyi's psychic energy began to sense something different after the shock. He quickly produced the War God's Sword, and made it transformed its shape into a mushroom's. It had become something like a radar. When Baiyi checked the reading on the radar, which the sword had become, he noticed something peculiar and flew in the direction that the radar had pinpointed. A while later, Baiyi spotted the faint outline of a silhouette in the distance. As he flew closer, Baiyi noticed that the silhouette seemed human in shape. From afar, Baiyi scanned it with his psychic energy and got a strange result. Whatever was there had no vitality in it; it might as well have been a rock.

When Baiyi landed, he raised his head and was instantly taken aback by what he saw.

Standing right in front of Baiyi, and eyeing him with glassy eyes, was the Northern Warrior, who should have been dead.

The sinister nature of events had escalated from 0 to 100. Last Baiyi had checked, this Northern Warrior was already dead. His internal organs had been completely obliterated by Frozen Fire, leaving him with a zero possibility of staying alive. Baiyi did not check the man's possession when he died because he had turned into a huge ice sculpture when he died.

However, the simple corpse-manipulation technique that had been applied to Nergal did not seem to be the culprit behind this strange situation. The Northern Warrior in front of Baiyi looked healthy. There were no signs of rigor mortis, which was normally visible in reanimated corpses, neither were there any injuries or blemishes. The Northern Warrior's face was filled with healthy colors, nothing like the pale complexion of a corpse. Even his eyes, which continued to stare at Baiyi, seemed as spirited as a normal human's eye.

Then Northern Warrior looked exactly like a living person, and he even seemed tranquil.

He did not seem like he was a type of undead. Therefore, he could only be something else.

However, Baiyi felt no signs of life within him. No heartbeat, no breathing; dead. A dead person who was standing as though he was still alive. It seemed like a supernatural state that was between life and death.

"Is 'pretending to die' a skill required from you Godsfall cultists?" Baiyi stood at a safe distance and asked the Northern Warrior.

Nothing. The Northern Warrior just looked at Baiyi with an unyielding tranquility, and the glow in his eyes flickered as though it had a message behind it.

"Did you do this?" Baiyi continued, gesturing at the surrounding.

Still nothing. The soul armature and the Northern Warrior stood facing each other as though in a quiet Mexican standoff.

"Urgh. This is kinda annoying," Baiyi muttered under his breath, and the energy within his body began to condense mobilize. Black flames began to coalesce in his palm, completely engulfing his gauntlets.

This time, the Northern Warrior reacted. His body trembled a little and suddenly turned transparent. It was though someone had adjusted its opacity. This made it look like some sort of phantom. Suddenly, its body began to twist and morph.

When the translucence reduced and the figure was opaque again, Baiyi found himself facing someone completely different — a man wearing a black cloak and holding a broken longbow.

"What the actual f*ck are you?!" Baiyi asked hoarsely. This was no simple corpse rebirth ruse. The way the figure had changed its appearance was simply too… disturbing.

The archer did not answer Baiyi; instead, it began to change again. When the transformation was over, standing in front of Baiyi was a snow-white great fox, which greatly resembled Baiyi's student, Zakum!

Then, as if it was hosting its own show, the figure proceeded to transform into a lot of people that Baiyi knew; Aya, Mordred, Sunny the sunflower, Potter the owl, Laeticia. Soon, it had transformed into every student Baiyi currently had, and finally, Little Mia was standing in front of Baiyi.

"You son of a b*tch!" Baiyi's growled; his patience had finally run out. The black flames that covered his gauntlets erupted and surged towards the Little Mia before she could even react, and she was soon promptly converted by the roaring flames.

When the black flames dissipated, only Little Mia's upper torso remained. The scene looked so real, Baiyi felt his chest wringing in pain, and he decided to stay his hand.

"What is this bloody thing? Is something similar to that owl, Sunny?" Baiyi asked in the Void.

"Judging from its ability to retain half of its body after being doused by the black flames, I'll say this isn't something as normal as a Shadownyx Owl," the Archmage replied with a hint of urgency. "Watch out! It's morphing again!"

The disfigured Mia, who had only her upper torso left, turned transparent and began to twist. By the time the figure was opaque again, it had morphed into a figure that was putting on a silver-grey armor, a helmet that had antlers protruding out of the top of its sides, and a shoulder guard that had tiny wings protruding out of them. The silver-grey armor had a few cracks on it, from which black flames were cackling out of.

It had turned into the Fifth Walker himself!

"Oh, that's it." Baiyi nodded and released every bit of Void Energy he had stored up. A pitch-black wave of energy, which resembled black ink, wrapped around Baiyi, encasing him in a sphere of energy.

"Begone!" Baiyi shouted in a low, hoarse voice, and he shot out a chain of black lightning at his doppelganger.

The figure reacted completely differently, this time. It quickly pulled a rod that greatly resembled Baiyi's Saing Quartz Staff and began to twirl it around itself. It twirled the staff so fast, the staff left behind afterimages, which proceeded to form a dorm-shaped barrier around the figure. When the black lightning struck the dome, it was easily deflected.

"M-m-mah Molocchian Tanoura! N-no way!" the Sorcerer Walker cried out in disbelief from the Void.

"It's not over yet!" Baiyi said. His left hand made a grasping motion in the air and crushed an icicle that no one could know had been shot at him. Then, he stirred his Void Energy and made it erupt. The explosion forced the doppelganger to back away only a millisecond after it had suddenly appeared behind Baiyi.

"Coup de Grace?! Does this thing have all of the powers you have?" The Archmage cried out in alarm.

"Probably not everything, " Baiyi replied calmly. He balled his right hand into a fist, and pitch-black flames instantly appeared beside the doppelganger, then the black flames began to encircle its target.

However, just when the tongue of the flame was about to lick the doppelganger, it leaped high up into the air. Then, in mid-air, it twirled its Saint Quartz Staff twisted, and the staff turned into the War God's Sword. With a downward aim, the doppelganger swung the sword at Baiyi.

"You may look like me, but I would never use a technique as basic as Leap-Chop," Baiyi muttered coldly.

Baiyi forcefully brought his palms together in front of his chest, and ropes made out of the pitch-black flames manifested around the airborne doppelganger. The pitch-black flame ropes wrapped themselves around the doppelganger securely, and no matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

In less than a second, Baiyi hurled a black spear at the doppelganger, which was heading straight for its chest.

With a loud bang, the spear struck its target perfectly, and then both the projectile and the doppelganger exploded into a blaze of black fireworks.

"You did it?" The Archmage blurted frantically.

"Not quite," Baiyi replied, turning around just in time to see the figure reforming itself.

He added with a twinge of irony, "You can't beat me that easily."

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307 There’s No Need To Look Back When You Utter Your Critical Hit Quote

"Your biggest enemy will always be yourself."

Baiyi had always believed that this bit of fortune-cookie wisdom referred to the difficulties of applying self-critique to one's ideologies and beliefs. He never thought that the statement would end up manifesting itself literally.

The figure had reformed, and it had retained its previous appearance — the appearance of the Fifth Walker himself. Both Baiyi and the doppelganger were shrouded in black flames, as they swung their Voidspears at each other. After a series of attacks, they separated, and while they were putting some distance between each other, they hurled black flames and chains of black lightning at each other.

The sky darkened as flashes of black lightning streaked across the stratosphere. The earth trembled as it was defaced by continuous blasts from Void Energy attacks.

"How come I don't remember myself ever being this awesome?!" Baiyi remarked to the inhabitants of the Void as he and the Voidspear in his right hand suddenly vanished. Baiyi instantly appeared behind the doppelganger and instantly thrust the end of his Voidspear towards the nape of its neck. At the same time, Baiyi's left finger was pointing at the ground below the doppelganger, and a black formation instantly appeared beneath its legs.

The doppelganger instantly noticed the black formation and forcefully stopped its descent, but a loud blast suddenly boomed behind it; Baiyi's Voidspear had struck home.

Bang! The spear exploded, and so did the doppelganger. It was only gone for a short while, though, and soon began to reform. As soon as the exploded pieces coalesced back into Baiyi's doppelganger, it disappeared and instantly appeared behind Baiyi. As soon as it appeared, a Voidspear appeared with him, streaking towards the nape of Baiyi's own neck.

Black flames quickly condensed in Baiyi's hand to form a Voidspear, and he quickly turned around to trust it at the doppelganger's black spear. The tip of both spears collided, and a resounding explosion rocked the surrounding. Black flames surged, and black lines appeared in the air; it was as though the space around them had cracked.

"It's copying you! Sooner or later, it's gonna learn all about your moves. You need to find a way to completely destroy it!" The Archmage cried out in alarm. A frightening foe was one that refused to stay dead. The most frightening foe was one that returned from death wielding moves it had copied from its killer!

However, at that moment, it was obvious that the doppelganger lacked battle experience. It kept using moves that Baiyi could easily counter, and Baiyi always moved to exploit the openings that were created after he countered. Every time the doppelganger exposed an opening, it was promptly killed; however, it refused to stay dead.

Although Baiyi had the upper hand, the battle got more difficult for him as each second passed. This was because the doppelganger speedily assimilated Baiyi's moves into its arsenal. As it continued to copy and perfectly display every move that Baiyi had used, it slowly began to gain the advantage.

Another problem that added to the crisis was that Void Energy's corrosiveness towards all form of matter did not affect the doppelganger, at all. Every time Baiyi struck the doppelganger with Void Energy attacks, it would shrug the attacks off and resume its offensive.

Hence, from another perspective, Baiyi was already losing the battle...

"It's not too bad, yet. Take a look around," Baiyi said. He was still very composed as he gripped his Voidspear with both hands and fought fiercely with the doppelganger.

As the battle raged on, the environment was swiftly losing its luster and getting corrupted. Areas that had been struck by Void Energy quickly turned black and looked as dark as the Void. The corrupted areas stuck out like drops of ink in crystal-clear water. The corruption quickly expanded as the battle continued, and the sky of this yet-to-be-identified territory was stained with inky-black flashes of lightning, which marred its previously smooth appearance. The sky seemed to be shrinking, and more of its clear blue luster was replaced by inky-black. Even the horizon seemed to be drawing closer.

The Energy from the Void was consuming everything — even space. Ergo, this isolated space that had trapped Baiyi was headed for destruction because Baiyi and the doppelganger fought mainly with Void Energy attacks. If the fight did not end soon, the isolated space was going to disintegrate.

Every time the doppelganger revived itself, the speed at which the isolated space was damaged increased. The doppelganger was paying a hefty price for its revives! Its experience and skillset increased dramatically every second.

At this point, the outcome of the battle was completely uncertain. Would the doppelganger emerge victoriously, or would the isolated space be disintegrated?

The speed at which the doppelganger improved was certainly much faster than the speed at which the isolated space shrunk. The speed of its attacks increased exponentially, and Baiyi was soon no longer able to counter them as easily as before.

The number of times the doppelganger died was now much lesser, and the length of the battles between it and Baiyi increased. Although the Void Energy being used still corrupted the isolated space, the speed at which the isolated space shrunk had reduced. This was because the speed at which the isolated space correlated with the number of times the doppelganger reformed; hence, the less it died the slower the shrinking.

"You can push yourself to your limits however you like, but I'll still know what you are going to do because you're copying me," Baiyi muttered under his breath. The Voidspear in his hand clashed with the doppelganger's Voidspear, causing sonorous clanking sounds to rip through the air. Black sparks erupted as the Voidspears collided again and again, and soon, Baiyi was the one stepping backward after every strike, getting pushed back by the force of the doppelganger's attacks.

Was he already inferior in strength?

Baiyi also could not exert more power than his soul armature practitioner, Little Mia, could endure. He was already limited.

"You're quite the brute, huh?" Baiyi remarked in a low voice. The force that he had to deal with increased with each clash, causing him to take more steps backward. The doppelganger's face — which was covered by pitch-black Void Flames — seemed to draw closer and closer to him. The pair raised their Voidspears and clashed again.

"But, unlike you, I was never the type to rely only on brawn!"

Baiyi let out a furious cry. His raised his arms, causing his Voidspear to slid upwards and the doppelganger's Voidspear to slide downwards until their Voidspears had dislodged from each other. After the successful parry, Baiyi jerked quickly, knocking the doppelganger's Voidspear away from his grip and out of its reach. Baiyi moved quickly, and his figure flashed past the doppelganger.

Then, in less than a second, Baiyi spun around and swung his Voidspear towards the doppelganger's feet, but it leaped upward. Right as the spear was passing underneath its feet, three small blades made out of combat chi appeared and flew upward!

As Baiyi's left hand hurled the Voidspear, which had just missed the doppelganger, his left hand formed signs, which caused a large black formation to appear. A black beam as thick as a pillar surged out from the center of the formation and streaked towards the doppelganger. In an instant, it reached the doppelganger and pierced through its body, ripping it into two. The three combat chi blades arrived at that moment and ripped the severed body parts of the doppelganger into smaller bits.

Baiyi had won that round, but this victory, like the others before it, was short-lived. The figure had once again begun to reform its body. An attack like that could not hope to finish it off.

That attack, however, had bought Baiyi some time.

"You can't drag this any longer!" The Knight Walker said.

Now he's really, literally, planning to unleash his Ultimate Move!

"I know."

Baiyi leaped backward, putting some distance between himself and the figure. "Our next attack has to be the finishing move. I just hope that Little Mia can take this."

Was Baiyi planning to concentrate every ounce of his power into one last strike?

Baiyi suddenly retracted his black flames, and dispersed the Void Energy around him, unveiling his armor once again. The dispersed energy did not dissipate, however; instead, it rapidly condensed atop his right palm.

Baiyi bent forward a little, used left hand to hold his knees, and lowered his right arm horizontally in front of his own chest. The gathering Void Energy slowly condensed into the shape of a black arrow, which hovered atop his palm.

At the same time, a large, black formation appeared behind Baiyi; it contained plates of black hieroglyphics and rotated slowly. The doppelganger, who had just finished reforming its body, stared at Baiyi in shock. It was astonished that Baiyi had dispelled his Void Energy armor for his normal Sanctus armor. The shocked expression on the doppelganger's face made it seem as though it was thinking of something. 'Why is he giving up on a stronger armor in the middle of a fight?'

"Sorry… Mia," Baiyi sighed.

Then, as he aimed the black arrow at his enemy, he muttered the name of a spell he had been saving up for his battle with the gods. Contrary to the embarrassingly long name for the spell that the Archmage had suggested, Baiyi used only a single word to cast it.

"Telos!"

Suddenly, the black formation behind Baiyi lit up with an intense glow. Then, a black ray of light erupted out of the glowing formation. When the black ray of light burst out of the formation, it exploded and turned into ashes, and these ashes completely covered the sky, blocking out the sunlight. Within the thick cloud of ashes were glittery motes of light.

As soon as these motes of light, which was within the ashes, touched the kneeling Baiyi, he vanished; his body had turned into a black beam which was hurtling towards the doppelganger at the speed of light. The black ray covered hundreds of miles in an instant, and before the doppelganger could even register a thought, Baiyi was already behind it, in the same kneeling position as before.

The black arrow had astonishingly disappeared, and in its place was a dissipating black flame, whose embers scattered down to Baiyi feet like detached flower petals.

Baiyi had his back to the doppelganger as he slowly stood up straight. The doppelganger seemed to be trying to turn around.

Baiyi whispered, without turning around to look, "You are already dead."

The monster exploded into dark fragments. The blackened, corrupted area around Baiyi, which had served as the battlefield for his duel with the doppelganger, was bathed with a shower of dazzling black sparks after the explosion.

This time, the monster did not regenerate.

The soil in the area had long since been corroded and turned into black mud, as a result of Baiyi's battle with the regenerating figure, which involved lots of Void Energy. However, now, all one could see from above was a fifty-feet wide trench, which looked like a single jet-black scar, stretching from where Baiyi had used his final move till where he was standing now. It was as though the universe itself had been carved.

Meanwhile, a darker-than-black hemisphere was now situated at the spot where Baiyi had triggered the spell. It seemed like that part of space had been completely removed from existence.

The isolated space had now shrunk down so much, only the area of the battle remained within it; it no longer contained the vast expanse of barren desert-land that it did at the start. The sky within the isolated space was riddled with black cracks caused by the battle. The sky seemed to be teetering, as though it was about to fall.

"So… this how the sky would look if it was ever going to fall..." Baiyi said as he looked up. He then looked down at his right hand; the gauntlet was riddled with so many cracks, a light touch would be all it took to shatter it.

That was, of course, the side-effect of unleashing the spell; an inevitable result that would occur when one forcefully concentrated too much of a dangerous power into a single point in order to utilize its explosive power. Even after consciously fortifying his right arm with mana and Void Energy, Baiyi's arm almost could not take it.

"Right. Next time, let's just leave the black flame shield on. Can't risk my body breaking apart," Baiyi said helplessly in the Void.

The theory behind this technique was simple: concentrate raw power under high pressure; this was akin to stretching an elastic band to its very limit. The idea was to direct the dangerous explosion, which is released from the condensed Void Energy, at the enemy. This was quite similar to the finishing move that Baiyi had used on Thaas, back then; however, this finishing move was faster, stronger, and more deadly, because of the increase in the amount of power being condensed.

A force this explosive and brutal could not be directed using psychic energy; therefore, in order to hit his target, Baiyi himself had to take the lead and charge at his enemy. This resulted in the almost fatal damage that Baiyi had suffered.

"It's over," Baiyi said, as he watched the surrounding within the isolated space crumble, with the sound of breaking glass. The shattered space turned into motes of light, and darkness suddenly engulfed Baiyi's vision.

A second later, his vision returned. As rays of light shone on Baiyi's pupils, he was surprised to find himself back at the gobi desert, standing where he had fought the assassination team of the Godsfall cult.Those black spears made from Void Energy flames are Voidspears now.Now he's really, literally, planning to unleash his Ultimate Move!Quite flashy; befitting of a super desperation move. I can see the CGI artists hard at work! It's so anime-esque, too. Cherry blossom petals— but black!Baiyi isn't an eco-terrorist! He's a terror on ecosystem!

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308 A Pretty Fulfilling Payoff

Baiyi was finally back to that familiar patch of the gobi he had left not too long ago. The yellow sand, desert shrubs, and the battle-scarred environment were all still exactly as the Fifth Walker had left them. There was a white skeleton laying on the ground in front of Baiyi. Its arms were crossed in front of its chest as it laid there quietly.

"You're not gonna bounce back up, right?" Baiyi said as he approached the skeleton. He stopped right in front of it and kicked it lightly.

Suddenly, something happened!

This time, nothing dead was coming back to life. Instead, Baiyi noticed the whiteness of the skeleton gradually begin to fade, making the bones become more translucent. The translucent skeleton suddenly began to morph into something else. In a few moments, only a strange set of clothes laid in front of Baiyi.

It was an elastic leather suit of some kind that was meant to cover every part of a human's body. It resembled a frogman's diving suit, but it was partially transparent. Looking downwards, one could spot the desert sand that was underneath the leather suit.

The leather suit looked like it would only fit an adult, albeit tightly. Baiyi could not identify the material that the leather suit was made out of; to him, it did not seem to be artificial linen. This made the leather suit even more mysterious.

Seeing as the leather suit was form-fitting and partially transparent, one might consider it a great outfit for a kinky night.

"This is..." Baiyi crouched down, picked the leather suit up, and began to examine it thoroughly. He scanned it with his psychic energy and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the monster doppelganger I just fought…"

"You're saying the great Fifth Walker was shamelessly floored and completely overpowered by a kinky BDSM suit? To the point that he had to use his top-secret ultimate mo — mmmmm! Mmmff!" The speaker was quickly muted before they could complete their sentence; Baiyi did not even bother to check who it was.

After resolving the nuisance that was the annoying speaker, Baiyi turned back to the leather suit. "This isn't just any leather suit; it is more unique than any outfit."

Immediately after he spoke, the hand holding the leather suit burst into black flames, and the fabric was burnt to a crisp.

However, in as short as two breaths, the leather suit was restored back to its original form; it looked brand new, just as it had done before.

That was the same ability used by the doppelganger!

"Huh. Interesting…" The Archmage remarked, feeling riveted.

"This thing must be another one of those unique Law Fragments. In fact, only a Law could ever rule over matter and all beings in the universe — including the corrosive property of Void Energy. No wonder the Void Energy I used during the fight had almost no effect on the doppelganger." Baiyi added as he retracted his psychic energy. He carefully and gradually extended his consciousness towards the leather suit, determined to read the Law behind it.

When his consciousness made contact with the leather suit, a torrent of information surged into his mind. Fortunately, this time, not only was the information complete, but the amount of information permeating Baiyi's mind was also a lot more than the amount of information he had gotten from the Law fragment in Gouve. Baiyi appreciated the fact that the information entering his mind was coherent and properly ordered, revealing the history of the leather suit and its purpose in proper clarity.

After a while, the influx of information stopped, and only then did Baiyi begin to digest what had been revealed to him. He announced to the Void, "This leather suit is a 'Law-ful Creation'— an item imbued with the world-changing power of Laws, so I guess it is technically an incomplete Law? You know, like the Fairy Walker's Caudillo Butterfly bow. About this leather suit, as long as it remains within the unique territory it can construct — yes, the 'Holy Ground' I was just battling in — then it will be able to transform and restore itself without end."

"To be clear, a god once used this leather suit, but for some reason, it was left here. It even contains the remnants of an essence belonging to the Higher Power who once used it. The essence is just as powerful as Void Energy. I'll go out on a limb and say that during the battle, this leather suit had used that essence to rival my abilities… That must have been 'Holy power', right?"

With this new information, Baiyi was finally able to understand everything that had happened to him since he came to this realm. It all started with Baiyi innocently planning an outdoor trip with his beloved students so that he could enjoy the bliss and happiness a father did. However, a band of assassins from Godsfall showed and engaged Baiyi in a gruesome battle. In order to end the battle as quickly as possible, Baiyi had to draw power from the Void, and by doing so, he unwittingly set off the defense mechanism of an ancient and powerful leather suit. In order to protect itself, the leather suit exhausted the remaining holy power it had left to construct an isolated space. It lured Baiyi into this space and engaged him in a fierce battle!

As the belonging of an unknown god, not only was there a possibility that the leather suit had been crafted personally by the hands of the god who once owned it, but the leather suit itself was actually a priceless Divine Regalia; as such, its abilities and attacks were devastating, enough to place someone like the Fifth Voidwalker on edge!

However, it was unfortunate for the Divine leather suit that its master, the unknown god, was long gone, so the minuscule holy power left inside it limited the damage and endurance that the divine clothing could dole out. In the end, Baiyi was able to obliterate the leather suit's special, isolated space, which, in turn, destroyed its self-defense mechanism. Only after that was Baiyi was able to claim the leather suit as his prize.

Unfortunately for Baiyi, the remaining holy power in the suit was so little, it was not enough to create the large isolated space that the suit had created on its own, neither was it enough for Baiyi to deal attacks as devastating as the suit did. The leather suit only had enough holy power to perform small-scale self-restoration and form-transformation; it was now a defanged divine regalia.

One could only imagine how much power the leather suit originally had. Back then, as long as the person who wore the suit remained within the suit's special isolated space, they would be able to revive themselves completely, no matter how devastating their opponent's attack was. Furthermore, they would be able to transform at will and perform their opponent's moves and abilities perfectly. The leather suit was still capable of restoring itself from any form of damage; however, that effect would no longer extend to whoever wore it.

Even its transformation ability had been watered down greatly. The leather suit could now only take on the appearance of someone, but that was it.

This was akin to the rank of the item dropping from "Cell from Dragonball" rank to "Baiyi's Potter the Owl" rank.

Of course, Baiyi had arrived at this conclusion based on the information from the leather suit and his own conjectures, which stemmed from his experience. In summary, A super rare divine regalia, which had been capable of turning any battle to its owner's advantage, had now become a common, kinky leather suit. Despite that, Baiyi was still pleased with the suit's high intrinsic value; it was now the best loot he had gained from all his adventures and raids. To him, It was even better than the War God's Sword! The only reward he considered more fortuitous than this leather suit was his Kitty-Cat Maid, Attie.

Baiyi believed that the leather suit would suit a soul armature just fine. Even though its abilities were worn out, an immortal's thrash was still worth more than a mortal's finest armor. Furthermore, the leather suit still contained the secrets of a Law within it, making it a valuable research item. Such was the prestige of being a divine regalia!

The battle had been worth it.

The Archmage suggested that Baiyi swap his armor for the leather suit, but after a short while of thinking, Baiyi declined.

"It's a form-fitting leather suit! It already looks really weird, and now you want me to wear it and cosplay as that Forest Fairy from Shin Nippori?" Baiyi asked in disbelief. "There's has got to be another purpose which we could use it for, but all that will have to wait until we have conducted some research. Oh, I almost forgot; it has a name. It is called 'The Divine Burial'."

"Gah! Such a 'discomposing' name. Uttering it in an audible decibel is akin to inviting a hex!" Feeling befuddled, the Scholar slowly said, "Enlighten me; how does one manage to attend a burial while dressed in a semi-transparent, body-fitting attire?"

'That was a really unnecessary question right there,' Baiyi thought helplessly to himself. On the outside, however, he tried offering his own interpretation of the name. "I think, it means that if someone comes across a foe wearing this leather suit, they should begin to plan a burial for themselves. But—"

Baiyi stopped suddenly because he recalled how he had found the leather suit. When he first saw the leather suit after his battle with the doppelganger, it was in the form of a human skeleton. The skeleton had been laying down with its arms crossed across its chest. This was similar to the position human corpses have after they had been placed into a coffin. Therefore, could the "burial" in its name indicate the burial of the Higher Power who once owned it? Could this go further to mean that the leather suit was just a funeral garment for the unknown god who once owned it?

It was a preposterous conjecture, so Baiyi shook his head sideways, dismissing it. He had decided not to bode on this, seeing as there were more pressing matters that demanded his attention.

To Baiyi, if one was to ponder deeply, they would realize that the chain of events that had led to this point seemed a little… off. He had found this tiny realm by coincidence, and the tiny realm coincidentally contained this fascinating leather suit, which Baiyi coincidentally awakened, and coincidentally defeated and claimed for himself.

The bit of his consciousness which was powered by his smuggled power had found this realm by coincidence, and Baiyi was only able to smuggle that power from the Void because he had coincidentally been in the right place at the right time to battle the revived-Abyss Lord, Thaas.

His actions had been marred by too many coincidences; every piece just seemed to feed a bigger picture. At this point, he definitely could not chalk it all up to "Fate. I guess…". After all, this was not a comedic novel.

Just as Baiyi was mulling over all this, the Fourth Walker, the Oracle Walker, who was the "Leading Expert in Faking Death", suddenly "came to life" and shared a bit of his consciousness. When Baiyi hurriedly pried that bit of consciousness open, all he saw was…

"Coincidence is fate."

'You're not saying anything! Why you sonuva—'

Baiyi was about to fly into a rage, but he stopped himself. What could one possibly say to a fraud? It would be a fruitless attempt as the fraud could not be won. Moreover, this fraud, the Oracle Walker, did not include a comeback message in that bit of consciousness he sent out; had he foreseen that Baiyi would choose not to bother refuting his only comment?

"After all I did, it still turned out that I don't belong here, either. And here I thought that we all could be here until Grace Day — or Graciously-Giving-Me-More-Trouble Day — is over, but look at how well that turned out?" Baiyi lamented. "Maybe I should just check on the kids."

Baiyi sent out his psychic power to encompass the area, and he detected his students still at the hill he had left them. They were still there. It seemed they had been having too much fun to notice the chaotic magical vibrations.

"Poor Little Mia. I must have worn her out with that move, right? When I get back, I'm gonna have to do a lot more to compensate," Baiyi said to no one in particular as his body slowly rose into the air.

He turned to give the scarred battlefield one last look.

Suddenly, he froze. Something was not quite right!Spanning a few extra action-scene chapters, too!You see, this is the name of a fictional town frequently used in gachimuchi videos. Now they would tag these videos with, say, "mighty warrior" and "wise philosophers"... but it's Japan. It's wrestling by trying to dominate each other in sweaty, shiny, naked, muscular skin. Look up Billy Herrington, and only use normal tabs if you're just gonna drop by  "serious sources" like Wikipedia. Use in-cognito tab if you don't wanna own up to researching such a brave new land when your friends asked, or when you look up terms like "wise ♂ philosophers", "fairy ♂ philosophy", "wrestling" on Nico Nico Douga.Yes, it is.

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309 Well, Some Friends We Could Talk To

Not a single body from the battle could be seen!

Had Godsfall disposed of them with an evil combustion spell? Where were the daggers that were hurled and the arrows that were fired? Where was everything?

The only thing that was left behind were the trenches. Even if Godsfall had a habit of cleaning up of its dead cultists, they could not possibly clean up even the most minor of details, right? Even if the missing battle accessories was the work of a cleanup crew, how had they managed to do so without Baiyi even knowing?

Was there someone else in this realm who had managed to evade Baiyi's surveillance?

"How long was I in that isolated space?" Baiyi blurted out. The aftermath of his fight with the assassination team had been very messy, to say the least. However, his battle with the doppelganger had not last long, so no one should have been able to completely clean up after his battle with the Godsfall cultists within that time!

His heart lurched when he thought about his students' safety. Frantically, he tore through the sky with all his might, streaking at high speed till he reached the hill he had last left them.

As soon as Baiyi reached the hill in the woods, what he saw a few cabins scattered around!

"Alright. Am I hallucinating or did I just travel in time?" Baiyi muttered as he landed with a loud crash.

At that moment, a beautiful figure emerged from one of the cabins. She was holding a pail that contained wet clothes; she looked ready to hang them to dry.

"Waahh!" The lady cried out in surprise when her eyes caught the sight of Baiyi, who had just landed, and the pail almost fell from her hand. Closer inspection revealed the lady to be Aya, who was dressed like a common girl-next-door!

"W-where… Where have you been?! Why have you only returned now?" Once Aya recognized Baiyi, she was almost reduced to tears and leaped right into his embrace. She hugged him tightly, and in a tone of voice that contained surprise, affection, and guilt — she stammered, "I-I-I thought you were..."

This scene resembled one of a wife finally reunited with her husband after a long period of separation. Aya's body trembled as she hugged Baiyi tightly. Baiyi could only cough awkwardly, and before the owners of the eyes viciously watching him from the Void could snort in derision, he gently pushed Aya away and said softly, "Please, calm down. Tell me what happened… and what today's date is."

"Today's date? What have you gone through?" Aya wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's December 6th! Yesterday was Grace Day!"

Baiyi froze. He was sure that they had left for this trip on November 28th, a week before Grace Day. The fights he had gotten into out in the gobi only seemed to have taken two hours. How could one explain the difference in his perceived time and the real world's time?

Experiencing a different time flow in different dimensions was cliche in fiction. However, most of the time (pun not intended), the time within the special dimension flowed faster than the time in the real world, not the other way around!

Baiyi had only just begun to ponder about this when his students, upon hearing Aya's cry, rushed out of the cabins. The faces of the girls held expressions of fatigue and anxiety; it was as though they had been through much hardships in life. This was not surprising as they had been living in the woods, far from civilization and the comfort of their Aegis Mansion. This had dampened the attractiveness they usually had about them.

"Sir, welcome back! Where did you go?"

"Sobs… I thought you had abandoned me, Master..."

"Godfather! We were all so worried about you…"

As the students formed a tight ring around him, they began to voice their feelings and sentiments, creating a sad cacophony. Baiyi tried his best to comfort them while checking their health status.

He was glad to find that they had not been hurt in any way; the worst they had suffered was weight loss — a testament to the less than savory lifestyle they had been living since he was away.

It was this moment that Baiyi noticed that one person was absent from the crowd. It was the student who, arguably, should be present at his arrival. His heart skipped a beat, and in a flash, Baiyi's psychic energy encompassed the surrounding, trying to locate her.

His gaze locked onto one of the small cabins, and he raced towards it.

In the middle of the humble cabin was a dilapidated wooden bed. Lying atop of this bed was Little Mia; her face was as pale as snow. Her expression was serene, however. When she saw Baiyi, her beautiful eyes widened, and she couldn't help blinking as she looked at the soul armature softly.

Her lips curled into a smile of relief. "Welcome back, Mr. Hope," she said feebly.

Baiyi did not waste any time rushing to her side and scanning her body meticulously with his psychic energy. He sighed in relief when he saw that the little girl was only suffering from minor internal injuries, resulting from the huge amount of energy he had used back then. It was not too serious.

"I-I'm sorry, Mia… I…" Baiyi rubbed her forehead gently. The only reason she was in this state was because he had forced too much power out from her in his last battle! It was a fact that pained Baiyi.

"Don't worry. Big Sister Cia helped heal me a while ago," Mia said, with a smile. She stretched her little hand from underneath her blanket and gripped Baiyi's gauntlet, which she proceeded to pull close to her cheek. Then, she said, "I could tell… I could tell that you met one of the strongest opponents you have ever faced, right? Was I… Was I helpful this time?"

"Mm!" Baiyi nodded his head hard in confirmation. His peripheral vision, however, caught a few glistening shards at the corner of the wall.

These were shards of the Octuplet twin crystals! Apparently, when he drew in that massive amount of energy, the sudden spike had shattered the very formation he constructed to spread Mia's burden.

If something as durable as the crystals had shattered, then one could only imagine the pain that befell frail, unfortunate Little Mia, who had to withstand it purely because she was Baiyi's main power outlet.

Just the thought of how much pain she must have undergone caused Baiyi's chest to feel a sharp jolt of pain; it was as though his heart was being torn apart.

"You were exceptional, Mia. Thank you," Baiyi said earnestly. "Don't you worry, you're gonna be fine, very soon."

"Hee hee; being able to help is the best," Mia replied with a docile smile. Her eyes squinted into two lines as she rubbed her cheeks on Baiyi's palm lightly. "Seeing you all alright is good, too…"

"Sorry for making you all worried," Baiyi said. Although he was facing Mia, he said that loud enough for the students coming into the cabin. "I'll explain what happened…"

He proceeded to give his students a summary of what had happened, taking care to leave out information that he deemed inappropriate. When he finished, he took out the form-fitting leather suit for the students to look at.

"It really is transparent! What a bizarre clothing… Is it as incredible as you said, though?" Tisdale took the suit from Baiyi's hand and examined it, comparing her body size with the suit. Her face suddenly turned red, probably because she had just imagined how she would look in it…

With how tight the leather suit was, even Tisdale would have to forgo any other garment just to wear it, despite her lean and skinnier build. Laeticia, who was a little bit "Thicc" would have trouble putting on the leather suit. Vidomina, on the hand… would probably get stuck halfway into the leather suit.

Fortunately, Baiyi did not plan to have any of his students wear the leather suit. It was not safe, and it was not necessary.

When Baiyi's tale was over, it was then the students' turn to tell theirs.

They had listened to Baiyi and stayed in the same place, awaiting his return. They just had not expected to wait a week.

They had sensed the tremors from the battle. When they did, Aya, Zakum the Fox, and the other non-human students rushed to the scene of the battle, but all they found was the messy aftermath of the battle. The land had been defaced, and it was littered with arrows, daggers, corpses, and bones. The bones were the remains of the undead army.

Thus, he had no choice but to conclude that although the soul armature was still alive, he had disappeared for some reason relating to the intense battle he had just fought or another he was fighting.

In unison, the students decided to stay in this realm, at the very spot in the woods Baiyi had asked them to wait. The days passed after that...

Fortunately, Baiyi did not cause students any heartache. Although he looked quite battered and spotted new scars, he had still returned safely.

"Phew! It's great that no one's hurt! Gosh, I didn't expect a blissful realm like this one to harbor so much danger! I thought this would be a normal outdoor excursion," Aya said as she hit her own chest lightly.

The girls' expressions instantly darkened at her remark as the memories of their previous "happy" excursions crossed their minds. This time, even an uninhabited realm had managed to bring them many unfortunate occurrences.

"Cough! Cough!" Baiyi coughed awkwardly to break the silence, in a bid to change the topic and lighten the mood. His eyes darted around, and after examining the cabin they were in, he said, "Quite resourceful of you all to have built such a homely cabin. Not bad, not bad."

"Oh…. this…" Little Mia laid in Baiyi's embrace, feeling content as he healed her with his own mana. Thanks to his healing, her face had regained some color, and her body had regained some strength.

"We had some help making these cabins, from some new friends we made," Laeticia finished Mia's sentence for her.

"New friends?" Baiyi asked in surprise. "There were other people here?"

"Well, not really… people. Just friends we could talk to… I mean…." The girl replied slowly, as if her herself was not sure how to describe them.

"Chill, Sir. You're gonna see them when it's dark outside!" Tisdale chimed in.

Hence, in order to pass the time, Baiyi clandestinely healed Little Mia using theurgy, and at the same time, he was answering all the questions his students threw at him. Some of the questions were so direct, he found them really hard to even answer; for example, what power had he used to project the strong beam of black energy from the formation. Baiyi lied that he had used a very special combat chi that could only be found in the North.

They kept chatting until night time, and Lumos spells were cast.

Then, from outside the cabin came soft, disjointed shuffling sounds. It sounded like something was crawling about.

Baiyi walked out to see what was making those sounds, and he spotted some gigantic ants which were as big as bulls approaching the cabins.

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310 Stylistic Dissonance

As soon as Baiyi came out, he discovered that their cabin in the woods was surrounded by as much horror as the Cabin in the Woods was. A swarm of bull-sized ants had their little shelter of cabins completely surrounded, getting on the soul armature's last nerves. Subconsciously, black flames appeared on Baiyi's raised palm.

'How did it even come to this? This is the first time I have ever brought the students to a quiet, unpopulated, little place, successfully evading that creepy festival. It should have been a win-win!'

'How did it even come to this?! First, I was suddenly forced into a big five-v-one battle — something I didn't sign up for; after that, a wilder and crazier enemy appeared. Now, there are crazy-big insects staring down at me. Wasn't this supposed to be a happy and heartwarming family trip? How the bloody hell did its plot turn into that of a surreal fiction?!'

"Daddy! No!" Mordred sensed Baiyi's killing intent and hugged him from behind. "They are not baddies! They don't wanna hurt us..."

Baiyi shot a skeptical glance at the little troublemaker with a daddy complex, then he turned to stare into the eyes of the huge ant standing closest to him.

His non-human students raced to the scene and stood between the ants and their mentor. Then, they took up the role of translating, while assuming a strange position. The kitsune placed Sunny the Sunflower's pot on its head, and Potter the owl flew over and perched on the sunflower's petal.

'This translation group is kinda….'

The translation process was just as awkward. The fox waved its paws and wagged its tail at the ants; the sunflower twisted about strangely in what resembled an attempt at dancing, and the owl was hooting strangely atop the sunflower. After a short period of weird gesturing, the trio turned to face Baiyi and passed the ants' words to him.

"Whoa! That big guy looks so scary!"

"Eeeehh! He's so ugly! Is he really your friend?"

"Oh, he knows magic too?"

Baiyi read the mana-words that were projected by the fox and felt his words get stuck in his throat. 'How do these ants act in a manner that is contrary to their looks?'

There were differences between these ants and normal ants, other than their abnormally large size. For instance, these ants had an extra pair of front legs, as well as a pair of sharp claws. Their shells were really thick and durable, reflecting a cold tinge under the light from Lumos. This showed just how hard these shells were. Instead of an oval-shaped behind, these ants had a long, segmented tail, similar to a scorpion's; each tail had a horrifying aculeus at its end. The ants' entire anatomy could make one's hair stand on end.

These ants seemed as though they had been created to be the monster antagonists of horror flicks; monsters that were cruel, bloodthirst, and hungry for carnage. However, these ants did not have compound eyes that are characteristic of insects; instead, they had big, round orbs for eyes. The orbs seemed as though the had been ripped off a chibi comic, where character have round, starry eyes. Their heads were far too big and round, and their antennae darted about in a lively manner, making them seem upbeat.

Just like that, the ants were unlike the 'monster' one would expect them to be.

Now that Baiyi could understand with the giant ants were saying, he was surprised to find that these ants could be even described as 'cute', despite their appearance.

The hell has this world turned into? When exactly did it break down?

As Baiyi was scanning the ants, they were doing the same to him. Their leader's antennae twitched wildly, summoning its friends to come and look at the weirdo! Some ants quickly came over, and their antennae twitched and brushed against each other as the ants communicated amongst themselves.

Most messages were negative reviews of Baiyi's fashion sense! One ant asked why Baiyi's face contained only three lines. Another ant noted that Baiyi's "antennae" was too short and his wings, too small.

Unfortunately, the fox, the sunflower, and the owl translated well and were able to convey to Baiyi exactly what the ants were saying.

'I… I still feel like killing them.' Baiyi's mind raced with that thought; however, his students seemed to have long since warmed up to them, so…

Nota the Fairy arrived at this point and took over the translation. She did much better than the three before her, instantly translating whatever was said as soon as it was said. Baiyi sat down on the ground, and the ant leader proceeded to sit beside it in a dog-like position.

Baiyi glanced at the swarm leader and began to wonder how it could sit like a dog when it had a long, segmented, venomous tail resembling a scorpion's tail. As soon as the swarm leader sat down, it engaged Baiyi in conversation, with a serious countenance.

These large ants called themselves the "Forest Fairies"; yes, 'fairy'. Not the wrestling ♂ fairy from Shin Nippori.

An educated guess from a biological standpoint placed these critters as creatures somewhat similar to Nota. However, unlike them, Nota was a beautiful and adorable little girl who had a small, unimposing frame, a gentle and docile behavior, and a very soft voice. 'She is completely different from these creeps who don't know the art of having proper conversations.'

"W-what a group of adorable critters! So cute and very interesting!" The Soul Armature Practitioner cried out in delight in the Void. "So fairies without humanoid figures exit, huh? They even assume such a strange form! This could be the breakthrough of the century in biology!"

'Too bad there isn't a Nobel prize for you,' Baiyi thought.

After conversing with the swarm leader and a few Voidwalkers, who were well versed in biology and made a few educated guesses, for a while, Baiyi came to the conclusion that, although these forest fairies looked like individuals, they functioned as a collective. This was akin to a mental patient suffering from a dissociative personality disorder or a group of cells living together to form one collective, overarching consciousness.

They referred to themselves as the protectors and masters of the small realm, and they had lived there for many years, dutifully carrying out their mission without fail. They had chosen to adopt their pugnacious form to better carry out their duties.

The forest fairies did not show any avarice towards Mia and the others, neither did they speak menacingly. Instead, they had helped Aya and the students build these cabins, and they had been providing food, which humans could eat, for Baiyi's posse.

'A very odd way of receiving outsiders… It couldn't be that these creepy creatures have a strong preference for cute girls, right?'

Of course, Baiyi would not ask such a direct question out loud. Instead, he asked, in a more roundabout way, "Mission? What could be your mission?"

"Do you not already possess it?" The forest fairy leader said.

At that moment, Baiyi felt like there was a shift in its mode. He was not sure if it was as a result of Nota the fairy's translation or something else, but the forest fairy leader's tone of voice had suddenly changed from a friendly tone to a somber tone.

Even the other ants that had been playing the girls, including the ants that were being ridden around, all stopped mechanically and turned to stare at Baiyi collectively.

"You… You're a collective consciousness, right?" Baiyi asked, wondering if this was similar to the way mental patients who had just regained their memories woke up.

"You may call me the Sexton," the forest fairy leader replied.

"Sexton..?" Baiyi was stunned; he realized that the forest fairy leader had just answered a question that bugged him a while ago. Their mission… was it to guard a grave?

"A great being who does not flinch in sacrificing their own life when the cause demands it," the forest fairy leader continued. It gazed deep into Baiyi's eyes for a while before uttering, "Now, you have inherited its legacy."

"Wha?!" Baiyi exclaimed, and he quickly produced the leather suit. "You meant this one?"

"I'll help you..." The forest fairy leader said. It only gave one glance at the leather suit and suddenly froze for a short while.

Then, it suddenly perked up and asked, "Whoo? Where were we? I lost track… Oh right! You guys came here to play, right? I know a few sick places to hang out; want me to bring you guys on them trips?"

'He didn't even finish what he had to say, and now it's back to the dissonance,' Baiyi thought in dismay as he rejected the forest fairy leader's offer. "Nah, it's fine. I'm already grateful for your help in taking care of my kids."

"They are friendly, see? Not like those annoying baddies that you had to rip the lives out of!" The forest fairy leader replied cheerfully as its antennae jerked in a lively manner. "Those intruders weren't supposed to come in, but they barged in anyways, and they were a little, wittle, itsy-bitsy too powerful for us to take care. So! We were pleased that you were around, and you're even more powerful than they were! You are so coooool!"

"You watched me fight?" Baiyi followed up.

"Of course! We are everywhere and anywhere. We see everything around these parts!" The forest fairy leader raised its head high and beamed.

"Why treat my students so well? We are intruding just as much as those guys were, right?"

The forest fairy leader's antennae twitched from side to side, as though it was shaking its head sideways, then it replied, "Nah. You passed the test, so you're our friend now. I mean, you look so ugly and everything, but you're still our ugly friend."

'Do you even know how to chat with a person? And also, what's with your beauty standards?' Baiyi could only retort in his head.

Baiyi continued to chat with the ant leader for a while, and he finally understood what the ant leader had meant by 'the test'; it basically referred to the fight between himself and the leather suit. Contrary to his own conjecture, his fight with the leather suit was a test, not a fight resulting from the activation of its defense mechanism.

This discovery was different from what he had deduced. It had taken a huge amount of luck for Baiyi to trigger the battle with the leather suit; if he had not, the forest fairies would have treated Mia and the other students as enemies!

Baiyi did not try to probe any deeper into the purpose of the test and the meaning of the legacy that the forest fairy leader spoke of. The forest fairy leader did not return to its somber countenance, either. It answered whatever Baiyi asked it with an "I don't know"; there was no way to know if it was just feigning ignorance.

However, the ants did show Baiyi how they had managed to evade his psychic scanning. The forest fairy leader walked towards a tree and merged with it. When Baiyi scanned the tree, he could not detect the ant leader, only the tree itself.

Suddenly, the forest fairy leader burrowed out of the mud just beside Baiyi and sat down. The Fifth Walker had not even any changes in the air.

This was the perfect stealth technique! Are these things really only some sort of forest sprites? Are they really a part of nature?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabin_in_the_WoodsYou mean like Kafka's? I love Kafka's work! But I don't think Kafka would ever feature protagonists who have a whole toilet-roll of powers and can actually rekt people and say cool lines before crit-killing— K's characters had the penchant to be powerless and anxious…They are muscular and lethal-looking ants with campy eyes. That's quite the look of a "wise ♂ philosopher", albeit more of an alternative design.

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311 There’s Still Some Hope Lef

By nightfall, the conversation between the forest fairies and Baiyi's posse was reaching its end. Everyone was preparing to retire for the night, including Baiyi, who had wrapped up his conversation. The forest fairy leader bid Baiyi and his group a good night, and the large ant left behind some fruits, vegetables, and unlucky little critters before disappearing into the night.

Right before the forest fairy leader left, the Ant produced something and tossed it to the soul armature. "You're a friend, and you are someone who withstood the test. This is our little memento; I hope you'll like it."

Baiyi raised his hand to see what it was, and a Nota the fairy, who was also curious, flew over to have a look. A few moments after Baiyi raised his hand, the fairy screamed out loud.

It was a human skull! Although Baiyi did not know what the skull in his hand had been subjected to, he did note that every uneven vertex of the skull had been smoothened flat, making the skull look like it had been made out of crystal. The skull did look artistically unique, but it was still a pretty gruesome gift to give to someone. As things stood, one could not help but be impressed by the Ants' dourness.

Oblivious to the reaction that its gift incited, the forest fairy leader began to describe the skull. "This came from the mightiest of the intruders! It should have been your own battle keepsake, but you were busy with your test; hence, you left it there... So, we kept all of the skulls, and picked out the best one for you!"

This meant that the skull in Baiyi's grasp was the Northern Warrior's! Baiyi scanned the skull using his psychic energy and found a wisp of elemental combat chi still lingering within the bone. More importantly, however, was the fact that he discovered something encased within the skull; it was a complete soul — the Northern Warrior's soul!

The soul seemed to be in a deep stasis, and as Baiyi could not detect any other foreign powers influencing its state, he deduced that the soul had not recovered from death-shock, the shock every soul received upon the death of its body. It was still trapped in that exact moment when death had seized it.

In this universe, people who died could return to the world as soul armatures, but not everyone had a shot at it. The weakest of people — those who had not cultivated any power while they were alive — were too fragile to survive the impact of death, let alone the continued existence of their soul after death. Some of the stronger people, after death, do not end up getting summoned before the vital energy of their souls are completely exhausted; this is simply because they were not lucky enough to be summoned. There were also others who refuse to be yanked back into the world to live as a soul armature; these set of people believe death to be an everlasting respite, rather than a temporary rest. The Northern Warrior fell into this category.

In fact, this belief was the norm in the Northern lands. The culture and values in these parts differed greatly from their Southern counterpart. In the Northern lands, great respect is given to the dead; therefore, they shunned the soul armature arts, considering it utter heresy. This view was shared by those at the top of the Northern hierarchy, all the way down to the lowest commoners. The practice had been banned by those at the top, so the Northern commoners shied away from it. Hence, it was incredibly rare to come across a Northern soul armature practitioner and a Northern soul armature.

Hence, it was normal to see the Northerner's Soul in such a state, despite his powers.

Nevertheless, this particular gift was incredibly valuable, for in the hands of a master necromancer, the soul of a Holy-level fighter was worth as much as a divine regalia or divine weapon.

"My sincere thanks," said Baiyi earnestly as he kept the skull.

"No need! Fare thee well, my friend. You must remember: we'll help you," the forest fairy leader said as it slowly vanished into the cold air of the night; perhaps it had already traversed far enough into the horizon. However, when one remembered that these ants were technically everywhere and anywhere, then they would see deduce that these forest fairies did not "move"; they just appeared and disappeared.

As Baiyi pondered over the absurdity of the gift he had given, as well as the forest fairy leader's parting words, he began to feel that the forest fairy leader returned to its somber, normal before it left.

However, he had more pressing issues to discuss, so Baiyi first calmed Nota down and sent her off to bed. After that, he found a cozy spot under the bough of a tree, sat down, and turned his attention inwards, towards the discussion currently being held among the Voidwalkers.

"Felicitations to Sir Hope for finally obtaining a live informant! — or so to speak, anyway!" The Lich Walker said, with an unusual friendly tone of voice. Then, with as much passion, he continued, "So… now that we have this extremely rare soul of an immensely powerful fighter, what do you supposed we shall do? Oh, we must talk about this hefty reward now! Other topics be damned… at least for a while!"

His alacrity was actually quite understandable. To a lich, being gifted a soul of this caliber was no different from obtaining a really rare card in a gacha game. After all, this meant that it was the time for the evil lich to do his thing!

"How about… A Holy-level Revenant? This would be one of the best classes to express his talent… Ooh, ooh! How about a Vengeful Spirit? A Holy-level Wraith… A creation from the worst nightmares! I never had the chance to obtain it back then! Ahhh… It would be the universe's most terrifying assassin, capable of completely evading detection as it cuts up its target's soul directly into pieces! Now that is reliability and power, combined — unlike the two unreliable knives-users we know…" The Lich Walker continued to babble in excitement.

"Oy, Barfbone! Who are you talking bad about now?" A familiar female voice, which was known for its cold snorts, retorted. "You think I'm less than someone who can't even fail to remain alive?"

"You want to fight, bro?! Demigod Lich?! You think I'm scared? I'll send your minions to their second death; you wanna try me?" The Hitman Walker added in a berserk manner.

The Lich Walker, however, did not bother to reply either of them. Instead, he continued rambling in excitement. "Oh man… I have an even better idea! How about we use this particular soul as our guide to search for other powerful souls, then we combined the souls we find and voila! We get a Leviathan Legion Monster! If it all goes well, it would become the ultimate Angel of War among the undead! … Or maybe, could we fashion that skull into a staff? Using a Holy-level soul as the core of a Spirit Rod should yield a staff even more potent than my old 'Souls of the Enslaved'! C'mon; didn't you just complain about not earning a weapon in the previous ordeal?"

To the Lich Walker, who was very excited, Baiyi could only shake his head helplessly. "Why are you this giddy? You fought many heroes and warriors in your lifetime. Have you really never gotten your hands on a Holy-level fighter' soul? You're acting like this is the first time."

"Well," the Lich Walker faltered a little. "As you already know, even I could not afford to slack off in battles against Holy-level fighters. They are powerhouses, after all; therefore, it is only natural that I had to resort to spells that would directly inflict damage to their souls, just so that I can have an edge over them. Plus, those who had battled me before knew what would happen to their souls should it fall into my hands, so all I could salvage after a battle was just unimpressive spirit fragments... But this! This right here is a complete Holy-level Soul. It's the first time I have ever laid my hands on one! How can you expect me to not react in ecstasy… in jubilance?"

"Alright, I guess you do have a point. Furthermore, I admit that your ideas are all worth considering. But I have very bad news for you, man. I examined this soul meticulously just now, and it… It is lacking a consciousness. Look; I don't know if the consciousness was lost because the Northern Warrior inflicted damage on his own soul, or if the ants did something to it. What I can tell you, however, is that this soul right here is just a blank slate," Baiyi said woefully.

"Th-that's… that's not possible!" The Lich Walker replied in a hoarse voice, failing to hide his dismay. "S-Sir Hope, y-you're jesting with me, right? I mean, I know you draw a line between yourself and necromancy generally; you could just say that out loud, man! There's n-n-no need to be passive-aggressive here! I know we have some major divergence on a heap of issues; I honestly understand that!..."

Necromancy had a major problem. In order for one to create a useful undead from the soul of a deceased, the soul would have to have a certain degree of intelligence and self-managing capabilities; this relied on the amount of consciousness left within the soul. If a soul did not contain any consciousness, it was called a 'soul container', and even a Demigod-level lich could not make a soul fragment into anything other than a broken toy with no self-preserving capabilities. In other words, the product would be the lowest level of undead possible.

If the goal of a lich was to produce an undead that had all the experiences and skills of its past life, then the amount of consciousness required would be more demanding. If the Lich Walker turned a complete soul into an undead, if he was willing, he would not wipe the undead's memories of its past life; instead, he would let it retain its past intelligence. Undead minions like these were the most devastating of the lot.

Unfortunately, the soul in Baiyi's hand had already lost all of his consciousness. Baiyi had no idea why that happened, but he knew that if one was to stubbornly make an undead out of the Northern Warrior's soul, regardless of this, the only type of undead they would get is a low-class undead with no experiences and skill. This kind of undead would just be there for display and to increase the body count.

That was why the Lich Walker was sullen and disappointed. To him, this was akin to one picking up a diamond the size of a soccer ball, only to realize later on that the "diamond" was actually clear plastic. The enormous difference between expectation and reality was enough to crush even someone whose heart stopped beating thousands of years ago.

Reality really was cruel. Baiyi really had not lied to him; after all, he really did consider the Lich Walker's suggestion to be a very good one, despite how he felt about necromancy. It would always be helpful to have a powerful assistant at his side, either as a bodyguard for the girls or as a teacher in his academy. If they had revived the Northern Warrior, he may have been able to aid in their grand void escape plan, or he would have just been their informant within the Godsfall Cult, at least.

As such, there was little reason for Baiyi to lie. The Fifth Walker could only reaffirm his claim in a more somber tone. "I, too, feel deeply regretful. But that's just the reality. I'm afraid this soul could no longer express its true powers."

The Lich Walker said nothing. He silently turned his incorporeal back to the group in the Void and left the conversation.

"Alright. This skull was just an additional freebie gained after acquiring our leather bodysuit. The quality of goodie bags would always be less than the quality of the main item, yea? We could still think of some ways to make use of this empty soul, right?" Baiyi said.

The Void began to bustle once again, and it soon became apparent that many of the Voidwalkers had very little understanding of souls; this included the Soul Armature Practitioner, despite being the Voidwalker who began the art.

It could not be helped. After all, the subject of souls was a taboo topic. Without the Lich Walker, no one could provide actually useful ideas.

The best idea, which was suggested by the Devil Walker, involved exchanging the soul with any random being in the Abyss for some boons. However, could such a soul really be wasted like that…?

Just as the remaining Voidwalkers were debating on the best way to use the soul, Baiyi suddenly froze for a while, as if something had just dawned on him.

Then, with his voice raised, he cried out into the ding, "Of course! I got an idea! … And if it works just as I'm thinking, then another one of us.... might be able to descend to the real world!"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gacha_gameAww, a happy Lich is pretty pleasant!... From a safe distance. Behind a Soul Barrier Protection.A Wraith? Can it be vengeful, too, like... a Yurei?! Yes!!!! That would be soooo nice! Hey! If we had to kill off Vidomina's mom, Lady Harllotte, can we turn her into a  Wraith too? That would be so cute— a beautiful, bewitching woman who also has a corrupted "vengeful" look! Weeeeeee!

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312 This Is A Good Location

Baiyi began to explain the details of his sudden epiphany to the curious Voidwalkers.

His theory was not without a foundation. A complete soul is said to exist when a soul container holds the consciousness of a particular being. If either the soul container or the consciousness is missing, a soul is said to be incomplete; that was the case they had on their hands: a container without any consciousness. To someone from earth, this analogy would be "a new computer without an operating system".

Therefore, Baiyi decided to utilize a secret spell on the soul container; something similar to the secret spell he used regularly on the Hammerhead Shark Plushie. This secret spell would allow him to infuse some of his consciousness into the soul container. This was just like installing an operating system onto a PC. When the consciousness fused with the soul container — becoming a complete soul — Baiyi would place it into a complete armor set. This would be the best test for the new Descent spell!

In the past, Baiyi had only been able to place a single Voidwalker into an animal plushie because he could only split off a limited amount of his consciousness and soul into the plushie for the Voidwalker to assume control of. This was one of the reasons why he was unable to place a Voidwalker into a complete set of armor, or at least, something bigger than a plushie. The other reason was that it was quite demanding to pilot an armor set.

However, now, he could circumvent these problems! The soul container left behind by the Northern Warrior was so powerful, all it required was a wisp of consciousness — as small as the amount placed into the plushie — for the soul to become complete and fit to be placed into an armor set and pilot it; a scene akin to a chuunibyo middle school boy piloting a gigantic mecha!

Furthermore, the mana, combat chi, and other powers of deceased beings were always stored in their soul containers. While the beings were alive, these powers would be stored in the body, but when they kick the bucket, their powers move into the soul container; they do not pass away with the corporeal body. This was the reason why whenever Soul Armatures were summoned, they arrived with their powers still intact.

Since soul containers were able to store powers, it did not dissipate easily and quickly after the death of the corporeal body, except the soul is destroyed.

Once Baiyi transferred some of his powers into the complete soul and places it into a complete armor set, the resulting 'Soul Armature' would possess superb fighting capabilities. Even non-battle actions, such as movement, would be no problem for the created soul armature, even if it is not subjected to the constant optimizations and power support maintenance that the plushie was constantly given. This just amps up the overall convenience.

There were more to like about Baiyi's idea. For example, because the soul container in their possession came from a Holy-level warrior, it had more than enough strength to pilot a complete armor set. This meant that the soul container could be further split into smaller soul containers and infused into more armor sets. This way, even more Voidwalkers would be able to descend to the real world!

There was a constraint, though — one that existed because of the technical limitation of Baiyi's method. In order to have the any Voidwalker descend to this universe, Baiyi actually had to split a little bit of consciousness from himself for the Voidwalker to take charge of. However, the amount of power that a soul could exert correlates with the amount of consciousness inside that soul; to put it simply, the higher the amount of consciousness in a soul, the more power the soul could exert.

If Baiyi needed only soul armatures that could move around and perform basic activities, then a little consciousness would suffice. However, when the occasion called for a battle, the consciousness required would spike, and so Baiyi would be left thinking of how much of his own consciousness he could afford to split.

One could perform a simple educated estimation: if Baiyi divided his current consciousness into half and placed into a soul container for a Voidwalker to control, then the Voidwalker would possess battle powers higher than an average Immortal-level fighter. If Bayi was to divide it into three parts, each part could grant a Voidwalker Legendary-level power in the real world. If Baiyi was to divide it into five parts, then the five Voidwalkers would only be able to move around, perform evasive maneuvers, and attack physically. Anything more than that would be impossible to perform because the amount of consciousness would not be enough.

The Holy-level soul container in Baiyi's possession could be divided into more than five parts, but his consciousness, the 'operating system', could not. This was because the amount of consciousness Baiyi had in this universe was only a very small fraction of the total amount of consciousness he had in the Void, so splitting his current consciousness in half was all he could muster.

However, Baiyi knew that this limitation was far from permanent. He was pretty optimistic that in the future, he would find some other ways to jack up the amount of consciousness he could utilize in this world, which in turn would allow even more of the Voidwalkers to descend.

As for his security, there was even less for him to worry about. Only Baiyi alone would exercise complete control over the soul container and its consciousness, so he could improve, or even cut off, the soul in an instant, should any of the Voidwalkers who descend suddenly turns on him.

Yes, Baiyi was aware of that possibility and prepared for it. The Voidwalkers had different natures and ideologies; the only reason they all worked together — and reached similar conclusions on different issues — was purely because they had a shared goal. Therefore, he could not possibly discard the idea that at least a few of them might harbor ulterior motives.

Baiyi's suggestion for the usage of the empty soul container had struck a chord in almost all the Voidwalkers. Even if a Voidwalker was not able to fully descend to the real world, they would still be able to control a complete armor set for a short amount of time, and that would be much better than possessing fluffy plushies.

Now that the Voidwalkers had approved of Baiyi's suggestion, they were ready to start working out the specifics of the spells involved. They needed to create a spell that would allow them to split the soul container and a spell that would allow them to infuse the soul container into an armor set. They also needed to work on the secret spell that would allow Voidwalkers to descend to the real world. In conclusion, the Voidwalkers had a ton of work to do.

Fortunately, technical issues like these had always been the forte of the Voidwalkers. In fact, even the Lich Walker, who was depressed only moments before, got excited and lead a team of Voidwalkers to tackle the problems associated with the soul container. His team included the Devil Walker, the Apprentice Walker, and some other Voidwalkers who had a reasonable amount of knowledge on the subject.

The Archmage led another team, which was tasked with solving any magical difficulties the Voidwalkers may encounter. This team consisted of the Voidwalkers that had expertise in the field of magic, so they had the additional task of working on the secret Descent spell.

The Void soon began to bustle with a level of activity that could only be found at busy universities.

'But, then again, what if… instead of using the soul as a vessel for another Walker, I use it for myself?' Baiyi thought quietly to himself, pondering on the other, more… self-centered way he could use the soul container.

The soul container of a Holy-level fighter was just the warehouse that Baiyi needed to store some of his immense power. With his newly-acquired leather suit and the domineering ability that Void Energy had, Baiyi was sure that his own battle prowess would increase by leaps and bounds; it would even be enough for him to mitigate the constraint he currently had on his power output. He would be able to properly make use of the twenty percent power he had floating in the cracks between realms. He was completely positive that he would be able to contain all that power in a combination of the leather suit and the Northern Warrior's soul container.

However, despite the possibilities, Baiyi did not think to suggest this to the other Voidwalkers. After all, he was already capable of defeating cheap villains with only his punches. What he needed the most was a couple of extra hands. No matter the challenges that lay ahead — which could be other battles or the human resource constraint that his future academy had — Baiyi was sure that he would benefit more if he invested on his pals in the Void, rather than if he improved his own battle prowess. He believed that it was not likely for him to battle another famous enemy anytime soon.

Once the Lich's unit began to make significant headways in their task, it would not take too long a time before they could optimize the soul fission and soul fusion spells, to the point that both could be executed instantly. At that time, his options would be open; Baiyi would split the soul whenever he needed more hands, and fuse the soul back together when he needed more power. Two stones, one bird; both would benefit him anyway!

"Huh. Come to think of it, the rewards I got from this incident are all really great. Almost as if they were tailor-made just for me. As if everything had happened by design — and by design, I mean the type of design that focuses on usability and user experience!" Baiyi concluded quietly.

He had to admit that he was incredibly jubilant that all the rewards he had reaped were beneficial to his current needs and future plans; however, the ease at which the rewards made his plans come together made him feel confused.

'That collective consciousness thing called itself the 'Sextant'…'

Back then, not only had it said that Baiyi had inherited its legacy, but it had also pledged allegiance to the Fifth Walker himself. This part, at least, strongly suggested that all this was a set-up.

Was it the War God's doing? Does the War God really think Baiyi to be his messenger? Could it be that the Godsfall cult was onto something, even though they probably got it right accidentally?

Questions just kept flashing through Baiyi's mind.

Using Little Mia's internal injury as an excuse, Baiyi decided to settle down in this small realm for three more days — a time period that he used to heal her. However, the real purpose of his extended stay was to try to uncover more secrets of the Forest Fairies.

He did not succeed. That strange and solemn persona in the forest fairy leader did not appear again.

Nevertheless, Baiyi did gain something helpful in other aspects. For starters, he deduced that the Ants were, in fact, very friendly to him, and their allegiance, which they declared to him back then, was not feigned. Their earnestness had not only moved the soul armature, but it had also given him another idea.

He asked the forest fairies if they minded him opening his school in their realm.

He asked the question to test the forest fairies' willingness to accept him, and to his surprise, the bull-sized ants were almost prancing about as they immediately constantly. They even told Baiyi that they would enjoy the influx of "new friends"!

"I thought you guys were against aliens!" Baiyi asked in, feeling befuddled.

"The Test is over, and so our previous mission is accomplished. The next mission is to help you," the Ants replied.

'That means I also automatically gain a bunch of mooks for myself! Man, the rewards I gained for passing this test are starting to become disproportionate,' Baiyi thought. 'Or were these rewards given to me for something I have yet to do, like a prepaid service? … Honestly, though, could anyone be this generous? '

It did not take long before thoughts began to run through his head again. For some reasons, Baiyi felt quite uneasy about the shower of gifts. According to the aged barter system, one would give the equivalent of what they got. Hence, if the rewards shoved his way was this big, then one could only imagine what he would have to do. Whatever that unfathomable legacy was, it would definitely be a pretty heavy burden to bear.

There was also the fact that the leather suit's owner was a god, who died. What if the god wanted Baiyi to start a war between the divine, in the name of vengeance?

'…Whatever. I'm taking the good stuff, either way. After all, I'm not exactly an average joe who would easily be defeated by some gods. We'll see,' Baiyi concluded.

To him, it was certain that the forest fairy ants would be of great aid to the founding of his academy. They were extra hands he needed, and they would do well undertaking the role of security guards. One just needed to look at their claws and stinger to know that they were, first and foremost, a fighting-savvy species.

Baiyi had good reasons why he wanted to build his academy within this realm. The scenery was breathtaking, the temperature was optimal, and most importantly, the land was free; no rental fees were required! He could at least save more of his modal.

The more important factor, however, was the fact that there were no external ideologies and beliefs in this realm — especially the Church's. Baiyi's ideas and ideologies would remain unopposed here, which served his agenda to inculcate radical, non-mainstream ideas. Other than the minor problem of accessibility, this place was nothing but perfect!

Now that Baiyi had decided to build his Academy in this realm, he wanted to stay here and observed a little longer. However, his students had to revolt against his idea and nag him, at any chance they had, about their Grace Day celebrations. There was also the fact that Mia had already completely recovered from her injury, as a result of Baiyi's advanced theurgical healing spells, which Laeticia had yet to learn. The girl was going about her usual adorable shenanigans. Baiyi really had no real reason to stay any longer.

'Seriously! What's so fun about this Grace Day anyway?' Baiyi thought unhappily as he reluctantly bid the forest fairies farewell. He stepped into his new trans-realm portal and returned to Isythre.And it doesn't require a pair of boy-and-girl-who-trusts-each-other pilots placed in seriously Jungian bait of a position to operate mechas with moe factor ramped up! /winksIt's true! That's why cults pick the place where there are very few people to establish their little town. Outlast 2 even had three sorts of cults in the same place!

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313 How Did You Turn Into Something This Surreal?

"Okay, so a lot has happened while we were there but… at least our plan, Operation: Prevent Mishaps on Grace Day, was a success!" Baiyi exclaimed as he stepped out of the portal. He proceeded to pour himself a drink to enjoy in the familiarity of his Magus Lab.

"Are you sure you escaped, bruh?" said a voice suddenly from the Void. It belonged to the Bard Walker, who was trying to strike a conversation with Baiyi purely because he did not contribute anything to the Voidwalkers' previous brainstorming session. "I mean, if we calculate the time properly, wasn't the day you were floored by that leather suit exactly Grace Day?"

'Tsk… Damn it, he's right. It's as if I didn't escape at all, did I?' To him, his ordeals had been better than the kids', who got the shorter end of the stick and had to camp in a woods far away from civilization, for days.

The more Baiyi thought about it, the more he felt sorry for them. Thus, in an act of generosity, he declared, "Seeing as all of you have been through quite enough these past few days, let us extend our holidays so that there will be more rest before we begin classes again."

"Eyh?! Sir...You… planned to start class immediately?" Tisdale exclaimed.

"Cough! Oh, heavens no. Now go along and rest up." He waved, dismissing the kids. In a flash, they were all gone.

Baiyi had a more pressing matter to attend to, and he was going to do it right there and then. In large strides, he marched to the yard… straight to his potted plants.

Before their trip, Sunny, the sunflower, had suggested to Baiyi that he leave the plants at home. Furthermore, before their trip, the sunflower had given Baiyi specific instructions on how to take care of the plants, and Baiyi passed these instructions to Vidomina's butler.

Hence, now that some time had passed, Baiyi believed that his plants would have grown up strong and healthy, right? Happily, the Fifth Walker pushed open the door…

The sound of the door opening was followed by the sound of the door closing. Then what followed was a few moments of complete silence, and immediately after that, the sound of footsteps hurriedly going up the stairs broke the serene quiet. The footsteps stopped at the second floor, and a door was opened; Baiyi rushed into the room and swiftly swiped Sunny out of Zakum's raised paw, then he carried the sunflower out into the yard.

"Explain. What. Have. You. Done to them?" Baiyi shouted at the sunflower. "I thought you said you could understand plants! That you would know exactly what they want, and so you could fulfill their need to grow up healthily! …Seriously, what the hell are those?"

He pointed at the potted plants.

The plants had grown, albeit too much. One plant now resembled a large spherical cactus, and it was growing out of a bear-shaped flower pot. This plant had needles all over it, and it also had what seemed to be a pair of human eyes. The eyes blinked as they stared at Baiyi with curiosity.

Another plant that had been incubating in a whale-shaped flower pot had now mutated so much, Baiyi could no longer identify its species. The plant had somehow developed a huge maw that contained razor-sharp shark teeth, and the maw kept opening and shutting as though the plant was chewing something.

A dog-shaped flower pot Baiyi owned housed another plant which had now mutated into a pumpkin that had the shape of Baiyi's helmet. On its pumpkin's smooth surface was a face so human-like, it seemed like the face was grafted onto the pumpkin; and now, that face was staring at Baiyi with an expression of displeasure.

Some other plants now resembled cabbages so big, they looked like they could be launched from a catapult. Huge watermelons could also be seen amidst the cabbages. Both the enormous cabbages and watermelons were growing from the soil on the ground. Some other plants were growing from the ground as well, but instead of plant parts to surface from the ground, only large pairs of eyes could be seen protruding from the soil. Although Baiyi was not sure if some other plants were actually moles or landmines, at this point, he did not care any longer.

However, none of these freaky plants could be crowned the most horrifying. That honor went to whatever the f**k had been germinating in a cat-shaped tin can. Although the other possessed bad attitudes and shocking looks, they still resembled flora, somehow; however, the thing growing out the cat-shaped tin can looked nothing like any flora currently in existence. It was just a huge cat head.

The cat head was furry and fluffy — just like a real housecat. Its looks could almost fool everyone, making them call it 'adorable'. All that could be seen was a head; its entire body was still buried underneath the earth. Only its head was visible…

'Gawds, these things are downright chilling! Are they even plants anymore? They are demons; that's what they are!'

"So you tell me what the bloody heck did you do?!?!" Baiyi's hands closed in on Sunny's steam as he screamed each word. He seemed to have the sunflower in a choke hold, then he began to shake it.

Poor Sunny the sunflower was so shocked that its attempts at offering Baiyi an explanation — which required it to twist its tendrils — were incoherent because the tendrils were twisting at askew angles, making the explanation the sunflower was trying to convey unreadably.

According to the sunflower, Baiyi's plants adopted these forms by their own free will. Baiyi had been taking care of his plants with a lot of effort, even going as far as to water them using water created from mana. Furthermore, these plants all grew within a mana-filled environment, which was protected by a variety of magic barriers; sometimes, Baiyi even kept them inside his chest armor. The sunflower, Sunny, only guided Baiyi's plants in their growth… That was how all this all came about.

Not only was their present appearances surreal, but they had also even displayed a minor degree of intelligence. In other words, they were no longer common plants; they were now magical beings.

"Okay; I can buy that they are trying to evolve into something more, and honestly, that is fine by me. However, why must they walk a path opposite of, you know, beauty and moe? Why must they choose to look like freaks?" Baiyi cried.

He had only just said that when he heard a delighted shriek from behind him. "Aaaah! What an adorable kitty!"

When Baiyi turned around, he saw Mia already rubbing her cheeks against the cathead-plant, seemingly enjoying every moment of contact with it.

The other students heard the commotions from the yard, so they came to see what the fuss was about. Mia was quick to spot the cathead-plant and was even quicker to give it her own display of affection.

"Mia… M-my turn to hug-hug…" Attie stood beside her and muttered insistently.

Mia nodded and passed the pot, which had the plant in it, to the Kitty Cat Maid. Attie, however, chose to examine the plant carefully.

Suddenly, she opened her jaw wide and took a large bite out of the leaf behind the cathead! When she tried to swallow it, she gagged a few times before it finally went down her throat.

"What do you think you're doing now?!" Baiyi panicked and snatched the pot away with one hand and grabbed the Kitty Cat Maid by the nape of her neck with his other hand.

He planned to teach the girl a good lesson because, although the plants may have resembled demented anime tropes, they were still the same lot he had so lovingly cared for!

Baiyi raised the girl by the nape of her neck till her eyes were level with his, and just as he was just about to open his mouth to deliver a long speech, he noticed something off about Attie. Her eyes were unfocused; it looked like she had lost consciousness. Suddenly, she jerked around a bit, then her arms wrapped themselves around Baiyi's neck.

"Lik—like... Master…" Attie slurred, as though in some sort of trance, then suddenly, she planted a kiss on Baiyi's mask so forcefully that it was audible.

'Is she intoxicated? Did that leaf contain some sort of trance-inducing toxin? … That cat thing can't honestly be catnip, right?!' Baiyi yanked Attie off himself and randomly tossed her away towards the others. Then, he said, "I think that leaf she ate contains some kind of drugging effect. Please help me take care of her!"

Coincidentally, Nota the fairy had been standing beside him for a while; when she saw him toss Attie away, she rushed to catch Attie, then she looked at Baiyi and shakily replied, "R-Right..."

She had caught Attie's and was hovering in mid-air, but the Kitty Cat Maid's weight soon overwhelmed her frail physique. Attie may have been flat in every body part that mattered, but she was still at least much heavier than the gaudy Nota. Without the necessary strength to lift the falling Kitty-cat maid, Nota and Attie crashed downwards together and rolled across the ground for a while, before coming to a stop, with Attie laying on top of the fairy.

The Kitty Car Maid look at the very nervous Nota with her blank eyes, and she began to sniff the fairy before speaking with a slur once again, " Nota… Sweet…"

She extended her tongue and got close to the fairy. Nota let out a shrill scream and struggled, but her strength was no match for Attie's, and because of this, the fairy got licked.

However, Attie seemed to be dissatisfied. She also seemed to decide to enjoy Nota even more, and so, in a trance, she pursed her pink lips and began inching it closer and closer to Nota's lips…

Fortunately, Baiyi looked up at them just in time, after inspecting the cat-head plant for a while. "The hell are you guys are doing!?"

He yanked Attie by the scruff of her neck again and lifted Nota with his mana. "You alright?" He asked the fairy in concern.

"F-Fine…" Nota replied bashfully, with a crimson face.

'…. Why are you blushing instead of turning red in rage?'

In the end, it was all thanks to the strongest girl of them all, the Village Maiden, Laeticia, that Attie was finally subdued and whisked back to her room.

Baiyi turned and looked at all his students, then he grabbed the sunflower, Sunny, which had only been moments away from sneaking away. "So what should we do now?"

The Fifth Walker's attitude had softened up. What could he do? He could not bring himself to uproot the very plants he had loved for so long. He could not strangle the Sunflower to death, either, because it was his student. So really, when it came down to it, the only thing he could do was accept the reality.

"It's alright, Mentor. We will just continue to groom them, for their intelligence will only develop as they grow; and eventually, they will become like me… or even surpass me!" The Sunflower replied.

'What?! That's worse! Why do you even need plants to become powerful? To fight off zombies?!'

"They just wanted to better protect this yard. It's their home! When they spotted some intruders break in, a few days ago, all they could do was gawk, instead of helping out. Ever since then, they had been focused on improving themselves!"The Sunflower continued. Baiyi was not even sure if the sunflower's explanation was real or not.

"Broke in?!" Baiyi froze. 'No way, it can't really be zombies, right?!'

"They said that the intruders had all been wearing black cloaks. Perhaps they were the same attackers who had gone after you, Mentor?"

'Oh, really? Well, I suppose the plants have some heart…' Baiyi was surprised to find himself quite moved. At least his affection was reciprocated!

"But they need not fret about fighting or defending our home. Plants don't have much ability in fighting, do they? I just want them to grow up happily," Baiyi muttered as he released his grip on the Sunflower.

Just as he finished his words, however, Baiyi heard a loud whimper. He turned and found a few small plant spines on the fox's nose, which caused the beast to roll around in pain. It turned out that the fox, Zakum, had been sniffing the mutated cactus and tried to take a bite, out of curiosity.

Unfortunately, the cactus was sorely unamused. To make its sentiments obvious, it shot out some spines in retaliation.

The fox that had been injured was no common fox, however. The sturdiness of its skin had always been pretty impressive — but now, some fine needles had actually pierced through its skin…

"Oh-kay. That was interesting…?" Baiyi sighed. A cat's head! But it's actually a plant! Oh my god, this is sooooooo goddamned cuteeeee! I'm gonna melt!Whoa!!!! Shenanigans!Plants and Zombies, anyone?

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314 A Long Way To Go

The mutation of Baiyi's plants may have been an odd incident, but it was still a small matter… ultimately. Baiyi moved them from their pots to the ground in the yard. They did not look like they would bring many problems to Baiyi's daily life. In fact, their presence made the yard look even livelier than before.

The plants, however, did not share the Fifth Walker's sentiments. The plants had shown that they were lacking in the IQ and the EQ department and that they had trouble understanding if someone was friend or foe. They would only consider someone friendly if the person was nice to them. Baiyi, Mia, Tisdale, and the few others could do anything to the plants without fear, but the new students, Zakum and the others, had to be careful around the plants; they were safe as long as they did not try to prod the plants. Vidomina's legion of maids, who usually came over to provide food and clean up the place, were not allowed to come in all at once anymore; this was so that the mutated plants could get used to them, for they kept getting attacked by plant needles and flying cabbages. However, these attacks soon ceased as the plants became familiar with them.

Others, however, were not welcome. Vidomina's butler had just come over for a visit when he found his butt riddled plant spikes, and that may have just been the mutated cactus throwing a tantrum — an issue it seemed to have. When Undine visited, as was customary during festivals, she had to evade attacks from a mutated watermelon. It was fortunate that she still possessed her battle agility, for she was not hurt; however, during one of her evasive maneuvers, a short skirt was grabbed and promptly ripped off by the very sneaky flower that had a big maw. This exposed her underwear — which was the latest in style — to everyone. The little Miss of the Dole family could only put on Tisdale's skirt, and her face was crimson in shame; after a while, she hurriedly excused herself.

The real problem started when the mailman was struck by a flying watermelon and fainted. The city guards caught wind of it, and things almost escalated out of hand; but, Baiyi came out and explained the entire situation clearly. Despite that, rumors soon began to spread, stating that the Aegis Mansion played host to several mythical plants that had been tasked with guarding the beautiful, young maidens who lived within. However, the rumors also stated that the young maidens were prevented from leaving the Aegis mansion by the plants, who also did not allow other humans to come close to the young maidens.

"This is getting serious. You gotta be stricter in your parenting, man. When they see a guest, they should be wagging their tails and singing a little tune, you know? Only when they see an enemy would they call for help and try to defend our place. Can they be like that?"

Baiyi was sitting in the yard, and the sunflower was beside him; they were the only ones home today. The other students had gone out to shop, have fun and frolic, trying their best to salvage the last few festive moments of Grace Day.

"With the intelligence they currently possess, they can only be trained to perform the most basic of actions," the Sunflower replied. "The standards you're going for, mentor… is kinda difficult."

"Can anything to speed up the growth of their intelligence?" Baiyi asked nervously as he watched Jawflower snap its jaws menacingly.

That fella had to be the worst of them all. It was fond of hiding in the shadows, and whenever its target had been pushed to a corner by the attacks of other mutated plants, this evil fella would then suddenly burst out of hiding and sink its teeth into the target's butt — an action befitting of the little bastard that it was!

Furthermore, for some reason, its bite does not inflict any bodily harm, probably because it was not skilled at biting or its maw was not as scary as it looked. Undine and the legion of maids had long since been protesting about Jawflower, giving Baiyi a strong urge to kick the horny little flora.

Baiyi believed that Jawflower needed to have its intelligence swiftly improved, and even if it could not manage that… at least, its ethics should improve!

The sunflower straightened its stem and replied, "Other than waiting patiently for them to improve themselves, I can't do much. Only the great druids in the legends, who had realized the Gnosis of Nature, could possibly bestow higher intelligence to the plants, I believe..."

'Druid? Isn't there just one in the Void? And it's a really badass one, too! '

Excited, Baiyi poked the Eighth Walker.

"????"

"....."

"!!!!"

"....."

'I am crazy. I am actually trying to chat with a bloody tree!'

However, Baiyi was not being silly. The Eighth Walker was sentient, more sentient than Sunny the sunflower and Zakum the fox. Its problem was that, despite its intelligence, it still possessed the thought process of a tree. The sunflower, however, was capable of interacting with humans because it had gone out of its way to learn and adopt human knowledge and thought processes. The Eight Walker never did this, and the resulting problem often complicated communication.

In fact, when Baiyi wanted to exchange memories with it, it took him a really long time to get the message across. This made the Eighth just as difficult to befriend as the ice queen, the Warrior Walker, had been.

'Tsk! As expected, a druid that can't perform feats like 'Jadegolem' or 'Ultimate Infestation' is just a sorry disappointment of a druid…' Baiyi thought to himself.

As he was muttering to himself about the Eighth Walker, there was a sudden stir and a poke from the tree!

"You… Don't… Talk Bad… Behind… Someone's Back..."

'Er, is the Tree... mad at me?' Baiyi pondered, feeling embarrassed at the timing of the improvement of communication ability. He coughed, wishing that it could help dissipate the awkward atmosphere, and said, "I was hoping if you could tell me how to bestow intelligence to plants."

"...."

The Eighth Walker was silent; it was as though it had not heard Baiyi. Good; now the situation was even more awkward.

However, just as Baiyi was about to give up and talk bad behind someone's back, the Eighth Walker issued a reply so fast, it seemed as lightning fast as the Flash Slothmore from Zootopia. "Do not ask me…. Ask your own Heart… of Nature…"

"What Heart of Nature? Since when have I ever gotten one of those?" Baiyi asked in befuddlement.

This time, however, there was no reply, as was expected. Not a single sound escaped the tree; the embarrassing silence instantly reached an icy peak.

'Why is talking to this fella so damn hard?! Good thing I've already mentally prepared myself for this.'

Baiyi waited for the Eighth Walker's response as he patiently tidied up the leaves of the plant with a cat head; it looked as if he was brushing its fur. The cat-plant actually squinted its eyes, clearly enjoying its grooming.

Some more time passed before the Eighth Walker finally replied: "It is difficult… to imitate… the way you... humans….t—th—thi… think."

The ensuing storm of emotions that hit Baiyi after the reply almost propelled him to run his head through a wall. 'If talking is labor to you, then don't f*cking spend it on some useless lambasting! Just answer my question goddamnit!'

When the kids returned home after happily rampaging through the shopping districts, they found Baiyi kneeling and knocking his own head into the ground repeatedly.

Little Mia instantly turned pale; she dropped her bags and raced to the soul armature's side. "Mr. Hope? Mr.Hope! Are you okay?!"

"No-Nothing," Baiyi said as he stood up, and then he placed his scarf back on his mask before shaking the dirt off his head.

He turned to Mia, and in a grave tone of voice, he said, "You should never, ever come into contact with a druid. Do you understand?"

"Huh?" Little Mia tilted her head to a side in confusion. Although she did not understand him, she still nodded.

That evening, Baiyi was given some fan service by the girls; they had bought many new clothes, and they were eager to try them on and show them to him, awaiting his comment and opinion on the new clothes. The girls' aesthetics were all very different, so the "mini pageantry" looked like a contest in which suitors vied for the attention of a 'princess'. The girls ended up spreading a blossoming countenance of bustling youth and beauty within the mansion.

It was supposed to be a fun, if not enjoyable, experience, but Baiyi seemed to lack enthusiasm. He indifferently watched the girls change into different short skirts and silky socks, twirl around in excitement, and catwalk in front of him; and after all that, he only made half-hearted comments.

All he could think about were his potted plants, and the enigmatic concept of "the Heart of Nature".

Enigmatic concepts like these were why he chose to be a sorcerer.

He failed to gain any enlightenment on the concept. However, the reality was just as the Eighth Walker had told Baiyi before: it had long since taught him the Gnosis of Nature. This was when Baiyi realized that it was right.

This explained why Baiyi found the Gnosis of Nature unintelligible. In a way, it was the epiphany of a tree. Baiyi was human; he would never understand how a tree felt.

According to the Eighth Walker, Baiyi could actually try to think like a tree in order to appreciate the Gnosis it had discovered. With that, Baiyi, too, would come to his own epiphany…

'But who the heck knows how a tree thinks? This is really just a tree's way of throwing shit at the wall to see what lands, man!'

This made Baiyi accept that may never find a way to increase the intelligence of the plants. He would just have to let the Sunflower do its thing and teach them step-by-step… Starting from teaching the flower with a maw not to snap at butts. It was to be a slow and steady learning experience, as there was a long way to go.

The girls, upon seeing the lackadaisical responses from Baiyi, left early. When the girls returned to their rooms on the second floor, a slightly displeased and worried Little Mia pulled Tisdale aside, and whispered, "What's with Mr. Hope today? Did something happen? Why wasn't he paying any attention to us?"

"Yeah, I know. I thought he loved seeing our bare legs!" Tisdale replied in confusion. "Could it be… Miss Aya?"

Aya and Mordred had only joined them for the shopping trip today, and the duo returned to their own residence after the trip; they had not taken part in the girls' fashion show that evening.

At the mention of Aya, Little Mia became a bit defensive. She puffed her cheeks and muttered, "No way! Mr. Hope is not… like that…"

That was what she said, but Mia did not sound too sure. She actually sounded hesitant.

"You're right! Miss Aya may be very friendly and even welcoming, but have you not noticed that Sir had always kept a kind of distance from her? Hence, I don't think we have to worry about that, at all. I'm sure Sir was just occupied with flashbacks from his past battles… I mean, he was not clear about the details, but for you to get worn out that much, then those battles must have been very tough."

Tisdale paused, and then with an expression of concern, she pulled Mia into her embrace. Then, she rested her cheek on Mia's head, rubbed Mia's back softly, and continued, "Sometimes, I really envy you, Mia. At least you could do something to help him. I wish…."

"Mm, no!" Mia wrapped her arms around Tisdale, hugging her right back. "Big Sister Dale has always taken care of me. So much…"

The sisters cuddled like this and talked softly until they both fell asleep on the bed.

The next morning, when Baiyi came to wake them up, he saw them still snuggling together underneath a blanket, his heart went weak for a moment.

He quietly crept away from them, as he had decided to just let them be, and let their moment last a little while longer. Oh yes. 'Alive', here used in the same way as people described possessed dolls. 'They used to not move and just be there, but now the eyes blink, they can laugh, they run around, and can even draw stuff with crayons! They told my guest who was wearing a priestly uniform to 'go to hell' the other day! They are alive!'That's the name the author decided to call the biting flower with the big maw.That was the best translation I had ever done in my life. I'm sure I'm 100% accurate in this one!Jadegolem and Ultimate Infestations are some technique thingy in a collectible card video game called Heartstone. Sorry, usually I might have something to say about this, but I'm not terribly interested in card games…Dude. Is Tree Yoga a thing yet? No? … I see a way to profit— Nothing!Meanwhile, in the real world, your father, or your mother, or whoever relatives and whatnot, should never be too into "enjoying the sight of your bare legs". It's not normal! #TLCARES

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315 Little Bit of This, Little Bit of Tha

The remaining days of the Grace Day holiday passed by pretty peacefully for the Fifth Walker.

They also another visitor before the holiday ended. Father Weasel had dropped by that one time, wearing a hat made of fresh cabbage. The back of his pants had been ripped, most likely by Jawflower, and this left his buttocks exposed. However, he asked Baiyi where he had been during the festival. They had wanted to invite Baiyi to the Holy City to preach, but at the moment when the worshippers needed him the most, he vanished.

Baiyi then told him about his little adventure in the small realm, starting from how he got there, to how he ended up hunted by members of the Godsfall cult. When Baiyi mentioned the Holy-level Northern Warrior, Father Weasel's face became as white as a sheet.

"Th-this is a grave matter, Sir Hope! Why have you only told me this now?" Father Weasel replied, with panic evident in his voice.

"I already killed them all. Unfortunately, I was unable to extract any useful information from them before that! So, what information could I possibly provide?" Baiyi replied calmly, handing the Father a soft towel so that he could wipe cabbage juice off his face, which was the result of another attack he received from Baiyi's plants earlier.

"Nevertheless, this is a grave matter. Please, allow me to report to the higher-ups," The priest said as he whipped out a communication slab from the inner pocket from his robe and began to contact his superiors.

It did not take long before the yard was once again filled with loud cries and shrieks that could wake the dead.

"Aaaaaaeeeiiiii! This cactus… can fire shots! And through my armor, no less!?"

"All eyes on the incoming watermelon!"

"You… potted fiend! You dare try to sate your gluttony with my bottom?! Eat my sword ...of justice!—"

"— No! No; don't! Didn't you read the warning sign outside the gate?"

Due to the bellicose nature of his plants, Baiyi had erected a signboard outside his yard that stated: "BEWARE! FERAL FLOWERS IN YARD. ENTER ONLY WHEN INVITED. ANY LOSS ENCOUNTERED IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY."

Right above that signboard was an even larger signboard containing an even larger text, which was written in crimson, stating: "WHOSOEVER DAMAGES A SINGLE FIBER OF THESE PLANTS SHALL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES! ! ! ! !"

Each exclamation mark was long, and they looked like they had been written using a finger that had been dipped in the writer's own blood, at the very last moments before their death. Perhaps the consequences stated on the sign may also have something to do with death...

Since the font Baiyi used to write the warning was awful, everyone that came to the aegis mansion only bothered to look at the line above it. This was the same case for the visitors from the Church.

Fortunately, Father Weasel had hurriedly rushed over to rescue them, inadvertently saving them from a tragedy. When he returned, he was accompanied by a few paladins and two Inquisitors.

Once they had stepped into the house, the youngest paladin heaved a sigh of relief. As he pulled out every plant spike that was bored into his armor, he sighed. "I have known people who own ferocious mutts or other beasts as their house guards, but I have never heard of flowers doing that job!"

"It's alright. Recompose yourself, Squire, and let us get back to the purpose of our visit," the lead paladin replied, looking unperturbed. Those plants could not have done any damage to him whatsoever. After a brief moment of silence to let a serious mood sink in, the lead paladin turned to look at Baiyi. "Master Hope, we meet again."

Baiyi searched through his memories and finally recalled who this paladin was; he was the Paladin Grand Cross who brought Laeticia to him, in the past —"Grunewald"… or something like that. Either way, Baiyi quickly replied, "Yes, indeed we do."

"So, my friends from the Church, please, have a seat," Baiyi said, with feigned courtesy, and signaled Attie to make tea, while he ushered the visitors to their seats.

He noticed the presence of two Inquisitors and was a little surprised that they would tag along with the paladins.

The Paladin Grand Cross whispered his thanks to the Kitty-Cat Maid when she served him tea, then he looked at Baiyi and said, "Master Hope, please do tell us, in as much detail as you can recall, about your run-in with the cultists."

Baiyi nodded and recounted the incident to them, and he also shared his theories with them; such as his belief that the team of cultists had kept a close tab on him for a while, before the attack; his belief that the team of cultists had either drugged or hypnotized his maids into deep slumber, and his belief that the cultist team must have followed him there via a trans-realm transporter portal.

Baiyi also mentioned how each member of the assassination team seemed to have experience in slaying sorcerers. Then, he mentioned how, despite the fact that he had never met any of the members of the assassination team before their battle, they were already accustomed to Baiyi's skills and battle strategies. Hence, subtly, the Fifth Walker quietly raised doubts about the allegiance of Vice President Grant, who he indirectly coined a secret Godsfall cultist, just so that the Church would shift their attention to Grant instead.

Baiyi believed Grant to be in the conspiracy. After all, If it was not for his pestering that Baiyi takes a Power Level Exam and his decision that Baiyi duels him in public — a requirement he made compulsory for Baiyi should he chose to pass the exam — the Godsfall cult would not have been able to attack him so soon.

All of that was what made Baiyi decided to get back at Grant, and as soon as Baiyi returned from the small realm, he had made plans to quickly pay the VP back in his own coin.

However, he had to stop himself after carefully analyzing his current prestige. Grant was a difficult target, not because he was a Holy-level sorcerer, but because he occupied a major position in the Sorcerers' Association; if he suddenly disappeared, it would not go unnoticed. Furthermore, Baiyi could not make a move against him without first having proper evidence. Therefore, a public execution was out of the question; Baiyi could only assassinate him.

Additionally, the man was very courteous to Baiyi, and since the Fifth Walker still needed help in some paperwork and certifications from the Sorcerer's Association, Baiyi believed that it would be best to leave Grant alive so that the VP could smoothen such processes for him.

As far as Baiyi was concerned, the Godsfall cult to take their truce offer and roll it into a ball, then shove that ball up their behinds. There was no one who would create bad blood with the Fifth Voidwalker and try to brush it away by indirectly saying, "Haha. That incident between us was awkward, right?" To him, that was a load of dishonest hogwash; he would not forgive them for any reason, even if they wrapped a nude and supple Vidomina in nothing but a blanket and placed her onto Baiyi's bed. After all, Baiyi's helmet was not green. He would never forgive them that easily, especially since they were hellbent on killing him.

Fortunately for the Fifth Walker, his knights in holy armors, the Church, had arrived. Now, Baiyi could just hand this problem over to them. After all, the Church was a big and influential organization that had too many underlings and too much time on their hands. Baiyi planned on letting the Church take on VP Grant, who has equally high up in the Sorcerers' Association, on his behalf. He himself had better things to do, like making preparations for his future academy.

Baiyi kept lobbing indirect accusations at Grant, for the rest of the meeting. However, since this person had a high position in the Sorcerer's Association and was a Holy-level Sorcerer, none of those listenings dared to make substantive judgments. All they did was furrow their brows and listen quietly.

Baiyi noticed that they seemed more interested in the Northern Warrior than Grant. Most of their questions were about him.

It seemed that it would not be easy to guide the nuzzle of the gun towards the Fifth Walker's intended target.

Baiyi decided to state this thought out loud. "You people seem to be very interested in the affairs of the Northern Land, huh?"

The paladins looked at each other when they heard that. The Grand Paladin Cross, however, nodded and said, "The truth is, we, the Church, have long since suspected the headquarters of the Godsfall cult to be located somewhere within the Northern Land. Judging from the little information we gathered, they seemed to have formed some sort of pact with the Northern government. And now, your account corroborates our speculations."

"Is that so? Looks like it's getting even more troubling now." Baiyi sighed.

Although the Church had erected many cathedrals in the Northern Land, they had not gained as many followers as they would have liked; this was because of cultural differences, as well as the fact that the Northern rulers were secretly oppressing those who followed the Church's religion. This limited the Church's influence in the Northern Lands and hampered the efficiency and speed at which they carried out their agendas.

Although the Church, its influence, and its teaching could be found all over the realm nowadays, they did not have this much influence and power in the past. This was because the nation had a clear separation of values between its government and the Church. As a result of this, in the past, the Church had to lay low and hide its activities so that it would not attract further oppression.

If the cult was allowed to grow in the Northern Land, the Church, which had its hands tied in the Northern Land, would not be able to curb the cult as soon as they would like. The only way to remove a problem completely was by uprooting it, and for the Church, that would mean a holy war — one that was aimed at taking down the entire Northern Land; this was not something that the Church wanted to do.

"This is an uphill battle — one made difficult by the fact that our foes have strong political and social influence. We really were paying them very little attention..." The Grand Paladin Cross remarked somberly.

"Mm-hmm. I think we should start by removing them from the South, of course. And to do that, well…" Baiyi began to make more subtle comments about VP Grant again.

"Understood. Although the Church has always done its best to try and solve this crisis, we plan to put in more effort, as much as is required, " said the Grand Paladin Cross, as if he was reading a prepared speech.

"Oh, yea. How do you guys even manage to capture the cultists alive? You were even able to get them to spill information about the Northern Land" Baiyi said, asking an important question.

"You are asking if it is difficult? Catching and interrogating low-level cultists really is a piece of cake. As for the middle-levels and higher-ups, they really make everything unnecessarily difficult, killing themselves too quickly. The problem is the limited amount of information one could squeeze out of small fries; these minions usually give nothing new," the Paladin Grand Cross replied. "As for the information of the Nothern Land, that came from one of our Northern Branches."

"I see." Baiyi nodded.

At that point, the conversation ended, and it was time for the visitors to leave. When Baiyi walked them to his gate, as per custom, the group left, but the two Inquisitors, who had been taciturn during the conversation, suddenly stopped in their tracks.

They turned to Baiyi and said, with a low voice, "We'll be keeping an eye on that Grant. Thank you for your intel."

"Please keep me off the record." Baiyi reminded them.

"Naturally. You can rest assured, " One Inquisitor replied, then they both nodded at Baiyi and left.

'Despite the huge fallout Inquisitors had to deal with after the incident with Thaas, their detached and cold countenance still remained, didn't it?' Baiyi thought quietly. It was better for one to be under the Church's radar than for them to be personally investigated by Inquisitors. Perhaps, in time, Baiyi would see VP Grant in the Void, after all.

When the people from the Church left, Baiyi returned to his room and began to write letters. One letter was addressed to Joseph, who should be preparing for his new teaching job, and the other letters were addressed to a few of Baiyi's old colleagues he found approachable; colleagues like Mr. Sorry and Mr. Owl. In the letters addressed to his colleagues, Baiyi included invitations to teach.

These colleagues had proved themselves to be qualified teachers, and if they agreed to work for Baiyi, the soul armature would have resolved his manpower issue to a certain extent.

However, low manpower was not the only concern that Baiyi had. He also had concerns about funding, facilities, paperwork, and a lot more.

It was at this moment that Lich Walker approached Baiyi, in the Void, with some good news: his team had made some headways!100 years had passed until my brother and I had found the new Avatar, a young air— alright, alright!In case you didn't connect the dots, green helmet is just a way to reference 'green hat' again.  "Green hat" equals to cuckolding in Chinese idiom, remember?

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316 Let’s Decide It This Way

"Can we infuse the soul into an armor set now?"

Baiyi had just received good news from the Lich Walker. The Lich Walker's team, which had been tasked with conducting researches on souls, had made headway in their task. Although Baiyi had included "infuse" in his question, it did not mean that the soul — when it is completed — would be merged with the armor set. The Voidwalkers would have to be able to separate the soul from the armor set at their convenience, allowing for flexibility of usage.

As soon as Baiyi received the news from the Lich Walker, he shut himself inside his Magus Lab and spent the entire day repeating experiments. Finally, after utilizing his very own Pseudo-Descent Spell, which was just revised a few days ago, his old militia plate armor set — the very set he used when he was first summoned into this world — finally moved as Baiyi willed it to.

Therefore, if he decided to yield control over that piece of his consciousness — which he had now placed within the militia armor via his own Pseudo-Descent spell — to a Voidwalker in the Void, that Voidwalker would finally be able to descend into the real world and become the second Voidwalker to return to the world.

There would be a difference between the Voidwalkers' possession of the hammerhead shark plushie and this old militia armor. Unlike the plushie, which the Voidwalkers could only make move around and speak, the Pseudo-Descent spell would allow the Voidwalker in the militia armor to actually have access to bodily senses, complete control over all four limbs, and normal bodily functions. It would be as though they really were in the world — even though their essential body would still be stuck in the Void.

"Today is a joyous day that must be remembered, for it is the day when another one of us can be free. Although it will be temporary and incomplete, having a chance to see the light again is, in and of itself, a cause worthy of celebrating! Only one matter remains, though," the Archmage cheered, but eventually became serious as he reached the crux of his concern. "Who among us should be the second one to Descend?"

The previous cheerful mood vanished; it was instantly replaced with anticipation.

As one of the major developers on this project, the Lich walker directly volunteered. "As you Earthlings would surely agree, the first significant test should be carried out by the lead engineer, me!"

The Archmage, however, was quick to challenge the claim. "Without my Six Realms Five Planes, the Divine Figure of Kurikara, your team would have had nothing to work on. Thus, I should the first one to test this. This is also going to help me tremendously in the final adjustment of my secret technique."

"What a coincidence. My specialized necromancy spell was just dying for some procedural adjustment," the Lich snapped.

These two Voidwalkers were not the only ones vying for the opportunity. Others, like the Cleric Walker, were just as eager; even when explaining why he should be picked, the Cleric Walker still uttered his trademark shameless words. "This test is, in itself, a very dangerous experiment, with downsides that we have yet to predict. At this moment, only naturally altruistic priests, such as myself, should make the sacrifice. Oh, and just to be sure… the new body would come with a tongue, right?"

'Tell me what the hell you would even need a tongue for?'

Baiyi shook his head at the chaos that had broken out in the Void. He knew that the only qualified candidates were the Lich Walker and the Archmage; however, he could not ignore the clamoring of the others. Even the two Voidwalkers who were famous for their consistent huffing and puffing could not stop poking him in the Void, albeit quietly.

'So what's with the two of you poking me rhythmically, huh? What has this great breakthrough got to do with the two of you?'

The Warrior Walker was a little more self-aware than her counterpart. It only took two unanswered pokes for her to realize that it was perhaps not her time, yet. However, the Assassin Walker was a lot more determined; she proceeded to whisper, "Let me go first! If it works, I… I will…. I'll let you hug me! How about that? It is a pretty sweet deal, right?"

'What deal? It's not attractive at all!'

"Not attractive? Excuse you! My figure is… small and body is very soft…" The Assassin Walker retorted.

'But the body you would have when you descend into this world will still be a common militia armor. Do you know that?'

"You're the worst!" She cried, and then she jabbed him hard with her consciousness before going silent.

Both Voidwalkers, who Baiyi had long since decided to call "The piggies", had become quiet. Just when Baiyi thought that he had earned some quiet time, the Archmage came and dropped a figurative bomb on the Fifth Walker. "My student, perhaps you should the one to decide! I have faith in your judgment because you're my apprentice, my heir, and the next emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire. You are more than capable of making a reasonable choice."

The emphasis on the word "student" was a dead giveaway as to his intentions.

"Oh, but judgment is more than mere reason. There must also be… impartiality. This does not mean that I do not have faith in Sir Hope, the Void's chosen agent. He is the strongest and wisest of us all, isn't he? He would make the best choice." The Lich Walker also flattered Baiyi; a move that stopped Baiyi from directly picking his teacher over the Lich Walker.

"Er, well…. Both of you contributed tremendously to this project, so I can't really decide like this. How about we change the way the decision is made? For example, we could—"

"Flip a coin? Wise and fair! Let fortune smile at the fated one!" The Archmage interrupted Baiyi and said, with a tone filled with conviction.

'Where in the world could have gotten this much confidence? Why do you even speak as if you're chock-full of luck?! I mean, who had to use up five thousand Saint Quartz to draw a single Super-Super-Rare card in our Card Simulator game? Furthermore, you only succeeded because you raised the availability of SSR cards to 20%! Seriously, you are the only one who could invent the most epic ways to suck in games of chance! And now you've already forgotten all about that humiliation?'

Although Baiyi, in his mind, fired off shot after shot of savage lines at his teacher, he still forced himself to help his teacher out a bit. "Um… Something this important should not be dealt with in such a trivial way, so I think we should..."

"Duke it out with a game? No problem; bring it on. I have nothing to fear!" The Lich Walker boomed, brimming with confidence; it was as if he had already won the game.

Judging from the Archmage's gaming skills, Baiyi thought that the Lich Walker might actually be right.

"Cough, cough! Games are, er... not appropriate right now either, right? Plus, I can't think of any genre that would be perfect for this, so... how about this? I'll expend a little more power and create a stage, where you both will have a simulated duel, alright?" Baiyi offered, attempting to silently help the Archmage by pushing for the only thing he was good at.

A simulated duel was a game the Voidwalkers played, where two Voidwalkers would be pitted against each other. Baiyi would grant both opponents all the powers they had in their prime; this was so that the duel would be as realistic as possible.

This was one of the very first games the Voidwalkers played in the Void; back then, they had been 'dying' of boredom, and bragging did not satisfy their ego. Therefore, to relieve the urge to do battle with each under, Baiyi made this game.

However, this was only a simulation; there were things that could happen in a simulated duel that could not happen in a real battle. The simulated duels often did nothing to pacify the opposing sides, and they would end up throwing shades at each other for days after the fight. The Voidwalkers did not want to live under this atmosphere, and the game was taxing on Baiyi; so it grew out of favor and was soon scrapped. In its place, games that emphasized less on personal victories were introduced.

This time, however, the Archmage and the Lich Walker instantly agreed to play.

"Very good. I'm up against the Demigod Lich? Interesting opponent."

"Oh ho ho. The Sage-Emperor of the Magi, as coined in legends. I've been waiting to challenge you."

Since they had both agreed to it, no more words were needed. After the kids went to bed, Baiyi locked himself up in the lab again, leaving his body with enough consciousness only to do the most basic of functions.

The rest of his consciousness was used to construct a battlefield that was as realistic as possible. This was so that he could provide a stage worthy for these two powerhouses who were to duel, with all the powers they had in their prime.

The stage was a wide and endless desert; there was nothing there that would get in the way of their fight or their elemental magic. The world had, literally, become their sandbox.

"Hmm? Oh, this familiar feeling… How I have missed it."

The Archmage, who had been restored to his former glory, was the first to appear in the desert. He had the appearance of a 40-year-old adult, with piercing eyes that were as deep as his countenance was royal. He had an aura that commanded respect from people.

On his body was the royal magus robe of the Ancient Rohserlian Emperor, and complementing his opulent gabardine was a gilded crown, which had a variety of magical gems embedded on it. The Archmage also wore a variety of enhancement gears: a ring, pendant, belt and more. These were enchantment gears he really did possess back when he was alive; they were all priceless.

However, none of his gears could ever compete with the object that was floating next to him — a book; its pages kept flipping all on their own. As the pages turned, formations appeared in the air and vanished just as quickly as they had appeared. These formations displaced each other rapidly.

Although that was all the book seemed to do, a keen observer would know that all the formations that momentarily appeared were all forbidden spells!

"The Book of Servitude! A sorcerer's ultimate regalia and one of the most important legacies of the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire. This was a treasure that had enticed many righteous powerhouses, and those lot turned over an uncountable number of graves just to find it; but alas, the book remained lost to time," the Explorer Walker muttered quietly. "This weapon is just as mighty as a Divine Regalia. Numbers would mean nothing to it, even the Demigod Lich's most powerful undead army. So… what could he, the Demigod Lich, possibly have that could combat that ruthless book?"

The Lich Walker suddenly appeared on the far side of the desert. Although the Lich Walker had appeared so far away that no normal human could spot him, the Archmage still turned to face the Lich Walker's direction, saying, "Why is he alone?"

The Lich Walker really had come alone; his lone figure could be seen standing upright atop the endless sands of the desert. Although Baiyi had made sure to prepare his best undead army, the Lich Walker appeared without them by his side.

Although he had emerged alone, one would be a fool to dismiss him. His outfit was only a nondescript lich robe, yet powerful magical pulses emanated from him. Underneath that robe were gears that could give the Archmage's gears a run of their money. The gears were all loot he had plundered from the fallen heroes he had met while still alive.

In the Demigod Lich's hand was a jade-green staff, which looked normal. However, at the very top of the staff, souls could be seen orbiting and howling in pain.

"The Souls of the Enslaved! The most profane of all weapons in this realm…" The Cleric Walker said, through gritted teeth.

The battle between the Sage-Emperor of the Magi and the Demigod Lich of legends… was about to start.Perhaps even more shameless than all of the others but his other Gentlemen club members.

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317 Clash of the Demigods: Round One

Two Demigods, who were now at their prime, stood in the middle of an endless desert, which had nothing that would obstruct their battle, or give them a reason to contain themselves. No holds were to be barred.

"Let us start by saying 'hello'," the Archmage murmured.

He lightly raised a finger, and his mouth began to open and close, chanting an incantation. The Book of Servitude hovered a bit higher and began to flip its pages on its own at an unprecedented speed. Then, it began to emit a red glow, and a fiery red formation appeared on its cover.

"— The sky will set you aflame." The last syllable of the Archmage's spell escaped his lips and permeated the air.

Suddenly, the Demigod Lich, who was still so far away from the Archmage, saw a pillar of light from the heavens tear through the clouds and shine down on him. When he raised his skull to stare at the light, the green flames in his eyes sockets burned even brighter. He sneered, feeling bemused. "And we begin the game with a forbidden spell. What a belligerent greeting."

Suddenly, the Demigod Lich spun his personal staff and heavily stabbed it into the ground. The souls orbiting the staff bellowed in agony; their screams of pain seemed to contain the syllables of an incantation.

The Archmage's first spell, Harlek's Incantation of Incineration, caused waves of scalding flames that were created by the most quintessential fire-type mana to pour down from the heavens; it was so hot, it turned the clouds above the Demigod Lich into a swirling mass of red hellfire. The sky seemed to teeter on the edge of succumbing to the flames and crumbling.

Unlike the simplified version used by Baiyi in the real world, the brunt of the Archmage's spell was not limited in any way. The area that this attack covered was so large, one could not possibly escape using short distance teleportation or fleeing really fast with their own two feet.

On its descent, the tsunami of flames consumed everything in its part, including the endless sea of sand beneath the Demigod Lich's feet. An area hundreds of miles around the Demigod Lich was swallowed by the sea of flames, and the sand below was boiled into magma.

Even from afar, the Archmage's face was drenched in sweat from the boiling heatwave that came from afar.

When the swirling red gusts of the hellish heat parted a bit, a sphere of white light could be seen hovering the within the waves of scalding flames, and within this sphere was the Demigod Lich!

From within the white light sphere, the Demigod Lich glanced around at the waves of scalding flames thrashing at the sphere, and his bony mandibles curled up into a grin.

A closer inspection revealed the real nature of the white light sphere. It was not a type of mana shield; it was actually a barrier formed by merging a dozen banshees! Each one of these banshees possessed Legendary-level powers; as the banshees wailed in anguish, they unleashed a fire defensive magic, which protected the Demigod Lich from the Archmage's flames.

The Demigod Lich had lived a perverse life. While he was alive, he never once pretended to be chivalrous; instead, he murdered countless women, and many of them were powerful fighters. After slaughtering these women, he collected their soul fragments and used them to create an army of banshees, who were all Legendary-level! Furthermore, each of them possessed exactly the same of level of ability they had when they were alive, and they all obeyed the Demigod Lich unconditionally! They had coordinated with each other to cast spells that fended off the fiery attack.

Contrary to the thoughts of the spectators, the Demigod Lich did not, in fact, abandon his army of revenants that Baiyi had prepared for him, in the spirit of a fair fight. This titanic undead army, which was fierce enough to slaughter an entire imperial army, had been within the Demigod Lich's limitless Dead Space all along. It was an infinite space that was located inside the crystal atop his staff.

He would only use them during critical moments. After all, it would be the height of folly to dispatch the entire army immediately, especially when his opponent was the Sage-Emperor of the Magi; this was someone who was powerful enough to slay his undead army with only two or three wide-area spells. The Demigod Lich was no idiot; that was why he did take that approach.

Unlike the lich from the Godsfall cult, who was part of the team of cultists that tried to get rid of Baiyi in the small realm, the Demigod Lich could summon undead speedily and quietly. When the Archmage's flames were about to strike the Demigod Lich, the Legend-level banshees had appeared almost instantaneously, and now, they were howling in pain as they warded off the hellish inferno attempting to consume their master.

"My turn," the Demigod Lich muttered, with a low, hoarse voice. The green flames flickering in his eye sockets glowed brighter.

His next words were inaudible, but the banshees heard it. They suddenly threw themselves into the surrounding flames, screaming as it seared their flesh, leaving only bone. However, they were able to clear a path in the center of the Archmage's hellfire.

The Lich proceeded to swing his staff, the Souls of the Enslaved, and inaudible mumbles escaped his mandibles. Suddenly, black rays appeared out of nowhere and zigzagged through the path made by the banshees, in a flash, towards the Archmage. The rays hit the ground close to the Archmage, and a group of undead riders appeared, surrounding the Sage-Emperor of the Magi.

These undead riders wore pitch-black armors and terrifyingly shaped helmets, and they were all riding undead black steeds. They wasted no time in drawing their weapons, which they had been holding when they perished. The undead rider closest to the Archmage unsheathed bloodied dual-broadswords, and with a cry like a raving animal, it swung its swords towards the Archmage's head.

The scene was a bone-chilling one, which happened so fast that only the Voidwalkers could have seen what happened. The Paladin Walker, who had been watching quietly, murmured, "That bonehead! As soon as the undead riders were summoned, he transported them towards Sir Archmage's vicinity using space distortion magic! That means the zigzagging black rays we saw were the silhouettes of the riders, who were all moving at an unprecedented speed!"

"I-i-inconceivable! Such speed of spell-casting would be a violation of known axioms!" The Scholar remarked in disbelief.

"Axioms are for the mortals! These? These are monsters. They were called demigods because they had crossed the boundaries beyond theories and axioms," the Sorcerer explained. "If I am not mistaken, that evil staff of his has a terrifying ability that hastens spell-casting…"

He was right; the souls orbiting the Souls of the Enslaved were not for show. They were the souls of those who the Demigod Lich had murdered; or rather, these souls had been formed by combining fragments of the souls of those he had killed, resulting in a few swirling souls that were all at the Immortal-level! Furthermore, it only took one command from the DemiGod Lich to get these souls to cast spells for him!

Not only did the souls overwhelmingly hastened the Demigod Lich's casting time, but they also increased the damage of his spells. It was as though the Demigod Lich had an envoy of advanced sorcerers by his side at all times!

Although the Souls of the Enslaved was a powerful staff that could control the souls of the dead, it still did not seem to be on par with the Archmage's Book of Servitude, which could unleash forbidden magic without a medium; however, the Souls of the Enslaved, a staff which the Demigod Lich had built himself, was no different from a high-level undead army at the Demigod Lich's beck and call! When he was alive, the Demigod Lich was a sociopathic mass murderer who only regarded people as livestock he could slaughter, at will, for their souls.

Therefore, the Archmage really had been up against an entire undead army, since the beginning!

However, this was all within the Archmage's plans. He did not use the Book of Servitude to fend off the undead rider's diagonal slash; instead, he snapped his fingers and a ring of flames surged out of him and expanded in all directions, incinerating all the undead riders to ashes.

"Spare me your hat-tricks," the Archmage sneered. He had anticipated his inability to finish off the Demigod Lich using just one Forbidden Spell. After all, the Lich was a Demigod-level warrior. Who would call themselves a Demigod Lich if they could be done in by one forbidden spell?

"But how about two more of them? How many more forbidden spells can your little toys withstand? This scalding heat and hellish flames aren't going anywhere…" the Archmage added quietly.

The pages in the Book of Servitude began to flip quickly again, and this time, a transparent formation denoting wind-style magic appeared on the book's cover.

"Oh?" The Lich stopped in mid-action, undoing his summoning, which he wanted to have distracted the Archmage. Instead, he changed his orders, and the banshees rushed back towards him.

However, it was too late.

The flames, which the banshees had initially pushed back, began to close in on him again, with astonishing speed, this time. The rushing flames seemed to be aided by an unseen force. The flames that had spread to other parts of the battlefield had also surged speedily in the Demigod Lich's direction, leaving charred earth behind.

The rushing flames coalesced into a fiery glowing orb the size of a fist, and this orb was now right in front of the Demigod Lich's face!

Then, it exploded.

It was chilling to imagine the outcome that would ensue if a flame hundreds of miles wide had been compressed into a small sphere, which then exploded.

As soon as the sphere burst, the hellish flames from within crazily rushed in all directions with an earth-shattering rumble. If the Archmage's previous attack was characterized as waves in an ocean, then this attack — the explosion of this fiery flame sphere, which had been forcefully compressed by wind magic —Iwould be characterized as a whirlwind. The swirling flames devoured everything in their part, including space! Its unprecedented heat reduced everything in its proximity to nothing!

The swirling waves of flames had stirred up a storm and caused so many layers of sand to fly into the air, blocking out the light of the sun. The rising sand resembled an apocalyptic sandstorm that would devour the world. One would feel that if the fiery whirlwind was willing, even mountains would be broken in half.

"Meh. Still needs more kick to it, I'm afraid," the Archmage said to no one in particular. He continued to chant, and his left hand rose up and tapped the book, while his right hand was drawn before his chest. He slowly balled his shaky right hand into a fist.

The sandstorm and the firestorm surrounding the Demigod Lich stilled; it was as if an invisible hand had cupped itself around that area. These two storms quickly fused together, with their target in the middle, into an arbitrary locus in the middle of this chaos—

And after a few breaths, with the Archmage's fist completely tightened, the world regained its quiet and calm. On the ground where the storms had struck was a ring.

This ring was a forbidden spatial spell that could manipulate space — Infinite Compression. One can picture the compression of the two storms, which are both strong enough to reshape the earth, into a space the size of a ring. What sort of unimaginable damage would the storms bring in a such a claustrophobic space?!This TL is gonna imagine the Archmage as Gilgamesh from Fate Stay Night purely because of his fashion sense… and okay, the Author likes FSN a lot. I don't know who to fill in for the Lich, though…

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318 Clash of the Demigods: Round Two

Space-manipulating magic was unique magic used mainly for support, so it was theoretically impossible to call any spells derived from this magic "forbidden spells". There was no record of forbidden space spells in the Sorcerers' Association's copyright vault.

However, the Ancient Rohlserlian era had other opinions. Books from that era had attested to the existence of a forbidden space-manipulating spell, Ultimate Compression, which was repeatedly mentioned in the many fables of the great Rohlserl the Nineteenth. In these stories, the spell was called an "unprecedented spell" which had been used to "compress massive armies of herculean men" into a small space the size of a ring.

This spell, which was considered as miraculous as a god's spell, had prompted the royal scribe to sing many hyperbolic praises of the Emperor Rohlserl the Nineteenth, such as "marvel", "indescribable", "of unparalleled power", and much more.

Unfortunately, when modern men tried to replicate Ultimate Compression, after conducting extensive research on it, they failed; it never worked. After too many failures, the spell was shelved under "unreliable information by historians" and "mistaken attempts by the modern man." The details of its effects were deemed a tall tale concocted by the royal scribe, out of his personal adulation of his Emperor.

Baiyi, who was the only student of the Sage-Emperor of Magi, however, knew better. The spell had indeed existed, but the requirements to cast it was near impossible to meet. Only the owner of the Book of Servitude — a magical book that did not require a media to cast forbidden spells — could cast it.

In reality, there should be no way that the Demigod Lich survives it; after all, he had been compressed into that small space alongside two violent storms of sand and fire! The ring-sized space in which the energies of these three forbidden spells had been encased was sure to be destroyed, including everything in it!

The damage that was wrought by the combination of these secret forbidden spells surpassed any means of defense that a human could put up. It was akin to the devastating power of Void Energy.

"For being able to cast three forbidden spells in this sequence and successfully combine them, in order to unleash an effect more devastating than the maximum damage of a single forbidden spell could theoretically deal… the First Walker really is a terrifying opponent," said the Sorcerer Walker; even he — someone renowned for his pride — could not hold back his feelings of awe at the Archmage's dexterity. "He truly did attain the peak of magic! No wonder he was banished to the Void… A frail world like the one we came from could no longer accommodate his existence."

However, the Archmage had to pay a hefty price for a combo like this. He had burned an unfathomably large amount of mana to forcibly control these forbidden spells and combined them into one. After using that much mana, even the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, who had mana as voluminous as the ocean, had to pause his actions in order to recover his mana.

If it was not for the identity of the Archmage's opponent, at this point, Baiyi would have gone on to declare his teacher the victor.

The Archmage also knew this. The Demigod Lich had not been done it, yet. Other Demigod-level powerhouses would have found this combination too troublesome, and the Archmage would be declared the winner; however, the Demigod Lich was a unique creature, who exploited the loopholes of common sense.

Just as expected, on a dune not far from where the Archmage was standing, a skeleton crawled out of the sand.

It looked decrepit, armed with only with a rusty cutlass and half a shield. It was the lowest level of undead — the type that could not even be considered cannon fodder.

However, the Archmage's senses screamed danger of danger, and his face fell; suddenly, right in front of the Archmage, several rotating defensive formations appeared in mid-air. He seemed to have considered the low-level undead a threat, but he did not attack it.

The creature's lower mandible moved, and a familiar low, hoarse voice rang out of it. "You really are worthy of the worship of sorcerers, Sage-Emperor of the Magi. Only the first few exchanges have occurred, but I have already been forced into such an embarrassing state. In fact, I must count myself lucky to have not been borne in the era you existed…"

As soon as the lower-level skeletal undead had said these words, it burst into green flames. When the flames dissipated, the Demigod Lich was standing right where the low-level undead had been!

"That bony son of a bitch! I knew that he would use that dick move — reincarnating in the corpse of another!" the Cleric Walky snorted in the Void, duly unimpressed.

"In necromancy, he's basically the god of soul-transferring spells, man. Being the target of many assassination attempts and hunts for all of one's life can do wonders to a man, making him do anything to hold on to his life. In fact, I think there is no one more proficient in the art of escape than him! If it wasn't for Sir Fairy and her miraculous bow, I'm goddamned sure he would still be an outlaw who no one could ever capture," the Soul Armature Practitioner replied. As one of the Voidwalkers in the Lich Walker's team, which Baiyi had tasked with soul research, the Soul Amature Practioner had learned a bit about his skeletal colleague, in the time they worked together.

"Then again, he was forced to reincarnate in the bones of a spartoi, the lowest-level of skeletal undead. This goes to show that the First Walker was more than I could have ever imagined…" The Soul Armature Practioner finished.

Keen observers were quick to point out that the souls circling the Souls of the Enslaved had become visibly less than it originally was. This implied that surviving the Archmage's forbidden spells were more than a walk in the park for the Demigod Lich.

The Archmage — whose vigilance was at its peak, due to the seriousness of the battle — also noticed the disappearance of some of the souls orbiting the staff. The corners of his lips curved upwards, and he guffawed. "Looks like your toys didn't do a great job shielding you, right..."

"I admit that in order to escape your spells, my banshees all had to die a second time. Good thing this was just a simulation, I tell you, or else, even though I'm technically a dehydrated body, I would have felt my heart aching at this loss!" The Lich replied, and his hand moved towards his empty chest as he spoke.

However, the Lich smiled slyly, "But none of these losses are in vain… That, I can assure you. Did you notice that I'm finally standing oh-so-closer to you—"

The Souls of the Enslaved suddenly struck the earth heavily, and the remaining souls orbiting the staff let out piercing howls before dissipating into thin air. At that same time, the Demigod Lich's body reverted back to that of a spartoi, which also quickly crumbled moments later.

"Hmm? Playing his trump card already?" The Archmage muttered while maintaining his calm, as he watched that skeleton crumble into bone spurs.

Suddenly, underneath his feet, the yellow sand was replaced by an ocean of crawling, wriggling, undead! The ocean contained all manner of undead, ranging from the lowest level skeletal undead, spartois, to the highest level undead, the intelligent dead riders, and dreadshamans. It seemed as though every grain of sand had transformed into an undead, filling the battlefield and the field of vision of the spectating Voidwalkers.

Even the sky was not spared. It turned dark as if the sun had been blocked. A closer look would reveal the presence of an innumerable amount of skeletal dragons. Where one enormous skeletal dragon's bony wings ended, another skeletal dragon's bony wings began, filling up every available space in the sky; the world was now covered in their shadows.

Wraiths, phantoms, and apparitions suddenly surfaced right beside the Archmage. They emitted chilling cries as they rushed forward and surrounded him, in a spherical formation. Their incorporeal bodies instantly hardened, and even the small sphere of space that had only the Archmage was filled up with the undead.

The entire area was completely filled with the undead; space, edge, crack was unoccupied. This was not a world of the undead; it was a world constructed using the undead.

"Earlier you told me that numbers meant nothing to you, Sir. That sparked my curiosity, and I thought 'what would happen when the numbers approach are near infinite? Would you repeat your assertion with the same confidence?"

The Demigod Lich's low, hoarse voice rang out, but he was not even in sight. His real body was nowhere to be found. However, one could say that every undead here was his real body.

Suddenly, rotating magical formations appeared in mid-air, around the Archmage; the formations were of fire, lightning, and storm magic. Elemental magic came from nowhere and perforated the undead creatures squeezing the Archmage, reducing them to bits. This allowed the Archmage a little space to move his body.

However, it was of no use. Not even a second had passed before more undead had crawled out of the ground to occupy the free space, and under the Demigod Lich's command, they began to unleash attacks.

Undead spartoi archers fired arrows with an acute timing, and their sheer numbers meant that the number of raining arrows was uncountable. It looked as though thick black clouds was plummeting towards the earth and would consume the entire desert upon impact. In comparison, the Archmage's figure was like a single pixel in a high definition image.

Closely trailing the descending arrows were magical attacks. Undead sorcerers and dreadshamans had utilized every bit of magic they had to cast all manner of energy balls and energy rays, causing what seemed like colorful balls of light to blanket the sky. Like a web, the attacks plummeted towards the Archmage.

The skeletal dragons high above all sucked it deep breaths and spewed out grey fires, from deep within their, out of their mouths. These dragon breaths seemed like descending pillars of light that had no space in between them. From afar, they resembled falling mountains.

Even if an individual undead was insignificant, when one had a near infinite amount of undead on their side, — numbers so large that a human mind could not count it — their collective attacks would be a disaster.

The target of their collective attack, the Archmage, was squeezed right in the center of the sea of undead, like a lone duckweed in the middle of a stormy sea — completely insignificant.

"Whoa whoa whoa! This is way beyond the limit, right?" Watching the frightening scene unfolding before his eyes, the Demigod Lich's best bro, the Devil, exclaimed in alarm and confusion. "Attacks like these need highly synchronized movements, mate, but undead are literally braindead; and he can't possibly be controlling this many undead, at the same time, let alone command them to fight like this…"

"I-it's... T-true…." Baiyi stated his own reply with as much strength as the Devil did. "Th-this… is the p-power… of his… territory."

'What does it mean to be a demigod?'

Being a demigod required one to possess powers that were only meant for gods.

This was the primary difference between other ranks and demigods. Just like gods, the Lich had created his own territory around the Archmage.

What the Voidwalkers' eyes could see was the Demigod Lich's territory — Tartarus.Okay, what's with the names of royalties here? I get that you might wanna reuse your daddy's or gramp's name, but to use the same name more than 5 times is really grating on that ancestor-ingratiating, you know?Who actually banished this guy, then? The One True God (TM) — who is likely just the gamemaster?

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319 Clash of the Demigods: Round Three

'Territory.' This was a unique space that only answered to one individual — right down to the Laws this space adhered to and was operated by. Normal spaces adhered to all the ordained natural Laws that had, so far, kept its realm afloat. However, Territories only answered to the Law laid down by its Demigod owner.

This was the most important reason why people at the peak level of power were called Demigods. They possessed the ability to form their own Laws, something that was supposed to be exclusive to divine beings.

For example: in the Demigod Lich's Territory, he could summon an endless amount of undead, and control the actions of every one of them. This arbitrary control over a near-infinite amount of lifeless beings violated the normal Laws of reality.

When Baiyi first encountered the divine leather suit, after taking care of the Godsfall cultists, it had trapped Baiyi in its Territory; and its Territory, the leather suit was able to resurrect a countless amount of times, and it was able to perfectly. That was also something that was not possible outside its Territory.

If the Lich's Territory is compared with the divine leather suit's territory, a keen examiner would easily tell that the divine leather suit's Territory was more superior. Its range was wider; its effects were much stronger; the duration of the Territory was longer; the threshold to activate its Territory was much lower; And the divine leather suit's manipulation of the Laws, within its Territory, was much better than the Demigod Lich's.

The Demigod Lich, on the other hand, had to sacrifice all the souls within his staff, the Souls of the Enslaved, if he wished to open up his Territory.

Most importantly, if a Demigod human was able to open a Territory, that human still would not be able to choose what law could they control.

Laws in a Territory were not easily manipulated by humans. Human Demigod fighters could only "influence" these Laws slightly by completely understanding the core of these Laws. The only way Demigod beings could open their Territories was by unleashing their full powers, which would release chaotic energy to interfere with normal Laws operating in the reality, enough to creating a schism — a limited, special space that hosts the Demigod's newly-twisted Laws.

An analogy from Earth would be the concept of bugs in computing. When bugs occurred during the execution of a program, it would cause the program to function in a way that was not intended.

However, bugs are always located eventually and weeded out. This was the main why Demigod-level fighters were always hunted down, and subsequently banished into the Void. These beings were the hypothetical bugs of this world, and the more they used their Territories, the more they twisted the natural Laws; this was why they were noticed by Nature and subsequently rooted out of existence.

This was the reason why the few Demigod beings in existence never dared to unleash their powers completely. The more they used their Territories, the higher the chances of them getting a one-way ticket into the Void, where Baiyi lived.

However, not every being had been banished by Nature because they opened their Territories too many times. There were some, like a certain shut-in nerd of a spinster, the Scholar Walker, whose banishment was down to some pretty terrible luck. She was cast into the Void just because she formed her Territory. She did not even get the time to understand the Laws within her own Territory before she was banished from reality!

It was plausible that she had been sent into the Void that abruptly because she had gained a lot of knowledge about Territories; this was from the books she had read and her ability to analyze the enigma that was Laws. To Nature, the divine administrator, she was as much as an eyesore as a grammatical-filled sentence or a line of code that was riddled with bugs.

This was knowledge gained at the cost of being imprisoned, even though these insights had been obtained through the Voidwalkers' blood and tears. Now, they were obsessed with everything related to Laws, not ostensibly just for their dream of escaping of escaping the Void, but also so that they do not get sent back to the Void while they perfect their use of Territories.

Although the type of Territories that one could run into or open up was something left to chance, there are those who run into Territories that could not be used for battle, at all. Although the Demigod Lich had a pretty good Territory, the same could not be said for the Soul Armature Practioner; his Demigod level powers had granted him a Territory that could be used to accelerate the age of animals. Therefore, the worst that could happen to a kitten in the Soul Armature Practioner's Territory was that it would turn into a mature cat.

A Territory like that could only be used for academics, rather than for battle. It would not be surprising if a random observer saw the Soul Armature Practitioner use his Territory and still think he was not a Demigod-level being.

This was also the reason why many had made mastering the manipulation of Void Energy their goals. They could not depend solely on Territories for battle, after all, especially if everyone was hesitant to break the natural Laws. As almost everyone shared this fear, battles were watered down to tests of physical strength and supermundane powers — powers which could easily thwart those of a lower level than it, such as mana and combat chi attacks.

Hence, what one wears may be a bigger deal than who they really are — or in this case, stronger than they naturally are. This was certainly true for that leather bodysuit that Baiyi had found earlier, which had its Territory designed especially for it, instead of being picked at random. It was, after all, something made by a Higher Power. Why else was Baiyi so careful with it other than because gods could control the natural Laws.

No matter how strong a mortal was, they could never overpower the Laws.

Back on the battlefield, after the Demigod Lich deployed his Territory, both sides became even. Ordinarily, in terms of the range of area of effect attacks and damage output of attacks; however, as he was now in the Demigod Lich's Territory, it was no longer a certainty.

His survival would depend on the sort of Territory he possessed. If it was Territory that was not suited for battle, like the Soul Armature Practioner's, then the Archmage would have to give up, die, and be resurrected as an undead.

However, that thought did not cross the Archmage's mind, his book, The Book of Servitude, was rapidly flipping its pages again, and almost instantly, a defensive forbidden spell of light, 'Svalinn', was cast.

Golden rays of light burst forth from the rotating formation that had just appeared and formed a sphere of light around the Archmage, which shielded him from the incoming attacks. The light looked frail, but it proved to be impermeable; it was though the Archmage had the Western Wall from Greek mythology shielding him from the undead.

"Whoa! Only the First Walker could pull something like that off! Only he could face attacks of that caliber without using his own Territory!" The Paladin cheered in admiration. "But... That's 'Svalinn'! The Church's very own Svalinn, right? If I'm not mistaken, it's a grand-scale spell that requires five hundred choristers, a hundred bishops, an array of holy items, and a whole sleuth of complicated formations; Is the Book of Servitude really that powerful?!"

'That is because that old geezer has already activated his own Territory, my friend,' Baiyi thought to himself.

Unlike the Demigod Lich's Territory, the Archmage's Territory was not visually captivating or mind-blowing; however, it granted him to cast any spell irrespective of its requirements. It did not matter how many people were needed to cast the spell or the formations to be used; within his territory, which disregarded spell requirements — and using the Book of Servitude, which did not require any medium to cast spells — the Archmage could cast just about any spell by himself.

Although this territory was not as deadly as the Demigod Lich's, when it was complemented with the Book of Servitude, the results were bound to change. On seeing this development, the Demigod Lich put everything he had into his attacks, but they were all deflected by the Archmage's grand-scale defense spell, which the latter had cast with just one hand.

The perfect way in which his territory complimented his book, the Book of Servitude made the Archmage famous — a name that history would ways remember.

The Demigod Lich also seemed to think that this feat deserved some verbal acknowledgment, so he spoke through all the undead present, saying, "Nothing less can be expected from the greatest Emperor of the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire. Even an apocalyptic amount of undead could do harm to you."

"Your Territory is impressive," the Archmage replied calmly. "Regrettably, it's not enough to take me down."

"... Really?" The Demigod Lich sneered coldly.

He went quiet, and surprisingly, the undeads' attacks ceased; the skeletal dragons froze in mid-flight, the undead archers stopped firing, and the undead riders and soldiers stopped in their tracks; the entire world had suddenly turned silent.

However, everyone watching believed that this was more than just the calm before the storm.

"Fie. This spell is just too good at defense; it is so good, even I can't attack while within it! What an idiotic magic spell," the Archmage cursed under his breath as soon as he realized what the Lich's endgame wanted to be. Unfortunately for him, he was trapped within the dazzling orb of Svalinn, unable to retaliate.

A dozen low-level dreadshamans suddenly burst into green flames, and out of those flames came doppelgangers of the Demigod Lich; each of them held their own Souls of the Enslaved staffs. The staffs had no souls orbiting them; the Demigod Lich, who had already spent the majority of them surviving the Archmage's forbidden spells and casting his Territory, had spent what was left of them to create doppelgangers of himself.

"Now, unlike you, I don't know a lot of forbidden spells… because to me, a true master only needs one, " the twelve Demigod Lich doppelgangers all said in unison, and then they all began to chant together. A ring of diabolical runes appeared and hovered in front of their chests, and their colors slowly turned green.

The Demigod Lich was more than just a summoner of the undead; he was also a powerhouse in the field of offensive spells that targeted the soul. And now, he was unleashing one such forbidden spell called 'Gehenna'.

As soon as the Demigod Liches finished their chants, the runic rings in front of their chests cracked; green wisps of undead energy escaped these cracks, and the other undead, who had all been standing still for a while, made sonorous sky-splitting howls. Green energy surged out of their eye sockets and rushed into the sky, and then the energies zigzagged through the air, streaking to accumulate at a single point in the sky.

With their undead-lifeforce extracted, all the summoned undead fell to the ground and turned to dust, which completely covered the surface of the sandy desert. The skeletal dragons dropped from the sky like rain, and their bones disassembled into dust before they even hit the ground. The storm of falling bones and the billows of dust all hit the Archmage's spherical shield of light and made "pat pat pat" sounds.

The accumulated vortex of undead energy continued to expand in size, and then suddenly, the swirling green energies in the sky turned into a frightening figure that donned a ripped hooded cloak and held a gigantic scythe — a Grim Reaper.

The phantom Grim Reaper was so enormous, it was as large as the legendary Titans of lore; it seemed to connect the heaven and the earth by itself. No one there knew how a real Grim Reaper looked like, but they were sure that it really did exist, it would look just like this gigantic being.

The Archmage seemed like a grain of sand in front of the towering Grim Reaper. Under the control of the Demigod Lich's undead energy, the gigantic Grim Reaper scooped up the white dome, which had the Archmage within it, and raised it to its face.

The Archmage found himself staring at the skeletal face of Death.

"Thi—this is magic formed from the sacrifice of countless wraiths! It doesn't matter how strong you think your soul is; none can survive this! Alas, Sir Archmage, say hello to the complete annihilation of your soul!" The Lich cried out.

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320 The Master and His Apprentice

The gigantic Grim Reaper — which was an amalgamation of countless souls — raised its titanic scythe, which seemed large enough to cleave heaven neatly away from earth. With the fearsome aura of a world-splitter, it swung its blade down towards the Archmage.

This was not an attack aimed at the physical body; it was an attack aimed at the soul, and it could not be dodged, neither could it be blocked.

Whatever the Archmage did at this point would not have mattered. His only option seemed to channel all his energy into his own soul, in order to try and resist the attack. However, the meaning of the Demigod Lich's previous words still echoed in the mind of the spectators: just how was a single soul supposed to shoulder the burden of countless others, all by itself?

The Archmage also seemed to acknowledge the severity of this particular forbidden spell. He released the white sphere that covered him, as though he had resigned himself to the fate being brought by that terrifying scythe. Suddenly, he grinned, and with levity, he cried out, "Ooh! Scary!"

His left hand made a few flicking motions, making him look like he was strumming the strings of a harp. The Book of Servitude exploded into motes of light that moved to hover around and surround the Archmage.

At that moment, the gigantic scythe had already reached the Archmage.

Its blade towered over him. Even the ultra-thin edge of the scythe looked insurmountable, due to the massive size of the Grim Reaper. In comparison, the Archmage looked like a little mouse at the verge of being turned into a meat pie, or as the Lich had said, his soul was on the verge of being completely annihilated."

However, despite the gigantic's scythe's immense momentum, it was halted in its tracks by the glowing ribbons of light that were formed from the implosion of the Book of Servitude!

This ribbons of light were not only immaculate, but they were also thinner than a strand of hair, and yet it still blocked the scythe all the same!

"T-this... This is impossible!!!! No bloody person could possibly withstand the weight of these many lives! No one!" The Demigod Lich exclaimed at the sudden turn of events, which was the opposite of what he had predicted.

"Why should 'I' be the one to do that, though?" The Archmage — who was still hovering in midair, within his ring of light — replied, with a tone of pride. "Come on, have you already forgotten who I really am? Other than just being a sorcerer?"

The ribbons of light rushed from the beneath the scythe and rapidly coalesced atop the Archmage's right hand. Golden rays of surged out from the merging light-ribbons, and then after a brief blinding moment, they had coalesced into a new form. Their new form was not a book; it was a quaint and elegant scepter!

The Sage-Emperor of the Magi was more than just a sorcerer; he was the most eminent Emperor. The Book of Servitude was the weapon he always wielded into personal battles, but when he ruled his empire from his throne, he ruled with his scepter!

"So what if you have endless souls? So what if they combined to form a burden that no one could possibly shoulder?" The Archmage retorted in a regal tone. "They are naught but the souls of mortals. And all mortals should do the same when they face their monarch. They should always—"

"—Submit!"

As soon as he had said that, the gigantic Grim Reaper began to shudder uncontrollably. Its scythe, which was still frozen in midair, suddenly began to disintegrate into wisps of green light; the wisps of green light was quickly absorbed by the Grim Reaper.

After absorbing the light, the Grim Reaper shuddered some more, then it bowed. It bent its head so low that its posture was reminiscent of a common man kneeling in submission at the feet of an emperor.

At this, all the Demigod Lich could do was watch. He was not wrong when he stated that no one could endure the burden of countless souls, including him. In order to cast that forbidden spell, which required all the souls in his Souls of the Enslaved staff, he had to relinquish his control over the souls; and now, he could only watch the amalgamation of his souls, the Grim Reaper, bow to their new their new ruler — their emperor.

"... I see. I understand now. This is your second Territory!" The Lich murmured helplessly as he raised his head, watching the scene unfold. "You are the great emperor who built the Rohlserlian empire through many conquests. The great emperor, who had countless people willingly submit whenever you reveal your presence. This Territory... is your birthright."

"Just... Just a little bit more, and I could have... Ah, how regretful," the Demigod Lich sighed, and he tossed his Souls of the Enslaved staff away in surrender. "But to be able to cross swords with a heavyweight such yourself, Sir, has been my honor."

"Ahaha! Good fight. Good fight! I enjoyed myself, as well," the Archmage replied in feigned humility.

The Lich Walker's surrender brought an official end to the clash between Demigods, and the Archmage was the undisputed victor. He was, after all, the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, who had impeccable skills in two different fields. His ability to dextrously wield the power of Two Territories caused even the arrogant Lich Walker to bend his head in surrender.

As soon as the duel was over, Baiyi's simulated battlefield shattered, and the spectators found themselves back in the pitch-black darkness of the Void. The Archmage, who had emerged victorious, let out a little breath of melancholy. "It was so nice to return to my former glory! Too bad it was so brief..."

Although it had seemed the battle lasted a long time, it really lasted only a few minutes, which was to be expected from a battle between titans. They had both started with simple offensive spells, in order to test the waters, then they proceeded to go all out, dishing their trump cards in the process, in order to win as quickly as possible.

This was a battle of power, for control. It was devoid of fancy looking techniques that dealt little to no damage, and it was not a battle where tirades about friendship or bonds would cause both opponents to stop fighting; tirades like those would never fly in a battle of this level.

The Archmage had used his ability to wield another Territory to over the Lich Walker's trump card. Hence, when the Voidwalkers were returned to the Void, excited conversations broke out. The battle had left them wanting even more.

One of the snorting "Piggies" in the Void, the Warrior Walker, poked Baiyi and cooly said, "Master sure is powerful, huh? I think a lot of people had really underestimated him. But you knew this would happen, right?"

'You can't possibly think he's really just an excited old geezer who was excited to playing his grandson's video game, right?' Baiyi thought, feeling amused. However, she was right; he had deduced the outcome of the battle because he already knew all the techniques that the Archmage and the Lich Walker possessed. From the moment the battle began, the Lich Walker was at a disadvantage.

"Anyway, when did you begin to call him 'Master'?" Baiyi asked, out of curiosity.

"Hmph!" The Warrior snorted and went silent, without gracing him with a reply.

For some reason, that moment was when the second Piggie, the Assassin Walker, decided to initiate a conversation with Baiyi; she poked him and quietly said, "Hey dum-dum! Master and Barfbones' Territories were actually very awesome! What about yours? How's it like?"

'This... This is quite a difficult question to answer...' Baiyi pondered for a while and truthfully replied, "I, er, actually don't know. I don't even know if I have one."

"Huh? But why? Aren't you a Demigod-level fighter as well? You aren't faking that, are you?" The Assassin Walker asked, with traces of disappointment in her voice.

"Demigod? Well, it's hard to say for sure, isn't it? I don't even know if I understand it... I mean, Territories are much different from other forms of powers, you know; it's something that can't even be explained accurately in academic theories. I can't learn it through Memory Inheritance, so I have to find a way to realize my own Territory. To do so, I think I should — hey? Hey! Are you even listening?" Baiyi, who had only just started explaining, realized that the person he was talking had long since gone quiet, leaving him alone.

'Uh. This woman is too stupid for an academic discussion.' Baiyi lampooned her quietly, then he called out to the Archmage, who was chatting heartily about how awesome he had been. They had to begin the preparation for the Archmage's descent to the real world.

"Aha! This is the time to enjoy the fruit of my victory!" He exclaimed excitedly, bidding the other Voidwalkers farewell before joining Baiyi privately to prepare.

As they were preparing, he poked the Fifth Walker quietly and spoke mysteriously, saying, "Actually... That second Territory I used... You do know that I could never do that again, right?"

"Because you no longer possess the Book of Servitude?" Baiyi whispered. To trigger his second Territory, the Archmage, naturally, needed an external medium, just as the Lich Walker needed the Souls of the Enslaved staff to initiate his own Territory. With the book lost in time, the Archmage would not be able to use those forbidden spells in reality.

However, the Archmage's next reply was not something Baiyi had expected.

"Oh, the Book of Servitude is not the point! The problem is... I'm no longer an emperor."

The Archmage said, with a little melancholy and a little relief.

"Um, I..." Baiyi was suddenly lost for words. He thought that his teacher would, once again, repeat the entire "heir to the throne" debacle to him. However, since that empire, which had once stood proudly, was no more, the "throne"...

"I know! I know... I know our Rohlserl is gone," the Archmage said before Baiyi could reply. "But to everyone else and to us... As long as you're still here, Rohlserl would never truly be gone."

Baiyi fell silent. His sentiments had become complicated.

"The reason why I decided to use my second Territory to win was... well... I just wanted you to see... Ah, never mind that! Let us begin my 'Six Realms Five Planes - The Divine Figure of Kurikara'! An old geezer like me is just dying to see daylight... I can't wait!" The Archmage cut off his own words by himself.

They activated the Secret Technique, and the old militia plate armor set began to shudder slowly as the Archmage descended to the world. Then, the militia plate armor rose and looked at its leather gauntlet in fulfillment, and then it flexed a finger.

The Archmage sighed. "This familiar feeling... It feels so good..."

He wanted to take a stroll outside, but it was still the middle of the night; since everyone was still asleep, he could not frolic as much as he wanted.

Thus, the Archmage had to settle for less; instead of running around and creating shenanigans to humor himself, he began to walk around the Magus Lab...

After a small walk, he pulled up a stool and sat beside Baiyi, and then they both began to discuss academic questions concerning magical formations.

Something a Master and his apprentice would do.Baiyi had long since coined the Warrior Walker and the Assassin Walker "The Piggies".  Mentioned in chapter 316.

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321 The Birth of A Peregrination

Time moved quickly when one was engaged in an academic quorum.

It did not seem to take a long time before sounds of movement could be heard n the Magus Lab, which meant that the girls had woken up; however, the master and his apprentice did not seem to want to end their conversation.

While conversing, they stumbled on a conundrum they could not reach a conclusion on: "What name should we give our next technique."

"You have been inside the Void, so why don't we take a stroll outside?" Baiyi said, out of good will. The battle for a chance to descend was a hard one for the Archmage; it would be cruel for him to deny his teacher a chance to go outside.

"Oh, being in the company of the kids would do just fine! Especially when you, Son, have something more important to do," the Archmage said as he stood up and stretched, just like humans did.

After that, he exclaimed softly, "Haha! Gods, the secret Pseudo-Descent spell permits stretching to feel as good as real! I really have to admire my handiwork; my secret technique can replicate such a complicated action so flawlessly!"

"Please. Don't tell me that all the complex structures we constructed were for these lame functions," Baiyi murmured. "Don't tell me you even listened to those perverted Voidwalkers, the Cleric and the Paladin, and simulated the functions and feel of a tongue... right?"

The improved version of their secret Pseudo-Descent Technique was very much better than the one they used to place on the hammerhead shark. They had added more functions, placing heavy emphasis on an accurate depiction of the stimuli from the five senses. This was because he wanted every Voidwalker to experience as much realism as possible, allowing them to enjoy real-world experiences; it will make them feel as though they had been borne again. However, in order for the consciousness to enter the real world, it would have to latch onto Baiyi's consciousness.

"Please! I designed this secret technique myself! There are so many other important functions... This realistic feeling is just one of those bonuses," the Archmage replied with a rare serious tone.

He stepped out of the Magus Lab before Baiyi did, and they headed towards the yard.

The students were still upstairs having their baths, so they had yet to see the new Soul Armature walking around downstairs.

Baiyi followed the Archmage to the yard and watched him wave at the alacritous flowers, greeting them. He stepped forward and flicked the Man-eating plant that was just about to bite the Archmage's butt. "What's with this 'more important thing' that I had to do?" Baiyi turned and asked his master.

"It's definitely not about reviving the Rohlserlian Empire," the Archmage said, allaying his student's unspoken fear. "I just want to pass you the last of my legacy."

"Teacher... your knowledge, experience, and your throne have been passed to me. It's more than enough, please. I'm... I'm not overly ambitious," Baiyi said, declining hastily.

"Don't say something that might make you regret!" The Archmage replied, with a chuckle, as he watched his student. "Think about it. What's the one thing I haven't given you?"

Baiyi froze. There was only one thing left that the Archmage had not given him. "It can't be— "

The Fifth Walker paused, then continued with a whisper. "The Book of Servitude? But it's already— "

"Gone? Hmm, that's quite correct; yep. When I'm gone, it'll be gone; However, naturally, when I returned, it'll also return," The Archmage said, mysteriously. He stirred the mana within his old militia armor body and created a gigantic formation right in front of himself.

"H-hold on a minute!" Baiyi blurted out. "Sir, this isn't... necessary."

"What's the matter? You think you're already overpowered without the Book of Servitude?" The Archmage replied, with a smile.

"N-No. That wasn't what I meant... I just thought that it was your most valuable and important legacy, my Teacher. I have no intention of just snatching it from your hands," the Fifth Walker replied, with genuine concern. "I would rather wait for the day you to Descend to the world properly. Maybe then we can go about reclaiming it."

That was the truth. It had never been all about power, to Baiyi. Although the Book of Servitude was a book of immense power, Baiyi could not bring himself to pilfer the very last possession the Archmage had.

The Archmage said nothing. He slowly strutted to Baiyi's side and lightly clapped a hand on the Fifth Walker's shoulder.

Like an old, wise sage advising a young acolyte, he said, "My child... Sometimes, you could stand to be more greedy."

"I'm touched by your choice, but you're wrong. It's no longer mine. The moment I named you as my heir, it became yours." The Archmage continued, "The reason why I wanted to descend now... was because I wanted to give you the help you need to claim it."

The formation rose again, and this time, the Archmage kept his focus on it.

The scene of the battle between the Archmage and the Demigod Lich's Grim Reaper resurfaced in Baiyi's mind. His mind kept replaying the part wherein the book transformed into a royal scepter, and that was when Baiyi felt like he understood something...

"Well, to be honest, I should have told you the means to summon it. But I'm pretty sure that once you have the book, you'll understand that this spell isn't one that could be taught to someone else. In the end, I'll have to do this myself. It is kinda annoying, but, on the other hand, it does draw out a befitting sense of solemness and glorious purposefulness..." The Archmage murmured to no one in particular.

The formation began to glow with different dazzling colors; one would think that the spaces within the intricate structure of the formation were being occupied by different parts of a rainbow.

However, anyone who had a modicum of magical knowledge would find this sight frightening. This was because the color of the glow a formation emitted depended on the type of mana that was being imbued into it. It should have been impossible for a formation to host this many types of mana simultaneously!

Anyone who accidentally saw this may begin to feel as though everything they thought they knew was all a lie. Thus, it was fortunate that no one was privy to the events happening in Baiyi's yard, or they would become disillusioned with the world and their lives.

Baiyi, however, knew better. The formation looked ostensibly singular, it was actually the amalgamation of multiple formations. It had been created using a technique that was retroactively inspired by the more modern way of casting magic, by piecing runes together — the perfect blend of two different magical systems.

Perfect combinations like this were the hottest research du jour among academics of theoretical magic. Baiyi was sure that if he wrote a paper about this formation, including how to use it, his name would never be forgotten.

However, he believed that the Archmage had an even simpler and more convenient way to summon the Book of Servitude. Therefore, the only reason why his teacher had opted for such a flashy formation was probably because there was a deeper meaning to it.

"Alright; I'm not entirely sure if this worked, for I'm only here because I am borrowing your consciousness. Theoretically, it should now function as planned because you're my appointed heir... " The Archmage said — words that Baiyi could not really understand — as he took his hands off the formation.

The variety of colors emanating from shone brightly, like the light from an overcharged neon sign. Soon, the sky no longer seemed like it was morning. It was as though it had a big disco ball within it, which was emitting this varying colors of light.

"Your aesthetics is seriously..." Baiyi paused in mid-sentence and decided to just watch the light show.

The Archmage replied in unconcerned tone. "What do you know about aesthetics anyway, kid? This is my super-secret code to summon the Book of Servitude! Only me could use it! Look at it... isn't it just the coolest thing ever?!"

The Archmage jovially replied; it seemed as though he had become that dour old geezer, who everyone recognized.

The lights began shimmer faster and glow brighter; it almost became blinding. Suddenly, as if it couldn't take the load anymore, the formation exploded with a "bang!". The explosion created motes of colorful lights, which soon disappeared completely.

"... Did we fail?" Baiyi asked, in concern.

"Hell no! It was a success! When do I ever fail at things?" The Archmage replied, beaming from ear to ear.

Baiyi stretched an arm forward and waited for a while, but nothing came flying into his hand.

"Patience," the Archmage said reassuringly.

After those words, Baiyi did not wait for much longer before something happened. His senses suddenly felt a strange frequency pulsing in the South. It was not mana or combat chi, neither was it a frequency that could be sensed with psychic energy.

It was something else entirely. Any attempt to accurately describe it would be futile. This unexplainable sensation had invoked the feeling that, in a distant location, a powerful being had gently roused; or the feeling of a leviathan opening its eyes slowly after years of slumber.

Despite the great distance, Baiyi could hear its thundering heartbeats.

He was not alone, for all of whom were very powerful, in the realm, had sensed the very same presence.

In the Tower of Babel, where the Sorcerers' Association was situated, the most powerful sorcerers looked in the same direction simultaneously. In the deepest part of the vaults of books within the Doors of Conundrum, the greatest sages slipped into deep contemplation, and their books were forgotten. In the Northern Land, warriors had been training since the crack of dawn, but they suddenly stopped and gathered together to discuss what their senses had picked up. In the Holy City of Canningham, the Pope hurriedly finished the morning's mass, in the Temple of Auguries, and then he, too, turned to look in the same direction, lost in his thoughts.

Within the hall of the unnervingly chilly Basilisk, where the highest ranks of Godsfalls cultists gathered, the three depraved silhouettes met and quickly began to device another plot...

Contrary to what the others had felt, Baiyi did not find the frequency cold, terrifying, or even suffocating; instead, he found it warm, comforting, gentle, and familiar.

This felt just like the consciousness he had come in contact with when he first arrived at the Void.

Back then, he was just a feeble soul — a lonely man from Earth, who had spent way too much time alone. He had been floating aimlessly in the darkness of the Void, alone, not knowing when he would perish. He knew only desperation and forlornness... until a surge of consciousness came into contact with him, whispering in a deep voice, "There's no need to be afraid, child..."

"So this is it," Baiyi said, in understanding.

"Go. That's where the Book of Servitude is. Go and claim what is yours," the Archmage said to Baiyi.

"Aww. I thought it was going to fly into my hands," Baiyi mumbled, with some resignation.

"That easily?! Do you think you can obtain the greatest and most guarded treasure of the Rohlserlian Empire just by extending your arm? What do you think it is, a pigeon?" The Archmage retorted, clearly annoyed.

"Well, you should have, at least, warned me that there's going to be a peregrination of some kind so that I could prepare for it," Baiyi said, with a mirthless smile.

"Besides, since you decided to make such a big show of it, I'll bet you attracted everyone to this treasure hunt now. Are you sure that I'll be able to get it before someone else does?"(and presumably the readers) ...Nope. You never!]

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322 A Simple Prep Before The Excursion

The Archmage's answer was filled with confidence, something that was characteristic of him. "What is there to worry about? You're just trying to reclaim what is rightfully yours; what's there to even prepare? As for the others I attracted, well... what do you think this whole thing was? It's the most sacred event of all time — your official ascension as the next Emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire! We need a big audience! Unfortunately, they were all I could attract to your event, Son. Can't help you more than that, so please accept my apology."

'You... You actually wanted to make this whole thing so big a spectacle?! Where is your elderly wisdom of keeping things confidential? And also... I knew it! You kept saying that the time of the Rohlserlians was no more, but at every given chance, all you remember is that massive and glorious empire!' Baiyi complained internally.

"Alright, my student; a king does not dither, so chop-chop! Go and claim my final legacy as yours!" The Archmage declared, with a tone of finality.

With that, Baiyi took off into the air, using a levitation spell. He began to accelerate, and with a sonic boom and a bright flash, he was gone.

"I hope... I hope you would treasure my last gift to you, child," murmured the Archmage as he gazed at the horizon, where Baiyi had disappeared to, with a pensive look.

Barely two seconds had passed, and Baiyi suddenly returned from whence he had gone.

"What's the matter? Don't you dare return empty-handed!" The Archmage exclaimed, visibly displeased.

"I'm just... kinda worried," Baiyi said, with concern, as he landed in front of the First Voidwalker "I mean, what happens after I take your final legacy? Will... Will you vanish forever?"

"Preposterous! Think with your noodles. What do you think this is — a passionate shonen story? 'Inheriting the last will of your sensei' and whatnot? If this was such a story then how come I don't see you grinding to increase your level by killing hordes and hordes of monsters?" The Archmage scolded

"Oh. Touche." Baiyi nodded in approval of the Archmage's reasoning.

"Go, go, go. Get it over with ASAP so that I can go back to the Void. By the way, damn; it's been a while since I summoned some cards! Next time, I'm gonna try summoning something from that 'Dead Heat Summer Race!' event!"

"Fine! I'll stage that event once you're back in the Void." Baiyi took off into the air again.

This time, he did not reach the horizon Archmage's sight before flying back again. He didn't wait for the Archmage's before saying, "I can't believe I got duped by your hijinks! I did not even leave instructions and plans for them, so how do you expect me to leave?"

"Can you, for once, just have an adventure without fussing over preparatory plans?" The Archmage asked.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Baiyi snapped. "Fine; let's say I did leave just like that, how do you suppose the kids would treat a weirdo, who had appeared out of nowhere? They'll kick you out, and you know that, right?"

This time, the Archmage admitted defeat.

Baiyi led the Archmage back to the mansion, and coincidentally, they met the girls, who had all finished taking baths. They were as convivial as they were gorgeous, and as soon as they saw Baiyi waving them over, they obediently came to his side.

They were all looking at the militia armor set standing behind their teacher; even Little Mia's eyebrows were furrowed in curiosity. She found the armor very familiar, but the memories she had of it were tactile. It seemed she had rubbed her cheeks against that armor before. However, she was not sure of herself because old militia armor sets, like the one behind her teacher, were common, so it was not much of a surprise that another soul armature was summoned into an old militia armor set, like the one before her.

Even her own Mr. Hope had vouched that, for its humble appearance, the old militia armor set was actually more functional than its appearance suggested.

Tisdale crept close to her and nudged her gently. She lowered her voice and said to Mia, "Is it me or does this soul armature look familiar?"

Mia was about to reply with a staunch affirmation when Baiyi coughed dryly. Looking at his students, he announced, "Um, this... This is my old friend. He came to visit me and is going to stay here for a few days. You may call him— "

"'Grandpa'. Just call me that!" The Archmage interrupted Baiyi, and promptly named himself. He stepped forward, before being invited to, and with a jovial tone of voice, he said, "Haha! Look at all of them! They are all such healthy, adorable children!"

Then he gestured towards Tisdale with a wave of his hand. "Dale, come over."

"Ey? M-me?" Tisdale was puzzled; how did the stranger manage to know her name without her introducing herself? However, out of courtesy and a lingering feeling of familiarity, Tisdale contained her skepticism inside and walked to the old militia armor.

"Mm-hmm. Good girl. You're always so good..." The militia armor gently ruffled Tisdale's hair with its rough gauntlet, which was made out of cow-leather; the voice emanating from the militia armor was one of fulfillment. It was as if the new soul armature was finally getting to meet an old friend.

'Uh... It's weird, but I feel like... I feel warm. This fella who called himself "Grandpa" does emanate a kindly, senior mien... Why?' Tisdale thought to herself.

"Look at you! You've become more beautiful and more gentle. Your countenance is demure and elegant, and your intellect has sharpened even more; nevertheless, you remain ever so humble. To see you grow into such a fine, young lady really makes me pleased," the new soul armature added.

His string of unadulterated praises made the girl blush so hard, her cheeks turned red. She timidly replied, "Thank you for the compliments. I'll work even harder."

The other students were befuddled. Why was a stranger lavishly praising Tisdale on their first meeting?

Baiyi felt even more perplexed. His master's penchant to act like a friend to everyone had already made the situation murkier than he would have liked, and because of that, he had no lies to use to allay his students' confusion.

Furthermore, the Fifth Walker reckoned that he did not much time left to explain to the kids. He still had to talk to Aya and Vidomina's butler about taking care of the kids. The Archmage seemed to know that his apprentice was embarrassed, so he assured him. "Don't worry about the kids; you can trust me with them. I know you've got some other things to do."

"According to our schedule, they are supposed to have their first class with our new part-time teacher today. Our part-time teacher, Joseph, would be coming over for his first class," Baiyi replied.

"Got it. You can trust me on this; don't worry!" said the Archmage, who was oozing confidence.

That did not pacify Baiyi, however. He recollected the fiasco that happened back then when the Archmage had taken over the plushie, to teach as Professor S. Nevertheless, Baiyi found himself more worried about the whereabouts and status of the Book of Servitude.

He could not attend to the kids and look for the book; he had to choose to do only one. Hence, after reminding his students to pay attention to their upcoming classes, he turned to go and see Aya.

At that moment, from behind him, he heard Tisdale mutter, "Huh? We have classes already? And here I thought we were gonna go shopping today..."

Whenever the kids made the sort of complaints, Baiyi would pretend that he did not hear them, but the Archmage did not just acknowledge it, he jumped at the opportunity. "Oh, you don't feel like going to class? Okay! Then let's go shopping together!"

The students cheered loudly, and Baiyi's head ached. 'Alright; he had just descended. He would, of course, want to hang out with the kids in this way, right? Right.'

After reassuring himself, Baiyi opened the door to leave, but before he could take a step, the Archmage yelled for him to stop.

Baiyi turned around and saw the leather palm of the militia's gauntlet open.

'What now?'

"Money! I can't believe I have to remind you!" The Archmage said in a low voice. "Since I'm the one taking them out for shopping, as the senior, I can't be asking them to pay for their own things, can I?"

"Don't... Don't overspend on them, okay?" Baiyi replied, tossing a storage pouch to the Archmage.

However, the old militia armor's hand was still outstretched, and it still seemed as expectant as before.

"Oh, dear old me! After putting in so much effort and heart, all I get is a miser as my apprentice. I even give him my greatest and most priceless treasure, yet he can't even give me something decent in return! Oh, my heart... aches! It aches!" The Archmage wallowed in a melodramatic tone.

A (╬￣皿￣) expression instantly appeared on Baiyi's mask. That storage pouch contained three million gold coins, which was enough to buy three apparel stores, yet the old geezer was still complaining!

Fine. Fine! He tossed him another two storage pouches filled with gold coins, and the Archmage finally retracted his hand. He looked back at the student and said, "Alright, everyone! Get ready; wear your best clothes! Today, we are going out... as stars!!!"

The girls cheered again and rushed upstairs to change into their very best.

Baiyi could only leave in silence. Before the door closed, he heard the Archmage's say, "Remember to tell that Butler-guy next door that we want a more luxurious coach!"

'That's all you now care about? Have you forgotten all your eldest child immediately after meeting the younger ones? Are you not even the slightest bit concerned about the trials and tribulations your student is about to face?' Baiyi complained silently as he walked toward the Butler's house.

After giving the butler some instructions to carry out while he was away, Baiyi left for Aya's house, which was situated opposite the Aegis Mansion.

The dragon-lady was already dressed gracefully — an A+ look for a teacher, no doubt. When she saw Baiyi by her door, she was surprised. "Why have you come over this early? Are you here to wish Mordred and me good morning?"

Mordred, however, was quick to act. She leaped onto Baiyi's thigh and shouted, "Good morning, papa!"

"It's nothing like that," Baiyi said, as he patted Mordred's face. He informed Aya he would be going away on a long journey...

"Oh? Was it because of that strange frequency a while ago?" Aya asked after listening.

Baiyi nodded. "You felt it too, huh..."

Although the frequency had spread throughout the continent, not everyone would have been able to detect it. Even Baiyi's students had no idea that such a frequency was broadcasted that morning. As for Aya, Baiyi never got around to conclusively ascertaining her innate power, but judging by the fact that she had sensed that frequency, Baiyi decided that it could not be too bad.

"Understood. You can rest assured; I'll take care of the kids for you," Aya replied primly. Suddenly, she closed the distance between herself and Baiyi, and when she reached him, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his mask, softly saying, softly "Be careful. And come back soon."

A typical scene of a wife sending her husband off...

Two extremely cold snorts rang out from deep within the Void, causing the Fifth Walker to flee in a hurry. "Hmph!"

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323 This Stage Is Tremendous

Since everything had happened so quickly, Baiyi did not feel that he had made enough preparations.

Although he sought to drag the Archmage along with him as his companion, the old geezer had placed so much faith in him, so he just could not bring himself to attempt to. At that moment, his mind was reeling with thoughts.

However, Baiyi did not feel the slightest shred of panic; his confidence stemmed from his own teacher's attitude towards his expedition. In fact, at that moment, he was more concerned about giving good excuses about his identity, especially when the hunt for the source of the frequency blew up. He had previously explained troubles away by posing as an ancient great sage from the Doors of Conundrum, but if he obtained the Book of Servitude in broad daylight, just like that, his alter ego would become shaky at best.

He would not mind if everyone began to guess who he really was, but when they realized that only he could wield the book, his identity as the heir to the Rohlserlian Empire would be as good as revealed; it would be no different from him announcing, in public, to an audience that he was the new emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire!

Now that he thought about it, he was sure this was his teacher's intention. Staging a big spectacle to attract a lot of people so that they could witness him claim the book! 'Gods, I can't fight him, can I?'

Then again, once Baiyi obtained the Book of Servitude, combined with the powers he already wielded had, he would become so powerful that he could forcefully crush anyone who doubted him. When he obtained the book, it would not matter if he built an academy, a military force, or preach "heretical" ideas about the Void, because his newly acquired destructive power would deter anyone harboring the intent to do him harm. No one would be able to dismiss him, for he would be able to cast forbidden spells on a whim; this would make him no different from a walking nuclear bomb, which could go off multiple times, at will.

Perhaps, the Archmage, whose instincts were honed by the feats he achieved as the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, had foreseen even more than Baiyi could, so he chose to create such a spectacle for a higher purpose, not for superficial reasons, like making Baiyi famous.

"I can't wait to find it quickly and return home! Handing the kids over to that old geezer is starting to feel more like a mistake... What's gonna happen to them? Good thing there are no such things as free-to-play mobile games in this universe!" Baiyi murmured as he flew from one place to another; his psychic power guided his flight path, towards the source of the frequency.

After flying for a long time, he pondered out loud. " How long have I been up here? Why haven't I reached my destination yet? How far could the source even be?"

No one answered him. The author of this event, the Archmage, was, after all, in the company of beautiful maidens, who had dressed their best for an outing, and his bottom was comfortably cushioned by the seat of a luxurious coach that Vidomina's butler had prepared. His old sweet life had come back to him! As for his student… all he could say was "Meh, let him fly and cool himself off in the chilly atmospheric air."

After a long flight — which lasted all the way into high noon, when people had begun to take lunch breaks — Baiyi finally found the source of that frequency.

He gazed at the big city below his hovering feet and exclaimed, "Are you sure you're not just messing with me?!"

This was because the frequency from the Book of Servitudes had come directly from the Capital City of the Walthart Empire. The event was way over-the-top!

Unfortunately, no one was there to ask the Archmage why he would place his holy grail within another's capital city, allowing his apprentice to "become the next Emperor" on someone else's turf. However, the Archmage was far away, enjoying tea in the company of Baiyi's beautiful girls. Although he was not able to eat or drink, because he had no mouth or tongue, he was enjoyed the fine cuisine… just by looking at it and watching the girls eat. To him, it was very heartwarming.

Meanwhile, his apprentice, Baiyi, was still hovering in midair, unable to decide what to do. The security was tight, and there were many hidden powerhouses stationed in every corner of the Capital City. That put an end to Baiyi's initial plan to let loose.

Another issue for Baiyi was that the frequency seemed to emanate from the entire city. That made it seem as though the source of the frequency was the city itself. 'How am I supposed to find it,' he thought. It was not like he could begin to search through every nook and cranny of the city.

The only good news for him was that the frequency had not stopped pulsating; that meant that the book had not been retrieved by someone else. Baiyi used that to assure himself; the worst case scenario had not happened yet.

However, the situation was embarrassing, and since it was now apparent that the search would be a long one, requiring intensive strategizing and planning, Baiyi turned to the remaining Voidwalkers for advice.

"Why don't we just infiltrate the city stealthily?" The Hitman Walker suggested.

'That seems logical, but since the suggestion came out from your mouth, it now seems more absurd.'

"Maybe we should hold off and study our current situation," the Thane Walker advised. "I admit that I did not expect Sir Archmage to come up with such a difficult task, but I believe he had his reasons. Maybe you should wait a little longer? Maybe after a while, the Book of Servitude will fly into your hands?"

Baiyi waited for a while. The book never came.

He now knew he had to secure it on his own.

Just then, a sorcerer, who was one of the Capital City's city watch, flew over from and greeted him. Baiyi could see a badge with the title "Centurion" pinned on the guard's uniform, so he was sure this was one of the superiors of the city watch.

"Master Hope, please, follow me," said the sorcerer.

"Hmm?" Baiyi was a little befuddled.

The sorcerer grinned. "I know of your intention, Sir. We've already welcomed many other powerhouses who followed the same trail you did and came to our city."

"Then, that means..." Baiyi began, hesitantly.

"Of course; this is his Royal Majesty's will. The Emperor is currently attending an emergency council, with regards to this incident. We were the ones assigned the job of welcoming all fighters into the city. We urge everyone to remain calm and patient while we wait for his Royal Majesty's new order," replied the Centurion in a dignified manner.

Although the centurion appeared to be average in terms of power, the city belonged to his emperor. The errands he had to run in the name of his emperor bestowed him a sense of pride.

"Understood. Please, show me the way." Baiyi nodded.

After a while, they reached a manor, whose size spanned several miles; it was on the outskirts of the Capital City. Looking at the manor's vast size and its opulent design and architecture, it was not hard to tell that this was one of the royal vacation houses belonging to the Emperor. Inviting the powerhouses over to this manor was a sign of goodwill from the Emperor.

There were already many powerhouses within the manor. As soon as the Fifth Walker landed, he could feel himself being scanned by multiple sources of psychic energy. Even the powerhouses who could not use psychic energy — for example, knights — studied him careful with attentive gazes. Baiyi's ears also began to pick up some hushed discussions.

"A lone soul armature? Where's his practitioner?"

"Eh, that's nothing strange. With the aid of some rare items or special secret techniques, a soul armature can stay a large distance away from their summoner; larger than normal. Plus, being able to do this gives a hint of their innate power."

"But his power's only at the level of a Master! I thought only those who were Legendary-level or above were able to sense that presence!"

"Oh, young man! Have you forgotten that one could easily alter the power level that onlookers perceive? Do you honestly believe he is only at the Master level?"

"What are you people even talking about? He's not a random nobody; he's that Hope that the Church keeps extolling!"

Those words stirred the crowd into another round of discussion, and this time, more people expressed interest. They had all heard of Hope, but almost none of them had seen him before. More glances were directed Baiyi's way.

"So thi—this is how the famous Hope looks like? I thought he would look... even mightier and more... impressive."

"Gawds, someone should explain the fashion sense behind that helmet to me! It looks like he's wearing a pumpkin. And what's with that scarf? This guy's taste is abysmal."

"I remember that his armor was actually a gift from his Majesty very own 'Sanctus'! What has he done with it?"

Baiyi had no interest in talking to them, but he was a little upset that this was the caliber of people who would witness him become the new emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire. The people talking were few in number; most of the powerhouses present just silently watched Baiyi. Soon a maid arrived and led Baiyi to a room.

"What a drag," he said to those in the Void. "Looks like things have just gotten a little more complicated."

"Perhaps, Sir Archmage's real intention is to test your character. The reward of this pursuit is the Book of Servitude, so you must prove yourself to be unequivocally fit to possess it. Seeing as the test already looks difficult at this point, then I can confidently say that he really did intend for it to be complicated," the Scholar replied. "It is starkly poetic because it has been you who has been serving as the gamemaster for his entertainment, and now, he returns the favor."

'Oh, good. Let us forget the many leeways I have given him in games, and let us also forget the cheats that I have handed him covertly, shall we?' Baiyi retorted quietly.

Despite how complicated and bothersome the situation had become, Baiyi still had to see it through and acquire the book. All he could do now was to wait for the Emperor's next decree, for it would influence his plan to a great degree.

By evening, there was still no news from the Emperor. By then, the Archmage had finished having dinner with the girls, who all had on stunning nightgowns, and had gone to an opera to enjoy some music. While he was there, as an old, worn-out militia armor being accompanied by beautiful girls, he was the subject of many envy-filled glances.

While all that was happening, his apprentice, Baiyi, was in a luxurious room playing with the tea he was served by the maids. He made the tea rise from the cup and form little characters.

The Emperor finally finished his council and issued a decree. The decree was communicated to every room via a communication rune, and it was a message only meant for the powerhouse who had come to the city.

In the message, the Emperor expressed his confusion at the recent development, but he considered it a godsent opportunity, not a calamity. Although no one was sure why a secret supreme treasure had revealed itself within the Capital City, where the royal family lived, he assured the visiting powerhouses that he, the Emperor, would not expend any national treasures to claim it; hence, they were all free to use their own skills and expertise to try and obtain the treasure. He also said that if any member of the royal families were to participate in the search, they would do so only representing themselves.

The rest of the message contained rules laid down by the Emperor.

First, there were to be no large-scale skirmishes within Capital City, and no activities breaking the law were allowed. The royal palace was off limits, as well.

Secondly, the hunt for the treasure was to be done covertly so that the lives of the common citizens are not affected. If a disagreement were to arise between powerhouses, the royal family shall serve as the court. If the opposing powerhouses are hellbent on doing battle, they do so in the city's colosseum or outside the city, preventing harm from reaching the common citizen.

Lastly, those who violate the royal decree shall be subjected to the highest form of punishment that the Empire possesses.

Many thought that the Emperor's decision to abstain from the hunt was perhaps the smartest choice he could have made. This ensured that he could better monitor the powerhouses and prevent harm from reaching his people.

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324 Planting Seeds For Future Plans

After the decree was communicated to the visiting powerhouses, the hunt for the mysterious treasure officially began. However, none of those participating was foolish enough to believe that the Empire's rules would bring about fairness. Although the Emperor had stated that the Empire was not going to get involved in the hunt, the Capital City was still under his rule, so if the royal members joined the fray, they would still receive some hidden support from the Empire and enjoy the home advantage over the visiting powerhouses. That would vastly increase their chances of acquiring the mysterious treasure.

After all, the Emperor would not be able to save face if the treasure got obtained, right under his nose, by a random visitor. If Baiyi had not already known that the mysterious treasure was actually the Book of Servitude, he might have just turned his back instead of playing a part in the Emperor's political game.

However, he found it amusing to see a horde of people rushing into the city even though they had no idea what the treasure was. Even the Emperor had pretended to abstain from joining the hunt as he called for fairness from all sides. When Baiyi thought about all this, he felt like bursting into laughter.

The sky darkened, but the royal vacation house was still bustling with activity. Even without leaving his room, Baiyi could hear the restless movements from outside — the susurrus of secret plans... The powerhouses had already begun to discuss strategies. Some had even slipped out of the manor to scour the city all through the night. The Emperor had imposed a night-time curfew until further notice, and only a fool would be oblivious to the real reason why the Emperor had not specified a date that the aforementioned curfew would end.

As some others succumbed to their excitement and anticipation, Baiyi sat quietly at a desk in his room. He had a quiver in his hand, with which he was using to write a letter.

The content of the letter had nothing to do with the treasure hunt, at all; it was about his upcoming Academy.

There were many procedures involved for one who wished to establish an academic institution. One of them was obtaining approval from the Emperor.

Since Baiyi had planned to obtain the Book of Servitude right in the Emperor's Capital City, he was worried that the Emperor may choose to refuse to grant approval for his academy.

Baiyi was still very relieved that he had decided to build his academy in that small realm, as this would, at least, prevent him from being burdened by bureaucratic procedures in the future. Furthermore, he had already solved many other matters related to his future academy; for starters, he had already acquired a permit which officiated his ownership of that small realm, and he had acquired a Power Level certificate. Therefore, once he obtained this approval, the Emperor would have very little power over his academy.

Besides, if Baiyi needed to acquire some other documents from other organizations, they would attend to him even faster than they would the current emperor because, by then, the Book of Servitude would be in his possession.

Baiyi had decided that there was no need to rush off in search of the book; he alone would not be enough to find it. Brawn had yielded little effects on this expedition; two things that were more important than it was manpower and good luck, and Baiyi was already at a disadvantage in both.

The Archmage must have known about this, too, yet he still sent Baiyi on this journey, hence the Fifth Walker decided to go with the flow and resolve some less urgent matters first.

Baiyi was soon distracted by a knock on his door; someone had come to pay him a visit. When he opened the door, he saw a bald head that was so shiny, his room seemed to lit up. It was someone Baiyi already knew — the Great Sage "Baldy" Kris.

"Great Sage Hope! You're here too," Baldy Kris greeted Baiyi, with a smile.

"I didn't know that there were others from the Doors of Conundrum interested in this," Baiyi replied. He took a step back and invited the man into his room.

"The pulses of that frequency was too strong and terrifying to ignore," Baldy Kris replied as he sat on a nearby couch. "Three other Great Sages from the executive branch also answered the calling and now, including you and me, there are a total of five people from the Doors of Conundrum here!"

Being in the executive branch meant that those three Great Sages had more strength than was required to lift books and flip pages, but their combat power was still limited. Although they were able to defeat those weaker than they were, in a serious battle with someone slightly stronger than they were, the Great Sages would have no hope of coming out victorious.

This was the reason why Kris had come looking for Baiyi. The members of the Doors of Conundrum there had more faith in Baiyi's battle prowess than they did their own.

"What do you wish to gain from this?" Baiyi asked.

"Nothing much," Baldy replied, with a coy smiled. This made Baiyi realize that he did not know the extent of their battle capabilities and their roles. "We don't suppose we will actually get our hands on the secret treasure, but it would be an honor to take a look at it and analyze it for a bit."

"How much information about this secret treasure have you acquired, so far? An item that could emit such a wide frequency must have been recorded in the archives within the headquarters, right?" Baiyi asked with feigned ignorance.

Baldy Kris shook his shiny head sideways. "Not a clue. Mind you, a lot of sages have begun turning the archives inside out, just to find any information that might be useful, but it would probably take a bit of time before we get any information from them. Does Great Sage Hope have any lead we can share?"

"No luck here, either," Baiyi shook his head sideways, in pretense. "From what I could gather, no one knows what the treasure is; even the master of this city, his Majesty the Emperor, has no clue. I would have even less chance of knowing what it is!"

Although Baiyi had spoken nonchalantly, he knew he had less time to find it, seeing as the Doors of Conundrum were already scouring their archives for information; it would not take long for them to find information about the book. If the information then becomes public knowledge, the situation would change drastically.

At that time, no one would be able to resist the allure of such a power treasure, and this was sure to attract those who were especially ruthless and would stop at nothing to obtain it.

"Do you have any plans, Great Sage Hope? We'll do our best to provide," Baldy Kris said.

"No concrete plans. Frankly, this treasure isn't even the main reason why I am here," Baiyi replied as he walked over to the desk. He took the half-finished letter and passed it to Baldy Kris.

"'Permission to establish an academy, which will employ a holistic, comprehensive education method, on a small realm'..." Baldy skimmed through the title of the letter and looked up quickly. "You have plans to build a school, sir?"

"Yea; I came to the Capital City to obtain his Majestic's approval... Only to get caught in the middle of all this," said Baiyi.

"Ah! It is always great news when another institution that seeks to dispense knowledge is established. My heartfelt congratulations to you on you,r institution in advance," Baldy exclaimed earnestly. He was not surprised at Baiyi's revelation, neither did he find it strange. This was because a lot of great sages from the Doors of Conundrum often ended up becoming principals. In many institutions, most of the important staff members were alumni of the Doors of Conundrum. This was understandable because the Doors of Conundrum was a titan of the academic world.

"Well, I still have many documents pending. This is only the beginning," Baiyi replied as he took back the letter. I would even have to visit the headquarters at some point; I hope it will go smoothly."

"Hahaha! Please! You don't have to worry about the headquarters, at all. As long as you go there in person, whatever you need will be done very quickly." Baldy Kris smiled.

Just like that, Baiyi had successfully changed the subject of discussion from the treasure hunt to his academy. Night soon arrived, and Baldy Kris decided to take his leave.

After he left Baiyi's room, he realized that they had spent a long time talking about academics, instead of the elusive treasure!

"Sigh. It's not like we have much to talk about at the moment. Most of the information still eludes us..." Baldy Kris rubbed his shiny bald head before returning to his room.

Shortly after the Great Sage Kris's departure, Baiyi heard another knock at his door. When he opened the door, he saw another bald, shiny head, but it was not Baldy kris's. His visitor wore a paladin's silver knight armor.

The visitor seemed to be from the Church.

'The hell is with me and bald heads today. Likes attract... is that the reason? That cannot be; I have a headful of lush black hair, so how come I keep attracting these eggheads?' Baiyi thought to himself.

Outwardly, he asked, "State your intention."

"Well, it's good to see you again, Master Hope!" The visitor grinned as he greeted.

Baiyi had to rack his memory to remember this person; it was the fella he had met only once, for a very short time, back in Mia's hometown. His name was Charlie or Charles or... something. Why had he even shaved his head? Was it so that he would be able to perform a "Serious Punch"?

"Well met," Baiyi said, and led the man into his room. As soon as the man came in, Baiyi began to probe. "I didn't know that the Church was interested in such worldly affairs."

"To be honest, we aren't here for that mysterious divine treasure; we're here because there are legitimate concerns that the heretics may make an appearance here, causing harm to the innocents. So, as per his Most Eminent's decree, we were dispatched here to maintain law and order," the paladin replied. "But of course, if it was revealed that the treasure does indeed have a history with the Church, we won't stand idle, either."

'It started with a pretty respectable intention... Then the last sentence came,' Baiyi lambasted silently as he sat down. He began to chat with the paladin about the recent development.

It seemed that the Church had dispatched many of their men to Capital City; they were already 300 of them stationed within the city, and more were on their way. The caliber of soldiers that were sent made evident how serious the Church took this incident. They had sent paladins, crusaders, and priests. It had even dispatched 50 of its most power Templars, temporarily relieving them of their duties as the guardians of the Holy City.

The entire team was being led by the Paladin Grand Cross, Sir Roland, and the paladin with Baiyi was one of the low-ranking superiors. He had only come to say hello to Baiyi because he had met the Fifth Walker's acquaintances before.

Baiyi believed that to be the case, as he saw no reason why the Church would be interested in seeking his aid, seeing as they already had such a heavy presence in the Capital City. Thus, Baiyi could only conclude that the Church sought to inform Baiyi of their intentions because of the friendship he had with them.

'Looking at their heavy presence in the city, anyone would suspect that it isn't all just for Godsfall cult; some of it just has to be for the treasure. Furthermore, after looking at the amount of manpower the Church deployed here, doesn't the Emperor doubt their intentions?'

As though he could read Baiyi's mind, the paladin went on the say: "It's much more different this time. We are facing one of the murkiest battles ever since the forces of different factions — including legitimate factions, underground factions, local factions, and global factions —rushed over when the word got out. Even the North sent over many of its finest men... Thus, in order to combat this, we need this much manpower."

"Right, right," Baiyi replied, nonchalantly.

By the time Baiyi saw off the paladin, it was already too late in the night for him to receive any more visitors, so he took the chance to finish his letter.

The next morning, the Fifth walker went to the royal palace and submitted his letter to a chief of the royal guards. He revealed his identity to the chief and requested that his letter be sent to the Emperor immediately.

As Baiyi's name was a household name, the chief processed his request very quickly.

Baiyi left feeling satisfied. On his way back, he bought a simple newspaper from a hawker, who was selling them by the street, because he was curious about the happenings that had occurred due to the recent development.

The headline read: "Conflict ended with blood!"

'Seriously? Which one of these good fellows started a fight?'To be a superhero, you must do 100 daily push-ups, sit-ups, and squats... plus 10 km daily running. Then your hair will fall, but you might become the strongest being on Earth... OK.

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325 An Unexpected Meeting

"Didn't the Emperor just specifically say not to cause trouble? Really? Not even going to give him some face?" Baiyi murmured, then he began to read the news underneath the headline.

After reading the story, Baiyi froze for a bit, then with a 'scrump! scrump! scrump!', he ripped the newspaper into shreds.

The story had turned out to be about a local brawl involving some drunkards, who pummeled each other till they ended up suffering… minor injuries.

'Who the hell is your editor?! How dare he use such a clickbait title?!'

Nevertheless, this went on to show that the visitors who had ventured the city last night, due to an inability to control their anticipation, had not caused any trouble.

"Frankly, I kind of hoped that they would rip each other apart. Ah, well. I really have to move fast," Baiyi ruefully said, as he took to walking around in the city.

The Capital City did not have an eye-catching history. In fact, it began as an unimpressive town and had only risen up in ranks purely because someone who was born in this town became the emperor who founded the Walthart Empire. After that, with royal patronage, the town developed exponentially, until it became the grand Capital City it was known today.

The city had not suffered the viciousness of wars, and it was now a bustling and prosperous metropolis.

It was still early in the morning, but a massive crowd had already gathered at the horse-racing stadium in the south of the city. Baiyi only had to walk a bit closer in that direction to hear loud cheers and gleeful cries — a much more supportive ambiance than what could be found at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing.

"— Richard! You heard me; bet on Richard! I bet everything I had on Richard! Show hand; Richard is the best!"

'Tsk, tsk. Beginning your day by betting on horses? People of the Capital City must have a surplus amount of passion to burn?' Baiyi grinned and quietly left the scene.

After taking a walk around the city, Baiyi found himself back at the stadium, just in time to witness a pretty shocking scene. The specially-built watchtower in front of the racetracks was filled with people, and these spectators did not hesitate to leap down from the tower, like dumplings being dunked into a pot, resulting in a series of loud crashes.

'Is it me or those guys waaaay too passionate?'

Baiyi turned around and watched as city guards and men dressed in the Church's uniform rushed to the scene. They quickly carried those who had jumped to somewhere else. No one could tell if those being carried were already dead or still alive.

The rescuers performed their duty with nonchalant expressions; it was as though they had long since gotten used to events like this. Even the spectators quickly dispersed after the bodies were carried away. It was just another day for all of them.

'That's why you should love your life, kids; don't gamble!'

Baiyi shook his head silently and walked away. He kept walking around until he came across a square that was quieter than the rest of the city.

He sat on a bench opposite a fountain and extended the range of his psychic scanning, trying to detect the energy fluctuations within the city.

Astonishing! If one was to describe what Baiyi had just sensed with an image, they would describe it as 'a painting depicting a galaxy.' Baiyi sensed various strong energy fluctuations from every corner of the Capital City. The power levels ranged from Master-level all the way up to Holy-level. They were bright dots all over the city.

A lot of bright dots were within the royal palace, local cathedral, and the outskirts of the city, where the manor was. There was another spot contained a lot of energy pulses; the energy pulses belonged to a third force that had just entered the game.

If Baiyi was not mistaken, these bright dots were the warriors from the Northern Land.

Although some had deliberately hidden their own strength, there were many who deliberately released their power; no doubt to show off their affiliations and their forces. Even those who had formed teams of three and teams of five were not to be ignored; even those who were alone had to be taken seriously.

If people like this were already being taken seriously, what could one say about those who masked their own energy fluctuations? What if diabolical forces, like demons, had joined the fray?

"All it took was one day for this city to turn into something akin to a jungle. Looks like the Church wasn't being paranoid, after all," Baiyi retracted his psychic energy and sighed quietly. While he was his walk, he had spotted city guards and other patrol units patrolling every corner of the city, in teams of two or three. Under the facade of a normal day, the entire Capital City was in a state of high alert.

"Everyone's all ganged-up, and yet I'm all alone! What the hell… must I really join those nerds from the Doors of Conundrum? They're only going to get in my way," Baiyi lamented to himself, mulling the situation he had found himself in while asking the Voidwalkers for opinions.

The Voidwalker, however, could not do much to aid Baiyi since it wasn't a problem rooted in technicalities— the latter being the Voidwalkers' specialty. Furthermore, Baiyi had just applied for approval to start up his academy, so he definitely could not attempt to deploy Void Energy and proceed to forcefully ransack the city, causing mayhem.

Only the Thane seemed to have a viable solution to his current predicament. He suggested that Baiyi joins one of the three largest factions so that he could gain some help from the team, then, later on, he could stab his benefactor in the back.

"For now, you're on good terms with the royal family and the Church, so if you choose to join them, they will welcome you with open arms. However, since you have to rely on these two groups for the future of your academy, I don't suggest you join them; that way, you don't attract their ire after you ditch them. The evil forces will be good factions to join; when you're done using them, you can just turn around and kill them all, and earn yourself some accolades. The problem with that is that you have yet to find such a faction," the Thane explained his opinion carefully. "So the only force left would be those Northerners, who are most likely neutral and hold a limited influence over the Southern Lands. Hence, at this moment, they are the best faction for us to use."

"Hmm, I agree with what he said. This is especially useful when we remember that some of these Northerners actually have connections with the Godsfall cultists. So even if you were to, say, be a little mean to them after you're done using them, it would not be seen as immoral," the Explorer Walker chimed in.

Even the Warrior Walker, who rarely participated in discussions like these, had something to add. "It's not hard to form an alliance with them. Just use my techniques as an exchange for their trust."

Although Baiyi thought that the suggestions were good, he was not keen to use them that quickly. This was because he had no relations with these evil organizations; thus, a sudden display of goodwill would surely be seen as a cover for an ulterior motive. He had no choice but to wait and watch.

When Baiyi turned his attention outwards, he discovered a flock of white pigeons perching on him. Because he had not moved at all for a while, the pigeons had been fooled into thinking he was a statue.

Most of them landed on him and watched him curiously, but one brave pigeon, which had been perching atop his helm, began to peck at it with a rhythmic "Ding! Ding! Ding!"

"Hmm. Looks like I'm quite popular... among critters," Baiyi murmured, with a chuckle. He was about to stand up from the bench and head towards the Northerners, for more information, when a loud, thundering crash rang from the north of the city.

It sounded like something terribly heavy had plummeted to the ground from the sky. The pigeons quickly took off. With him as the center, from which the pigeons were simultaneously taking off, Baiyi felt like he was a character from a John Woo film.

"What's going on? Is it an invasion?" Curious, Baiyi asked no one in particular. He raised his head and saw a falcon soaring across the azure sky.

"Be careful not to be taken by that one," Baiyi quietly said to the remaining pigeons, then he hurried towards the southern gate of the city.

The sky above the Capital City was a no-fly zone, so Baiyi could not take into the air without permission. Hence, he could only walk on foot. On the way, he spotted a few soldiers and guards rushing in the same direction. The wide streets became much narrower as many cavaliers atop their steeds took to the streets in droves. He also spotted several sorcerers streaking through the sky towards the same location.

"Man, look at how fast they reacted... It looks like everyone's nerves are wired tightly wired," Baiyi muttered under his breath.

He counted the days and was relieved to note that there were no upcoming festivals.

Baiyi soon covertly reached the location of the incident, without alerting anyone. Along the way, he had made sure to cover his tracks using Umbra's stealth techniques. He noticed that the city guards had formed a sturdy perimeter around the gate. Heavily-armored soldiers, who were armed with large pavises, stood at the frontline, while the calvaries were situated by areas with enough room for them to charge if they needed to. Flying sorcerers had formed a wide ring in the sky, and they had their staffs out, aiming at the area within the defense perimeter. A few soldiers could be seen evacuating civilians from the area, taking them as far away from there as possible.

Both the soldiers and whatever was within the secured perimeter were yet to make a move. It seemed as though they were both engaged in a standoff. A guard, who had a badge that read 'Centurion' was riding a huge horse forward. When he got closer to the perimeter, he yelled, "You're surrounded; put down your weapons and surrender now".

The southern city gates could be spotted in the distance, on the ground; this was no doubt the source of the explosion Baiyi had heard only minutes before. From the force of the explosion and the intensity of the aftershocks, Baiyi could tell that the gates had really been sturdy, but someone had somehow managed to send the massive gates flying away from its hinges and into the distance, all at once!

Just what kind of monster had come to the city?

Baiyi remained invisible as he climbed up to the roof of one of the resident's houses.

From up there, he finally saw what was being surrounded: three men and three... things as big as hippopotamuses.

A closer look revealed the men to be about seven feet tall, and their upper bodies were so muscular, they almost ceased to be a human's. There were squiggly lines, which might have been their veins, protruding from their inhumane muscles. The man in the middle had so many squiggly lines of varying colors that he could pass off as a colorful turkey.

As for those three things, they were actually gigantic mountain goats!

These three men were actually Baiyi's acquaintances. They were none other than the three Divine Warriors who were at his side when he conquered the Steppes. The leader of this three was the chief himself, the Huskar of the current generation!

"How—the—hell—are you people here?!?" Baiyi asked in shock. 'Don't you people always stay at home in Harrogath, serving your Ancestors? Why are you people here suddenly? Don't tell you guys just joined for the heck of it!'

Not only was their unplanned arrival out of Baiyi's calculations, but the way they arrived was already too problematic! The only man across Harrogath who was most fluent in their common language, Zar'Zar, was doing his best to communicate with the city guards, telling them that they had come in peace.

However, his terrifying accent had butchered the language so much, not a single person could understand a word he said.

"What the hell are you even trying to say? This sounds like the devil's pillow talk!" The centurion scratched his ears in frustration, and then he raised a hand, as though he was ready to attack them any moment from now.Always read beyond them headlines, y'all!Er, I gotta' admit, I have no idea why this comparison was made. Is it not this, well, preppy in Beijing's Workers' Stadium? Whatever it is, this in-joke eluded me!Sounds like New York?Sounds like New York? During United Nations week!John Woo is a director, writer, and producer best known for his action movies! He favors chaotic action sequences and slo-mo. He also has this knack for emotional characterization!

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326 The Smarter Choice

Now that it had come to this, Baiyi could no longer act as a bystander. He had to save them!

He had to save the city's guards and sorcerers, for they did not know how close to death they were!

'If your opponent is some who could punch an enormous city off its hinges, should you not be a little away of the disparity between your strength and theirs? Do you think this gap can be easily bridged by throwing numbers at it? Well, too bad; the number of people you have here is not enough to fill their dentures.'

Baiyi thought weakly. He charged forward, imbuing his dash with every speed-boosting spell that he knew, and rushed towards the centurion. The centurion, who was frowning at the intruders, swung his arms to authorize an all-out attack.

Right as the arm was about to complete its descent, Baiyi caught it in mid-air, and the soldiers froze.

"Where has this soul armature come from, and how did it stop our superior abruptly?"

The centurion was also shocked to see soul armature. He examined Baiyi for a moment and almost shrieked "Assassin!!!". This was because Baiyi, who was hovering in mid-air, had covered his helmet with a scarf, making him resemble a bandit from the Wild West. However, Baiyi stopped the centurion from screaming by saying, "Calm down! I'm here to help."

He let off the centurion's hand and floated to the ground. Seizing the rare moment of stunned silence, Baiyi identified himself to the flabbergasted crowd. "I'm Hope. And these three here are actually my good friends. It was all just a misunderstanding, okay? Lemme work it out."

"...Hope? That Master Hope?" The centurion blabbered. He looked at Baiyi even closer and recognized the Emperor's old possession on him — the Sanctus. This was enough to verify Baiyi's identity for there was only one Sanctus in the Northern Land.

After he had verified Baiyi's identity, the centurion placed his men on standby and asked, "Alright, Master Hope. Now, you called these six monstrosities your 'friends', right? The issue here is that they have forcefully barged into the city, destroyed the gate, and incited chaos. This—"

"— will be monetarily compensated," Baiyi interrupted and tossed a storage pouch to the centurion; it was filled with gold coins. "Believe me, the real problem is the language difference... and their lack of understanding of our customs. They really meant no harm to you, for if they really did — well, you wouldn't be here to talk to me right now. "

Although Baiyi had been indirect with his words, he still wanted to let them know of the strength that these three Divine Warriors possessed. If they had not come in peace, the city watch would not qualify as a warm-up for them; instead, the guards would have been decimated, and the city would have been run to the ground.

The centurion put away the pouch, but he still held reservations about Baiyi's elucidation. He looked hesitantly at the unwelcome arrivals.

Baiyi spotted the look and flew over to him. He firmly clapped the centurion's shoulder and exhaled. "These people are Divine Warriors, who had been living deep within the Eol Mountains for generations. You may not have heard of them, but I would encourage you to do some research on them. I can assure you that you will be very, very relieved that you made the smarter choice today."

Then, ignoring the centurion's bemusement, Baiyi flew back down to the ground and walked towards the center of the defense perimeter.

"Let him through," the dumbstruck centurion ordered, caving into Baiyi's request out of respect for his identity. That was only natural because the soul armature was one of few people the Emperor actually respected, so he would have nothing to gain by tricking the centurion.

The stunned shoulders made way for Baiyi as he walked towards his friends, who he had not seen for a while.

When the three Divine Warriors noticed Baiyi approaching, the Huskar's face turned gloomy, and he muttered a warning to his brethren in the savage's language, "Be careful. This one's threatening."

"Brother, at peace! It's me, Hope." Baiyi immediately introduced himself in their language. The last time they saw Baiyi, he was still in the standard sorcerer's armor, so now that he had switched into the Sanctus, they had not recognized him.

"Brother Hope...? You mean, that Brother Hope who is really good at tossing a javelin?" Zar'Zar immediately spoke up.

"...Yes, it's me, Brother Zar'Zar," Baiyi replied, with a sigh. He could not fathom why Zar'Zar only remembered him because of his javelin toss, which he did only once. Baiyi began to exude the Divine Warrior's unique scent.

One of the muscular mountain goats was the first to react to it. It snorted, trotted to Baiyi's side, and gently nudged him.

Seeing the beast recognize Baiyi, Husker realized that was actually Baiyi, so he lowered his guard. He approached the soul armature him and began to study his new armor. "This... is Brother Hope's scent, but what happened to your looks?" He asked.

"He became stronger, but also uglier," Char'Char said, finally getting a chance to speak.

"Where are your hideous lady friends? Are they not with you?" Zar'Zar asked.

'You dare to call my daughters hideous?' Baiyi thought, feeling displeased, but he remembered that the barbarians' brains were wired differently than the brains of humans, especially when it came to appearances. Baiyi knew that if he uttered just one word of reprimand, he would have lost right there and then.

"It's a long story... one that we can talk about somewhere else," Baiyi replied. He did not think it a good idea to talk about all that while being surrounded by soldiers, who were all on high alert.

"I agree! It's annoying to be surrounded by ants without being able to smash them!" Huskar replied.

They shuffled out of the soldiers' encirclement, without giving any of the guards a passing glance. The soldiers, who were embarrassed at the gesture, turned to their superior for orders.

The centurion was just as helpless. He paused for a bit and waved his arm, commanding the soldiers to let them go.

The soldiers relented, albeit reluctantly. However, one soldier decided to show a bit more "backbone". He ignored his superior's orders and did not sheath his steel blade; instead, he extended it to block Baiyi and the warriors.

Baiyi almost laughed out loud at the soldier's childish antics. To him, this only highlighted a lack of discipline within the city watch. However, he did not feel like he had to do anything because this was not his show.

Thus, he stepped out of the path and walked past the blade.

The Divine Warriors, however, did not seem to care a whit for the glistening blade. They walked right into it, letting the edge make contact with their arms.

However, the rebellious soldier felt as though his sword was trying to slice a stell boulder, and all he could hear was the sounds of metal on metal. An immense forced traveled up from the blade to the hilt, and the soldier was forced to drop his sword.

The soldier hurriedly picked the sword back up, and to his horror, he noticed that the edges of his blade had been chipped so much, it now resembled a saw. That blade had been made from the finest steel!

'What sort of monster would be able to meet a knife with their own body like that?!' The soldier thought, as beads of cold sweat dripped down his spine.

Since the Divine Warriors were a proud bunch, they would not let that act of aggression go unpunished, but instead taking actions themselves, they let their mountain goats handle it. One of the mountain goats turned around to face the city guards, who were riding horses, and gave a loud bleat.

The surrounding instantly descended into chaos. The horses raised their hooves and neighed in terror. Ignoring their riders, they began to bolt in different directions. Nevertheless, none of the terrified horses ran close to the mountain goats. Some bolted into the houses of residents, and some ran into the soldiers. The entire snafu was akin left the soldiers reeling.

Baiyi and his friends quickly left the scene with wide strides.

When the centurion finally managed to calm his skittish steed, he looked in the direction that Baiyi and his friends had gone, then he looked back at the mess they had left behind. The floor was littered with debris and some of his soldiers, who were rolling around in pain from injuries inflicted by their horses. The similarity between the scene and the scene of losing a battle gave him a migraine.

'How did it even come to this?' The centurion thought helplessly. 'They didn't even make a move, right? So why did our horses suddenly go hysterical?'

The more the centurion pondered, the more he was sure that he had indeed made the smartest choice. What he was seeing was just most minimal of losses.

Baiyi led the three Divine Warriors and their three goats to the royal manor on the outskirts of the city. Along the way, the group had attracted a lot a lot of uncomfortable stares. They were even stopped by the guards on patrol a couple of times, but Baiyi identified himself, and they were let go.

When they finally reached the manor, the Fifth Walker heaved a sigh of relief. He brought them to one of the empty gardens and sat on the floor. He summoned a maid and asked her to prepare some food. The mountain goats busied themselves with the grass in the garden.

"It would be great if you could get us a pig and a bull; roasted, off course! If you could get more, then that would be even better!" Baiyi told the maid.

The maid eyed him and his friends skeptically before leaving.

"I'd ordered something for you, my brothers. It should be ready in a short while," Baiyi said, in the barbarians' language.

"What a generous brother you are!" Zar'Zar exclaimed, with a thumbs-up.

"Ah, it's nothing. But before we start to eat, may I know why are you here?" Baiyi asked the one question he was most interested in.

"I thought I'd told you before… I wanna see the part of the sky where the outsiders see, and I wanna taste the land the outsiders live," Huskar replied. He pulled up a handful of grass, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew slowly.

Suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows, turned to a side, and spat it out.

His spittle surged like a projectile and struck a vase, and the vase shattered into pieces.

"Pfft. It's sour and bitter at the same time! How do you even breed grass like that?"

'... Tsk. Perhaps you should cosplay as a Hydralisk, man. If you had gotten into a fight with those flying sorcerers, I'm sure you would have used your spit to shoot them all down, right?' Baiyi sighed in his heart.

"Traveling isn't the main reason, of course, 'cause the reason why we left was that our Ancestors asked us so. They also pointed us to here," the Huskar turned back around to face Baiyi. Then, he shook his head sideways and said, "But this place is bad. I don't like it here."

"The Ancestors brought you here?!" Baiyi repeated, in surprise. Could the Divine Warriors be interested in the Book of Servitude as well?

'What would they even use it for? They can't even perform a single magic spell!' To them, the book would only serve as something to place underneath a table so that it would become taller...Imagine responding to troll comments incessantly, keep trying to impart them the power of logic only to see them trampling it and twisting it. There you go! You can't respond to their obvious edginess; you can't respond to the Divine Warriors' obvious... quirk?A Hydralisk is this spitting monster thingy from the game Starcraft II.

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327 A Unique Way To Fly

The longer Baiyi conversed with the barbarians, the more something dawned on him.

'These guys don't even know why they are here.'

Their ancestors' directives had a sparse amount of detail. All they had said was: "Lo! In the South, something pretty powerful as appeared! Gotta' have someone among you check it out, okay? Just to be sure that that thing won't end up endangering us or anything."

That was all.

Although their ancestors' directives were sparse, they made sure to carefully dictate some commandments to these barbarians that they must obey; 'thou shall not rob', 'thou shall not kill the innocent', 'thou shall follow the Southern Land's laws and rules', etc.

Before the barbarians left, their ancestors gave them one final instruction: "Should you find yourself chanced, go and seek out Hope. His wisdom will guide you."

Baiyi knew these barbarians as the sort that wore their hearts on their sleeves, so he did not suspect that they had hidden anything from him. Besides, that ambiguous manner of speech was typical of the barbarians' ancestors. Baiyi did not understand what had transformed a forthcoming, plainspoken barbarian into someone needlessly abstruse with their words.

"The Ancestors are always right!" Zar'Zar mumbled and shoved a full pig leg into his mouth. "Just like now! As soon I meet Brother Hope, I got help for my tummy. I was so hungry!"

'This can't be what they meant, right?' Baiyi thought, feeling helpless, as he watched the barbarians display a disastrous lack of table manners.

After eating two pigs, two bulls, and two goats, the barbarians finally felt full. When they had eaten their fill, the barbarians told Baiyi how they had arrived at the city.

Their method of arrival was strange and surreal...

The barbarians lived alone in a vast expanse of land. Their neighbors had long since left the vicinity because the barbarians constantly attacked them. After every successful attack, the barbarians would pilfer their stock of animal parts. The barbarians especially loved pilfering dragon tendons. These muscular bands were incredibly tensile and sturdy, and they were far better than most artificial tensile materials. These dragon tendons were especially perfect as bowstrings.

The barbarian ancestors issued a directive: every barbarian in Horrogath was to bring every dragon tendon that they had. When all the tendons were collected, they were made into a huge bowstring that was strong enough to fire an enormous titan.

With this huge bowstring in hand, the barbarians arrived at two mountains, which were close to each other. The connected both ends of the bowstring to the areas close to the peaks of both mountains, forming something that could pass off an enormous Y-shaped slingshot. Husker, Zar'Zar, Char'Char, and the three mountain goats got in a basket, which was then placed in the middle of the makeshift slingshot. All the barbarians in Horrogath came together to pull the bowstring backward.

The dragon-tendon bowstring was as adamant as diamond, yet it nearly snapped when all the barbarians jointly pulled it. If the energy used to pull the bowstring had almost snapped it, what more could one say about those who were being fired? The speed and pressure would have been enough to instantly burn a normal human to ashes. Only these inhuman barbarians could survive that.

A while after the barbarians in the basket were fired into the sky, they opened their makeshift parachutes; these parachutes had been made using a unique epidermis found in dragons' wings.

The only reason why a dragon, which was such an enormous beast, was able to take to the sky, defying the laws of gravity, was because the unique epidermis in their wings naturally had a soaring effect. These unique-epidermis-parachutes enabled the barbarians to slow down the speed of their descent all the way down to a light hover. They continued descending very slow for a while.

When they finally reached the ground, they found themselves within the borders of the Walthart Empire. They continued the rest of their journey by riding their mountain goats, who circumvented populated towns and spots. They went on this way until they finally reached the Capital City.

When Baiyi heard their tale, he marveled at the amount of luck these barbarians seemed to possess. They had not gotten lost on their way, neither did the wind blow them off course. This was worthy of someone screaming "It's a miracle!"

"Oh no, we did get blown off course," Huskar said, matter of factly. "We were hit by a really tremendous gust! But we had Cuckoo steer us back on course."

'Cuckoo... that beautiful, fair Alpine hawk-eagle? Am I supposed to believe that a large bird dragged them?' Baiyi pondered.

"Well, normally it would not be able to do so. But with the ancestor's power, it could!"

"You're telling me that a bird could also be possessed by the barbarians' ancestors?' Baiyi murmured, imagining the shiny, radiant, golden phantom of the ancestors descending into the bird's head. 'Then why were the goats not possessed as well?"

Cuckoo itself was pecking at some raw meat which the maids had prepared for it, but at the sound of Baiyi's sarcastic remark, it raised its head and sent him a proud gaze, which seemed to mean 'Yea duh, bruh'.

"They are our brothers! As long as you're one of our brothers, you could do that. Did you not know that, brother Hope?" Char'Char's elucidation ended with an awkward question.

"Cough! Well, not that I've ever tried that before..." Baiyi replied, feeling embarrassed.

"Not surprising, brother. You're already powerful enough alone; the Ancestors don't need to lend you their strength," Huskar solemnly said. "After our last flight, I began to envy you a bit for your ability to take off into the sky! The freedom! The ecstasy!"

"Yes! A brother who could fly anytime he wants — makes me jealous!" Zar'Zar chimed in.

"Really? Perhaps I can help with that," Baiyi said. He pondered for a while, then he went on to cast a levitation spell on Huskar.

A bright, white light emanated from Huskar's body, and after a few moments, it went off abruptly.

"That... That was actually the levitation spell I use to fly. Furthermore, I can cast it on someone else, whenever, without failing the attempt. But why has it failed just now...?" Baiyi muttered as he scanned the Huskar with his psychic energy. Just as he had expected, there were no traces of the spell in Huskar's body. It was like a rock which had just sunk to the ocean floor.

Did that mean these barbarians were not only impervious to physical attacks, but also to magical attacks as well?

"Improbable speculation, Sir Hope. Need I remind you that there exists a glass ceiling that was forged by the Higher Power to cull the existence of beings with such spectacular advantages?" The Scholar Walker said in the Void. "First and foremost, observe their war tattoos. These are calligraphies drawn using the blood of dragons or other kinds of mystical beasts — and indeed, mystical beasts are renowned for their inimical property to magic, in quantifiable degrees. The blood of mythical beasts is even commonly used to manufacture battle wares capable of mitigating magical attacks. From here, we can deduce that these battle tattoos are not mere embellishments of valor and triumphs, but also serve, more pragmatically, to provide cover against magic."

Feeling curious, Baiyi poked the Caveman Walker after hearing the Scholar Walker's explanation. "I actually have no idea what purposes the tattoos serve, really," the Caveman Walker helplessly added. "The previous Huskar taught me how to draw them. Besides, when battling mystical beasts, their magic usually does nothing to me. No harm and no injury. Of course, if I was to met with magic as strong as the First Walker's, I doubt that I would be able to handle it," the Caveman Walker continued. "He's too terrifying! And I have no idea how I'd be able to quickly get close to him. If I had to fight him, It is really obvious that I will lose."

"Immeasurable strength, a physique advantageous by nature, acute and exceptional battle instincts, veteran battle experience, unwavering loyalty and unity, and a bonus ability to ability to provide backup, from far away, via unconventional means! These Divine Warriors are truly the creme of all warriors in this world. Sir Hope, with Harrogath's help, there are only a few things in life that could hinder you," the Thane Walker flattered.

"They had already coined you their brother, so they will definitely help you. Don't worry about it; we, the Alpine people, never turn our backs on a brother," the Caveman Walker said.

However, Baiyi shook his head quietly. The "help" that the Thane Walker implied and the "help" the Caveman Walker meant were, in fact, two distinct things altogether.

Frankly, Baiyi had no need to use his barbarian friends to achieve his goals, neither did he plan to drag them into the chaotic affairs of the world. He did not plan to deliberately avoid asking them for help, but that would only happen if he needed it; after all, their friendship was one of genuine camaraderie.

At that moment, he wanted his barbarian friends to experience the joy of flying.

Baiyi pondered deeply for a while before saying, "What about that parachute that you guys used? Yes, that dragon wing. Did you bring it with you?"

"Of course!" Zar'Zar and Char'Char answered in unison. They produced two rolled up objects from their bags, which were made using wild animal hide. Then, they tossed the rolled up objects over to Baiyi. "The Ancestors told us to keep these, or use them to exchange for food if we must."

On closer inspection, the rolled up objects appeared to be some sort of membrane. Baiyi unrolled them fully and saw that it was the complete, unbroken skin of a young dragon! The skin seemed to have been flayed cleanly from a young dragon.

"You—Barbaric—Sunsovbitches! Bloody murderers! Heartless knaves! If I ever return to the world, the first damned thing I'm gonna do is to peel, oh yes, peel the skin of your children, until they don't have any left for themselves!" The Third Walker bellowed in the Void. Although the skin may have belonged to a dragon that was not related to the Third Walker, he was still the previous Divine Dragon and would not want to see his kin flayed. His fury was reasonable.

"Oh, as if that dragon wouldn't have swallowed my people if they hadn't done that! Do you want to take your fury out on my people? Why don't you see if you can win against me first!" The Caveman Walker retorted in rage.

Naturally, the right and the wrong were never clear-cut between species just trying to survive.

"You puny bug! You're challenging me for real?! Challenging a Divine Dragon, no less?!!"

"Hey, Salamander, listen up: I just wanna tell you that on a list of beasts I'd love to choke the life out of, you and your salamander friends are first!"

The situation had escalated to an extent that the other Voidwalkers had to step in and try to diffuse the tension. Even the Warrior Walker poked Baiyi in annoyance.

The Fifth Walker did not say a word; he knew he had really done it this time. He was never supposed to have opened the roll in front of them.

He returned the parachute to Zar'Zar and Char'Char and made another using enchanted goatskin. Then, he drew a simple levitation spell formation on the goatskin-parachute, using his mana, and after a little tailoring, he had turned it into a makeshift robe. Then, he had Huskar wear it.

Suddenly, Huskar began to rise into the air slowly, as though there were balloons above him, lifting him up. With Baiyi acting as flight control, the barbarians' flight speed increased. In the end, Huskar was flying around as nimble sorcerers did; he quickly circled the air above the manor.

The big man laughed and cheered the whole entire time, like an excited child on a ride. His exhilarating guffaws attracted the attention of the powerhouses currently in the manor.Or like the corpse of a cyclist sank into the ocean... Sorry, I just watched an episode of Black Mirror.

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328 Not A Man We Should Fear

After a wonderful flying experience, which lasted a while, Huskar finally plopped back down onto the ground. The manor did not quiet down after that; this was because the other Divine Warriors, Zar'Zar and Char'Char, took their turns flying with Baiyi's enchanted cape, so the inhabitants of the manor were treated to more shrieks of excitement and joy.

On hearing the commotion, the head of the manor staff walked over to give Baiyi and his posse a lecture. However, when his eyes spotted the huge barbarians, who were the size of small hills, and their bear-sized mountain guts, his planned lecture slipped right back down his throat and into his intestines. Instead, he smiled professionally and asked, "What would you kind sirs like to have for dinner? We would like to prepare them early."

Just like that, the barbarians had so much fun. They even asked Baiyi to gift them the enchanted goatskin, which he had enchanted with a levitation spell, and teach them how to control it so that everyone in Harrogath would have fun with it.

"Hmm. It would not be an easy task to get you three to control it. I'll need more time to tweak it," Baiyi replied solemnly. It was quite a challenging feat to get three people who were completely ignorant of how magic worked to control a spell.

"Then it's all on you, Brother Hope! Flying is sooooooo aweeeesomeeee! I! Can't! Wait! For all of my brothers in Harrogath to Have! As! Much! Fun!" the Huskar exclaimed as he forcefully extended an arm to clap Baiyi's shoulder.

Fortunately for the soul armature, he had quick reflexes and used then to dodge the muscular arm. However, the marble stone bench he had just vacated unfortunately received the arm, and it broke into two.

"I'm going to pay for that!" Baiyi helplessly said loudly to an alarmed maid, who had hurried over the instant she heard the crash. He then turned to Huskar and said, "Your request may take some time, but there are a few things I must do first."

"What things? No; I should say, are these things we can't help you do?" Huskar replied. "You helped us touch the sky, so we should help you solve problems. We are brothers, and this is a fair barter."

Finally! They were back on track. Baiyi did not even mince his words when he took his friend's offer. "I'm looking for something — the very thing that emitted that frequency. It's also the reason why you were sent here. This object, you see, means a lot to me."

"I see." Huskar nodded, then he quickly added. "But! That's not why we're here. The Ancestors just wanted us to make sure that the object does not endanger us. If you, Brother Hope, could take that object, I'm sure it will never come to harm us. This may just be what the Ancestors were hinting at."

Baiyi was surprised that these barbarians were able to interpret their ethereal superiors' vague instructions, and he could not help but admit that he agreed with their deduction. Since the barbarian ancestors trusted Baiyi, it only made sense that these barbarians would trust him too.

The feeling of earnest goodwill was mutual.

"If we can bring your invention back home to Harrogath, our excursion would be regarded as most rewarding! Of course, if you think that our offer is not up to par, I can gift you a few javelins. Made 'em with the finest dragon teeth, I tell ya!" Zar'Zar chimed in.

"Er, th-th-that won't be necessary. I don't require anything from you... really," Baiyi replied curtly. He had no idea what he would be able to do with the dragon tooth javelins. They were more useful in the barbarians' hands.

"Now... should we go about helping you find that thing you are looking for?" Char'Char asked.

"I don't think it would be that easy..." Baiyi replied, with a bitter smile.

"We've got Cuckoo and the goats, don't we?" Huskar reminded. "We're terrible at finding stuff, but these our furry friends are experts! Even when the winter snow completely buried the mountain slopes, Cuckoo could still find some delicious yams underneath thick layers of snow! Have faith in them — for they are the guides who led us back to the right part when we went astray on our journey to this place!"

'What yam even grows under the snow? Are you certain that's yam and not some type of dangerous magical berry? Are you even that it was something fit for human consumption?' Baiyi exclaimed in his heart. 'Besides, is an analogy about finding yam comparable to finding the Book of Servitude?'

"What we mean is, we will find your thing; you just concentrate on making that wonderful flying tool!" Huskar grinned and tried to clap Baiyi's shoulders again.

The soul armature dodged again, and another bench was split in half.

"I-I-I'm going to p-p-pay for that too..." Baiyi stuttered as he rubbed his temple.

With their arrangement settled, Baiyi and the barbarians split up. Zar'Zar whispered something to his hawk-eagle, Cuckoo, and it spread its wings and soared into the sky. It began to lead the there Divine Warriors and the mountain goats away from the manor.

"Uh, let them just have some fun. However, I sure hope that they remember what I said," Baiyi mumbled. Before they left, Baiyi had taken some time to remind them to obey their ancestors' commandments; if they did not, he feared that they may accidentally end up going on a rampage somewhere else.

When the barbarians left, Baiyi headed back to Capital City. He mentally made a list of stuff he would need in order to construct an advanced level formation. At the top of his list was a professional magus lab. He easily obtained access to one by walking to the city's branch of the Sorcerers' Association and flashing his Immortal-level badge. He then went to buy some other materials that he needed and took them back to the lab, where he locked himself up.

However, everything Baiyi had done up till that point had been written down into two separate reports and sent to two people.

One of them was the Emperor.

It was only natural that a renowned powerhouse like Baiyi was the target of surveillance. Baiyi knew this, so he pretended not to notice the royal spies tailing him.

The Emperor read the document in his hands. On the desk beside him was the application letter that Baiyi submitted; it had been signed and stamped with the royal seal. It was still there because they had not gotten the chance to send it back to Baiyi.

"So… you frolicked around in my city, prevent a massacre at the northern gate, took three barbarians into my manor, ate a ton of food, destroyed my garden and a few of my benches, and now... you're locking yourself up in a magus lab?" The Emperor muttered with much interest. However, nothing in the report could provide any insight into the reason behind Baiyi's actions.

'Could everything he has done till now be related to the secret treasure...?'

"What do you think? Why is he here?" The Emperor asked three members of his staffs, who were standing attentively close by. "He's not really here only for his procedures, right?"

"Quite inconceivable," a staff member replied, with a grin. "If he was truly here just to run his errands while spectating the treasure hunt action from afar, I'll be celebrating. Indeed, I would thank him by sponsoring his academy a million gold coins."

"Oh. I take that you like him a lot," the second staff teased.

"If one managed to obliterate the Lord of the Abyss, save hundred millions of people from Gouve, and finished off a Holy-level warrior from the North, would there be any reason not to like them?"

"To doubt the strength of this man is foolish because his immense might is something that has been carved into stone, plain for all to see. Fortunately, we preemptively laid down a few rules for the treasure hunt that tipped the balance a little more in our favor," said the third staff. "It takes more than might to be successful in one's search for the treasure. Unless, of course, he wants to play like a knave."

"That's not very likely. He wants to establish a school of his own, yes? Then, he has burdened himself by the chain that is 'reputation'; his behavior and strategies would all be limited by the constraint of public consensus. Acting hostile to an entire nation? He would not dare take such a path," the Emperor said. "I am, however, interested in those barbarians. Do they have any key feature I should be aware of?"

"According to the centurion on duty, their strength is immeasurable, and their defense against physical attacks is insurmountable; however, they did not emit a whiff of mana. In other words, they are all strength and zero magic," the first staff member respectfully replied. "According to reports, these barbarians are from the tribe of Alpine barbarians living in the Eol Mountains. They are different from the savages in the steppe, especially when it comes to combat prowess."

"Please. Barbarians will always be barbarians. How powerful will those who can only boast of brawn be? It's only out of respect for Hope that his Majesty let their intrusion slide. Besides, a group of savages who have no affinity for magic will not be able to locate this treasure."

"Therefore, Hope has almost no advantages under the rules we made. He's a loner who is being accompanied by a few barbarians, who, at their very worst, would only cut back my supply of goats and pigs for a few months. Nothing to be afraid of. In fact, I believe Hope knows about this too; this could the reason why he has not made any substantial moves," the Emperor concluded with confidence. "With that, I think we should designate more of defensive efforts on the Church and those sinister Northerners."

He crumpled up Baiyi's surveillance report and tossed it into a trashcan. Then, he lifted the approval document from his desk and handed it to one of the staff members. "Find a footman and give this to him. Now, where were we? Ah yes. The Church. They are surely our strongest competitors this time around..."

Meanwhile, in another manor also located on the outskirts of the Capital City, the envoys from the Northern Land gathered around a square table filled with sheets of paper. These papers contained reports that intricately detailed the actions and locations of targets worthy of the Northerners' focus.

One northerner was reading a surveillance report on Baiyi. This man looked to be around thirty years old; at that moment, his expression was maudlin, and his eyes seemed pensive. After reading the report thoroughly, he rapped his knuckles on the table to get the attention of his comrades.

They all looked over to him immediately, and he proceeded to speak, saying, "'Tis the man who reaped the life of the outcast from the Azure Sect."

"Och? Looks rilly powerful. Hud he stairted daein' anythin' yit?" Another northerner asked; he was wearing a sleeveless sweatshirt that bared his firm arms.

"Aye, he's an interesting one. His behavior does not comply with the action of one who seeks the same goal that we do," the first northerner, who still wore a maudlin expression, replied. He proceeded to recount Baiyi's activities to his comrades.

"Tsk. Interesting character. I assume he is a scholar wha harbors na desire fur worldly possessions? But that is nae whit we hud heard from th' fellas from the Godsfall cult, is it? Thay painted him as a messenger o' a god. How come a god's messenger built a school, instead o' a religion?" This time, a man of a short but powerful stature asked pointedly.

"Hmph. The southern folks entertain themselves with flairs of the enigmatic, you see. They always indulge in secretive activities. However, I rather reiterate that we be on our guard against those charlatans from Godsfall. They may be our information broker and our partner, but they are not above reproach. We will be inviting calamity if we believe every single word they say," said a voice. This voice belonged to a man who was dressed in a standard robe common in the North. He looked like he was the scholar among them.

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329 An Abrupt Lead

As a popular trope goes: the villains always come in a five-man team; four horsemen and their leader, who will be riding a white steed. However, there were no white steeds in this scenario. After the four Heavenly Kings had said their piece, they turned their gazes to an elderly man sitting in their midst.

He looked to be about sixty or seventy-years-old, and his eyes were like black mirrors reflecting glows of wisdom. His was sitting up straight and appeared sturdy, and his muscles, which was partially covered by the monk-robe he was wearing, were just as firm and herculean as the other northerners present in the room.

This was not his most captivating trait, however. The elderly man, who had the countenance of a commander of the Northern warriors' envoy, was most noticeable for his light-reflecting bald head. With his firm muscles and his common northern robe, he perfectly depicted the picture of ripped, elderly bald monk.

"Master, whit says ye o' this Hope? " The beefy man with the sleeveless shirt asked.

"Th' glint o' a rice; th' glow o' a firebug' — unimposing, unthreatening, " the bald monk replied calmly and confidently. "'Tis th' savages who oor guard mist be raised against."

"What about him must we take into our hearts?" The one who looked to be the studious type hurriedly asked.

The monk's face relaxed into a state of nostalgic serenity as he recollected an event from his younger days. "When I was but a novice monk, my master teuk me tae th' wasteland fur oor ascetic training. We met an auld shaman o' th' steppe; he was an acquaintance o' my master. As thay talked, th' auld shaman mentioned these barbarians."

"Of thair characteristics, he told us that thair brawn makes th' ground shudder; their javelins thrusts thro' th' sky bfore returning tae earth, and their howls can chaynge th' coorse o' a gale. When thay charge, thair motion set th' world upside-doon. Thay named themselves th' Divine Warriors, th' 'Beloved Bairns o' Th' Mountains'."

After listening to the elderly monk's tale, an expression of incredulity — the type that people make when listening to exaggerated legends — appeared on the face of the short northerner, and he murmured, "Exaggerated, all o' it. The barbarians o' th' steppe hae ne'er seen a real warrior afore, sae thair stories might hae become misinterpreted. But tae hae wise auld master tae sae easily lend trust onto it..!"

He had spoken softly, but his words did not escape the leader's ears. This made him turn to look at short northerner before slowly saying, "Aye. This was whit I used tah say whin I was a young, novice monk. But one day, I saw how mistaken I was..."

"My master 'n' I hud entered th' mountains, 'n' there, we bore witness tae a fray noth imaginable tae common men. There were dragons — scores o' th' mighty beasts — blocking th' sky from th' earth. Yet, batlin th'z lords o' th' sky — wi'oot bein' overwhelmed — were th' Divine Warriors. 'Twas then I realized that although th' auld shaman's stories can be fanciful, these barbarians' actions had left on me as big a searing impression as thay hud on him. I cannae forget whit I hae seen 'til now."

"Luck has favored us. There are only three o' them, and oor work at hand demands more than mere brawn," the leader finished. "Seeing them traivelin beside that man, Hope, has drawn some respect from me, but alas, soul armatures, in their entirety, are ootcomes o' heretical southern practices. Things that are inherently unrighteous… They will ne'er remain."

"Mercy, since the great abbot from the Martial Lodestar Monastery has already given us a direction, then we shall follow and make sure we take notice on these barbarians! But what are these savages hope to gain by bringing their goats with them to the outskirts of the city? Do they intend to steal some corn from the farmers?" The northerner had been reading the report on Baiyi earlier on jovially said.

However, his joke was met with silence; his companions had not found it funny.

The bald monk, the leader of this group, closed his eyes silently and entered a state of deep meditation. The others changed the topic of conversation and began deliberating on which foe might pose more problems for them: Walthart's royal force or the Church.

Neither of these northerners had considered Baiyi a threat to their success. They did not consider the Church a threat either. Although the Church had stormed Capital City with a large number of soldiers, including templars, paladin grand crosses, and even bishops, they had not gathered any spy reports on the same targets that most powers did; they only announced that they had come to defend the city. However, no power bought into their facade. They believed that there was more to the Church's activities than it let on.

If the spectators had to place bets on who they thought would obtain the treasure, based on the spy reports, no one would bet on Baiyi, lest they lose their savings. After all, to the various powers who were having Baiyi spied, his activities were not serious enough for one who intended to fight for this holy grail!

At that moment, however, Baiyi, the target of many spy reports, was nothing thinking about any of that. He was busy making an apparatus which his barbarians friends could use to fly. With the aid of the Scholar Walker and the Engineer Walker, Baiyi was able to manufacture something akin to a metal jetpack. The 'jetpack' was actually a chunk of mithril that had been sculpted to resemble a small backpack and had a hollow interior. Within the sculpted jetpack, Baiyi drew the formation for a levitation spell, then he placed enough mana crystals to fill the metal backpack on top the formation. These mana crystals were there to power the formation.

Baiyi also had to solve another conundrum. He needed something that would enable the barbarians, who could not use magic at all, trigger the formation in the metal backpack and control their movement in the sky. For this, Baiyi enlisted the help of the Voidwalkers and was able to create a formation that allowed one without magic to control the metal backpack.

However, this success was not without its price. It had cost him 800 gold coins to create just one formation! The materials needed were staggeringly expensive. Baiyi placed this formation on a gauntlet made using goatskin. Whoever wore the gauntlet would be able to control the metal backpack change their flight path at will by gesturing with their fingers.

It costs so much to produce one metal backpack that Baiyi quickly gave up his initial plans to mass produce them for commercial purposes. Baiyi also knew that such a product would not appeal to greatly to the public; after all, if they wished to fly, they would have to pay a price lesser than the cost of one metal backpack to hire a sorcerer who would cast a levitation spell on them. In fact, for the price of one of Baiyi's metal backpacks, one could ask their hired sorcerer to stay with them for a year! Furthermore, the levitation spell was a simple spell that even Intermediate-level sorcerers are able to cast skillfully, while Advanced-level sorcerers would be able to cast it almost instantaneously. The metal backpack would also only be favored by those who could not manipulate magic, like the barbarians.

Seeing as the original spell was so basic, there was not even a need to use a metal backpack. With that, there was one less reason for them to be produced commercially.

Baiyi only made six metal backpacks, and they were gifts for the barbarians.

When he was done making them, he left the magus lab and returned to the royal manor on the outskirts of the city. As soon as Baiyi got to the manor, he was surprised to see the barbarians already there, and they seemed restless. Baiyi found them sitting on the grass and scraping some rocks with their fingernails.

He felt as though he was watching sculptors carving idols out of wood or kids creating effigies of objects out of clay. The three black rocks in the barbarians' hands had been carved into humanoid shapes.

No one in the manor knew were they had gotten the rocks from.

When they saw Baiyi approaching, the barbarians quickly offered their sculpted rocks to him as gifts. "Brother Hope, look! Which one of our figures resembles you the most?"

'Aww, you guys... had me in mind while you were making this?' Baiyi felt his chest warm up as he quickly accepted the small sculptures.

When he examined them, he felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

Huskar's sculpture looked decent, and it was the only piece that had a human shape, even though the human seemed deformed. Zar'Zar's and Char'Char's sculptures looked pretty bad; one resembled something out of a Cthulhu mythos, and the other resembled a Xenomorph.

"Are these... the best artists in your tribe? Or is this really what you people think I look like — a pumpkin-headed bizzaro?" Baiyi muttered quietly. He still accepted the bizarre sculptures, albeit reluctantly, because the look in the eyes of the barbarians was one of earnestness. He also took care not to answer their question about the best sculpture, to avoid hurting anyone's feelings.

He produced three metal backpacks from his storage pouch and said, "Give these a go."

It was an invitation that neither of the three could resist.

Soon, audible cheers and excited howls could be heard as the barbarians soared across in the sky with their metal backpacks. The cheers, which later began to sound like the wails of banshees, persisted until the sky had darkened. Only then did the three barbarians return to the ground with expressions of unwillingness.

Baiyi had spent the time pacifying the patrol teams that rushed over because of all the noise — which was akin to the roars of monster descending to the world. He quickly explained the situation to the patrol guards and sent them on their way.

When the barbarians landed, Baiyi handed the remaining three metal backpacks to them and explained to them how to take care of their makeshift jetpacks. "The mana stored in here is enough to last five hundred hours; this means if you don't fly wantonly, the mana could last a year," Baiyi said. "Remember, if it ever ran out of fuel, look for a white dragon's blood, pour it into your backpacks, and they will start working again."

"Oh! So easy!" Huskar sighed, even though no one could tell what was so "simple" about it.

"Alright, so I upheld my end of the bargain. What about you guys? Any good news?" Baiyi asked.

The faces of the barbarians instantly darkened. They exchanged meaningful glances, with identical shame-filled expressions. After a quiet moment, Huskar sighed and said, "Sorry, Brother Hope; we... We couldn't find anything. You have given us such priceless presents, but we, in turn..."

Baiyi was not surprised. If he, the heir of the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, had no idea where the Book of Servitude was, then it was not surprising that a couple of barbarians could not find it.

With a serene tone of voice, Baiyi reassured the barbarians: "It's alright, my brothers. You can't force something you're looking for to appear."

"Our goats and Cuckoo took us out of town to a human settlement. We found tons of visually captivating and aromatic corncobs there, but we did not find any powerful treasures, " Zar'Zar added, bashfully.

"You guys did not steal their corncobs, right?" Baiyi asked, looking a little alarmed.

"No, no! I traded one of my bracelets for them," Huskar quickly replied and shook his wrist to show Baiyi the absence of one of his bracelets. "It was a perfect bargain! After the corncobs were roasted, they tasted like heaven! We wanted to bring some back for you, but you can't eat; hence, we picked up the rocks from there and used them to make sculptures of you."

'That's not a great bargain, my friend. If I'm not mistaken, your bracelets are made from dragon teeth. Taking their market price into account, one bracelet of dragon teeth should have earned you a million carts of corncobs!' Baiyi thought to himself in amusement.

After talking for a while, Baiyi saw the barbarians back to the rooms that the maids had prepared for them. Their goats were sent off to the royal manor's stable, where high-class steeds were housed.

Baiyi returned to his room and had nothing to do. He took out the barbarians' sculptures and began to admire them, and his lips could not helping curling upwards.

He was just about to burst out laughing when something dawned on him. Seized by a sudden realization, Baiyi rushed out of his room and into the next room, where Huskar was fast asleep and snoring loudly. As soon as Baiyi rushed into the room, Huskar was jolted awake.

"H-huh? Brother... Hope? W-what's wrong?" He opened his blurry eyes and glanced at the sculptures in Baiyi's grasp. "Did you just come in to — yawn — tell me that my sculpture resembled you the most?"White dragon blood supply, I supposed. If the fuel for my metal backpack is human hair, I would sigh as well. I have a knack for gathering human hair, with different degrees of freshness!

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330 A Conjecture with Basic Certainty

"You finally realized that my sculpture resembles you the most?" Huskar asked.

'Another amusing question that only a barbarian's incredible brain can think up.'

Baiyi shook sideways his head and asked, "Where did you find these rocks?"

"Um, a stone wall... besides someone's crop field," Huskar answered honestly. Baiyi assumed that Huskar meant a dry-stone wall which farmers made by stacking stones in order to protect their crops from animals.

"I see; alright, sorry for bothering you. Good night!" Baiyi replied and returned to his room.

With a face brimming with confusion, Huskar watched Baiyi leave his room. He soon shook his head and went back to sleep.

"What was the impetus for that inquiry?" The Scholar Walker asked, as soon as Baiyi returned to his room. "Is there a quantifiable distinction between this rock and others?"

"Yea, there is something odd about it," Baiyi said as he placed the three sculptures under the light. "Just before, I was thinking of touching up their sculptures my myself, and just as I was about to do so, I realized that the rocks possessed some interesting structures."

"For starters," Baiyi began, "they are abnormally tough. Normally, if we want to carve stones or rocks into something, we will need more than just brute strength, right? We will need to have an appropriate level of craftsmanship, or else the material would break into pieces. Now look at our friends, the barbarians, they aren't skilled at sculpting, and that's putting it mildly. They were just messing around, yet... instead of the rocks to shatter, they began to respond to the force of the barbarians!"

These barbarians had enough strength to crush rocks as though they were eggs. If they had been sculpting with normal rocks, those rocks would have long since been reduced to sand, but that was no the case with the rocks they used to make the sculptures.

From this alone, one could tell that the rocks were far from normal.

"Hold on, this rock looks like a 'soft concrete' — a material that we used to sculpt magical idols," said the Engineer Walker.

Although the Engineer walker had coined the rocks 'soft' concrete, they were actually a special type of metal that not only resembled normal rocks but also had the sturdiness and density of normal rocks. They were called "soft concrete" only because alchemists extract them by pulverizing and condensing the material.

Soft concretes were much harder than natural rocks, and they possessed greater force and temperature endurance. They also possessed a significant degree of anti-magic properties, and this was why they were used as alternatives for Anti-magic metal and obsidian. The only flaw that soft concrete had was its mass. If it was made into armor, the armor would be too heavy; therefore, soft concrete was used to create joints, and other important parts, for automatons.

Other than that, they are also used to build Magic Cultivation sites so that when sorcerers could practice their magic in simulated a real-world setting.

Although soft concrete was not rare, it was not so common that one would use it to build stone walls in a village.

"Now that you mentioned it, well, yea. It does look like soft concrete, and it is sturdy enough to be played around with by the barbarians. But I also remember that soft concretes can be yellowish-grey or ashen-grey, just like normal rocks, right? This one is completely black—" Baiyi pointed out.

"Aha! Now here's when your expertise runs dry!" The Alchemist Walker suddenly popped into the conversation. "The color of soft concrete can be altered manually! Make some alterations in the formula, and voila, you can get colors like red, yellow, or infidelity! The only downside is that altering the formula for the sake of colors is expensive as heck, and also, frankly, quite pointless — especially when one can just paint the soft concrete themselves"

"Do you mean that someone made an effort to turn these chunks of soft concrete black? But what's the point? Could they have done it with paint?" Baiyi asked.

"Not really, else you could tell the difference. The paint will begin to come off after a day, you know, and the soft concrete will revert back to its original look. However, if one alters the color whilst the soft concrete was being processed, that color would last longer. But that rock in your hand right now? I don't think it's black. Or more accurately, it's not originally black," the Alchemist explained. "I'm sensitive to colors, you see. And I can tell you with confidence that the black on those chunks of soft concrete isn't normal."

"You can actually tell that?" Baiyi asked in surprise.

"Part of my incredible and unparalleled expertise!" The Alchemist Walker beamed proudly. "You already know the dangers of my work, right? Sometimes, two colors may look the same but end up having very different properties. If I added the wrong addictive to a concoction, the effects will be way of expectation. So! If I don't have an acute sense to tell colors apart, I would have died a loooot sooner."

"Alright. I believe in your incredible, unparalleled expertise. Tell me, what is its original color?" Baiyi asked quickly.

"According to my expansive and pragmatic experience, these chunks of soft concrete were originally either pure gold, or perhaps blonde, or perhaps medallion; either way, they all share the same base color — gold. Their current black color is as a result of oxidation; this is similar to how small gold pieces turn black after being tarnished," the Alchemist Walker elucidated. "In fact, during the processing of these chunks of soft concrete, they may have thrown gold into the mix, and when sufficient time had passed, this happened."

"Gold? Seriously? Using gold to process soft concrete? That's just ostentatious. This action certainly fits somebody we know to a tee..." Baiyi murmured. "If that teacher of mine was to build himself a magic cultivation site, it is very likely that he would choose to build a cultivation site made of flashy gold. He's exactly that tasteless, that man..."

"Are there any other corroborations that support the conjecture that these chunks of soft concrete, indeed, came from the First Walker's magic cultivation site?" the Scholar Walker hurriedly.

"If the Alchemist wasn't wrong in his assessment, then all of our clues up till this point does project this possibility," Baiyi replied. "The barbarians' animals brought them there. Animals possess more acute senses than we humans do, and those animals followed the frequency over to that place. They also happened to discover alchemic metals which had no business being there; this all fits my teacher's characteristics..."

"Most importantly, that cannot just be a cultivation site alone. It must have also been his magus lab! And that would be the best location to store the Book of Servitude!"

"I am perplexed. Is it a magus lab or a cultivation site?" the Scholar Walker asked, curiously.

"Both. They are one and the same. Do you know why a modern, complete magus lab would have a cultivation site at the side? Long ago, the two were separated. It's just that after generations of sorcery, a certain emperor thought that sorcerers should always be able to experiment any time they wanted to; he merged the two facilities together, placing the cultivation site in front of his research table and magical furnace. That way, he could experiment on his magic anytime he wanted," Baiyi explained.

"Of course, they ran a risk with this. If the magic went haywire, it might create a chain of events that will lead to an explosion, leaving the sorcerer as a part of its firework display," Baiyi added.

"Following the emperor's example, other sorcerers began to employ the same architectural design, despite its risks. During the time of the Ancient Rohlserlian empire, the magus lab was often built right inside the cultivation site. Modern men replicated the layout but added safety precautions; the magus lab and cultivation site were close to each other but were not situated in the same place. That is how we came to have our modern layout."

"Let me guess… that emperor was none other than the First Walker himself, right?" The Thane Walker chimed in.

"Oops, this time, you're wrong. The emperor that began this dangerous fashion was the First Walker's father. Emperor Rohlserl the Eighteenth may not have been as naturally gifted as his son, but he was more ardent in magical research than anyone else. This passion of his was passed down to his son, the First Walker. The difference was, unlike his father, the Archmage conducted his experiment on his foes in the battlefield, and perhaps that was the reason why the national regalia, the Book of Servitude, chose him." Baiyi said.

When the Archmage exchanged memories with Baiyi, he did not share the memories of his childhood and teenage years. He had kept those memories to himself because he did not want his student to see how dark his childhood and teenage years had been. He had only let Baiyi view the life he lived as an adult and the battles he fought.

"If the topic of discussion is the location of the First Walker's magus lab, you of all people should know where it is, right?" The Explorer Walker said, joining the conversation. "Everyone in the academic field of archeological-adventure knows that the location of the Sage-Emperor's lab has remained an unsolved mystery. People discovered and combed through the Rohlserlian Royal Mausoleum, but no one found the lab. Everyone was starting to wonder if the lab just was claimed by someone else as soon as the First Walker was sent to the Void."

"What 'academic field of archeological-adventure'? That's just bloody gravedigging!" Baiyi snapped. "You actually think that my teacher would have allowed his lab to be found easily? That's just underestimating him."

"The truth is, he had three magus labs throughout his life. Two of them are not even in Isythre; they are currently in a private mini-realm that belongs to him. Only he knows where that is, and with him gone, no one would ever find their location," Baiyi continued.

"That other lab was, in fact, his very first lab, which he inherited from his father. It was in that lab he first laid his hands on the Book of Servitude."

"I get it! He placed the book back in his first lab!" The Explorer Walker exclaimed in excitement. The hunt for this treasure had triggered his dormant gravedigger instincts. "He did that so that you can claim the book where your teacher had once obtained it. In that way, the sacred sense of passing on a regalia could be imbued into your inauguration ceremony as well... That's it! The Book of Servitude is most definitely in that magus lab!"

"So, do you know where it is? You know, right? It must be in Isythre, somewhere around here? He hid it so well that no one could find it yet." The Explorer Walker added excitedly.

Baiyi's next words burst the Voidwalker's bubbles. "If it were that easy, I wouldn't be in the dark for so long, my friend."Strangely, as I was trying to see if there was a specific term for this sort of walls, I came across articles about stone walls in Wikipedia aaaaaand... I got hooked onto it for half an hour. There's something about stone walls that mesmerized me…When your spouse is unfaithful and sleeping with another person, you're wearing a green hat. So what's the color of infidelity? /winks and nudgesThaaaat's racist! Ding!!! (Anyone here is a fan of the YouTube channel Cinemasins? It's, um, a reference.)In our world, pure gold does not oxidize under normal circumstances, but gold alloys do. I'm not sure if the gold in *their* world holds different properties, though

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331 Is That What He Was Thinking?

Six thousand years after the Sage-Emperor of the Magi was cast into the Void, various prodigies and powerhouses in the field of archaeology and gravedigging popped out one after the other, to do dig out his artifacts, and they soon found themselves running out of places to search. Many of them were even as good as the Sage Vagabond, the Explorer Walker, who was not only famous for his encyclopedic knowledge, but also for the fact that he actually possessed magical abilities.

With the aid of his magical abilities, the Sage Vagabond was just as good as an entire excavation team of prodigy archeologists. Hence, if there was one person who should have been able to locate any hidden magus lab — especially the Sage-Emperor of the Magi's lab — it should have been the Sage Vagabond.

"I think he hid the entire lab in a super-massive, unique dimension — the same type of dimension that storage pouches are based on; this would explain its obscurity. Even if the unique dimension was within Isythre, it would remain sealed until its owner opens the space himself," Baiyi said. "Furthermore, this dimension would move wherever its master did, just like a storage pouch. How is anyone supposed to find a mobile dimension, let alone enter it? If it had not emitted any frequencies at all, I bet no one would be able to pinpoint its location at all!"

"Being able to extrude a pocket dimension out of a realm, which is large enough to displace his entire lab alone...! What pulchritudinous feat! Perhaps this is the reason why it was able to emit a frequency so widely-propagated that we managed to detect it," the Scholar Walker exclaimed in awe.

"He never told me much about this dimension... Now that I think of it, maybe he had been keeping it a secret for a day like today. Even though he isn't here to tell me how it works, I'm still sure a forbidden space magic spell was utilized," Baiyi deduced. "That soft concrete the barbarians found must have come from the hidden dimension because of that frequency, right?

"Tomorrow, I'll go and visit the place these soft concretes were taken from. If I see that the soft concretes only appeared recently — right when the magical frequency began to emit — then it would tie into the leads we have perfectly, and our inference would be confirmed!" Baiyi concluded.

After a night that seemed longer than normal, Baiyi wasted no time in waking the barbarians up and hurriedly urged them to wear their metal backpacks. They exited the manor and got the mountain goats and Cuckoo out of the stables. Then, with the animals in the lead, they began their journey. It did not take long before they arrived at the little village town the barbarians had purchased the corncobs. Not long after that, the posse found themselves in front of the stone wall that the barbarians had picked the soft concretes out of.

The stone wall was very low, and an adult human could cross over it without leaping. It also seemed to have been erected recently.

The local villagers were not happy to have been woken up by loud guffaws that resounded in the sky from the flying barbarians. When some villagers came out to see who was making all the racket, Baiyi quickly approached a man and asked him if he knew where the rocks used to build the stonewall had come from. He promised the man a gold coin for his help.

The villager brought Baiyi to a shallow creek. The side of the creek was littered with large pebbles that had the same color as the rocks on the stone wall. Baiyi made good on his promise and gave the villager a gold coin, and watched the man depart with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

Baiyi strode along the side of the creek, and he reduced the range of his psychic energy closer to his body so that its detection capabilities would increase, as he tried his best to gain any little leads.

Suddenly, Baiyi sensed a very gentle magical frequency wave that came out from the bottom of that part of the creek. He willed his mana to pierce through layers of mud until it reached the bottom of the creek, and Baiyi spotted a black coin laying there; it was the same size as a normal gold coin.

Baiyi quickly searched his memory and realized that this small black coin was similar to the gold coin that the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire had used. However, after laying at the bottom of a creek for such a long time, the black coin had lost gold color and turned black. However, it could still be considered a keepsake from the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire.

When the Ancient Rohlserian Empire began to mint its coins, it was plagued by the issue of forgery. One of the empire's emperors suggested that the empire mint its coins with magic, which would make them emit a special frequency, and this would make them very hard to fake. Since that time period was one where almost everyone could perform some level of magic, the new minting method was widely embraced and began to spread.

Thanks to this method of minting, Baiyi was still able to detect weak magic frequencies emanating from the small black coin. Even after thousands of years, it was still able to emit magic frequencies that could be detected. This made him feel like applauding those who minted coins back then.

"It's no wonder he believed that only I could find the Book of Servitude. If it was anyone else, they would not have come this far. After all, they would not know about his secret magus lab, neither would they know about the coins of the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire," Baiyi said. He picked up the small black coin carefully and put it into his storage pouch.

As Baiyi had found the ancient relic at the bottom of the creek, it was evident that it may have only appeared recently. This meant that the entrance to the magus lab — or more specifically, the entrance to the hidden dimension — that he sought was somewhere around there.

"Even after drastically minimizing the range of my psychic energy, I am unable to discern any more magical frequencies. How I am now supposed to enter that place?" Baiyi murmured, feeling frantic, as he stood by the creek. The treasure seemed so close yet so far.

"Just ask those mountain goats to help, C'mon! You know that animals are more sensitive in certain aspects than humans, right?" the Explorer Walker reminded him curtly. The Voidwalker seemed lively, probably because of the excitement from excavating a thousand-year-old mystery.

"Good point!" Baiyi nodded in approval. He remote-controlled the metal backpacks and brought the barbarians over to where he was, putting an end to the terror he was sure they were wracking in the little village. He briefed the barbarians on his current problem, and they whistled for their mountain goats, who had been laying waste to the villagers' crops.

The mountain goats, however, did not nibble on the shrubs at the side of the creek; instead, they began to circle a patch of barren land strangely. It was as though they had discovered something.

"This... is this what you're looking for?" Huskar strode over to where the goats had stopped and picked up a pebble. His hand closed around the pebble, and it was shattered into powder. "These rocks seem normal. So frail."

'Only you would think so,' Baiyi mumbled internally as he walked over and began to inspect the land. He spread out his psychic energy and caused it to burrow deep within the ground underneath him, sensing the state of every grain of sand and speck of dust within the earth.

He found nothing. He stirred his mana and made it surge around the small patch of land by the creek, but there was no reaction.

"What are you even looking for, Brother Hope?" Zar'Zar and Char'Char walked over and asked.

"A door... A door that we can't see," Baiyi answered, using an analogy that he was sure that the Barbarians would be able to understand.

"If it cannot be seen, then how can it be found?" Huskar asked, a little philosophically.

"I know, I know!" Char'Char exclaimed in excitement. "I remember when Mama told me stories about invisible doors. She said you just have to say the secret spell, and the door would open!"

'Huh. So the barbarians have stories like these, too?' Baiyi marveled silently. He turned the idea over in his head and decided that to try it.

"Open.. sesame!" He yelled.

Nothing.

"I'm Level 10, please portal me to Dalaran!"

"O Warlock, please open the door and then go away!"

"If ya have the balls to steal mah man, then ya have the balls to open this muthafarken door!"

"I... I have tapped my train ticket on the scanner so many times already..."

Soon, Baiyi had shouted a dozen door-related-phrases, but the door he needed opened refused to let its guard down. The barbarians were staring at Baiyi incredulously; they had no idea what he was on about.

Baiyi felt like an idiot...

"You i-di-ot! You can be so stupid sometimes! You've been using phrases from your previous world. Back during Master's time, he knew nothing about the words you speak now, did he?" The Assassin Walker chided him.

'Oh? What a miracle! The stupid girl actually came up with a pretty sound rebuke! But why are you calling my teacher "Master"? Despite seeing enough of his antics, you still want to be his student?'

Baiyi proceeded to say the previous phrases in Ancient Rohlserlese.

At this point, the barbarians were even more perplexed. Their eyes held even more confusion within them.

"L-l-look at what you made me do! You actually made me repeat these idiotic lines!" Baiyi jabbed the Assassin Walker twice in fury.

"Ow! Ow ow ow!" Lady Assassin cried out. However, she did not retaliate because she had realized that she was really at fault.

"Don't panic," the Warrior Walker cooed. "Think back to everything Master said to you before all this. You might find some clues in those words."

'Oh! So the Warrior is always the smarter of the two.' Baiyi quietly nodded in approval and cast his thoughts back to the words the Archmage had said to him after the Void Walker descended into the Militia Armor Set. Baiyi pondered really hard.

However, all he could remember was the Archmage being adamant that he retrieve the book, as well as assuring him that the book would his and his alone. The rest of that discussion had been normal banter about names of new techniques and the Archmage demanding money from him.

Baiyi decided to think even further back than that. He cast his mind back to the battle between the Archmage and the Demigod Lich. In that battle, the Archmage had displayed two territories, and he used them to easily overpower the Demigod Lich—

Hold on. Two Territories...?

Baiyi remembered exactly how the Archmage utilized the second Territory and how the Demigod Lich's titanic Grim Reaper had bowed its head in subjugation. Back then, the Book of Servitude turned into a scepter.

Now that Baiyi thought about it, he began to suspect there was never any real need for the Archmage to use his second Territory to fight off the Demigod Lich's 'Gehenna'. His second Territory was more effective and visually captivating than his first Territory.

Although the Archmage was one who loved acting cool, his fighting style was usually more guarded and conservation. He would normally not show his trump card easily without being sure that his opponent had no other tricks.

That was actually quite risky... and quite extreme.

Could it be that the Archmage used his second Territory not just to act cool but to tell Baiyi something?

'He's not asking me to use his second Territory to open the door, right?' Baiyi thought.They are literally terrorists, man.A reference in World of Warcraft, for the nth time. But I don't really know how this works, 'cause they keep mentioning level 74 or 71 or something... You can't get to Dalaran if you're only Level 10, is it?Also a reference from WoW. I really don't know the in-joke of this, but perhaps you WoW players do?If only every door is the same as the doors in the Conjuring Universe. They practically open themselves with the sounds of "aaaaaaaaeeeeeeeiiiiiikkkkkk...."

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332 An Ineluctable Awakening

If the secret dimension required Baiyi to perform the Archmage's second Territory to unseal, then all he could say was "uh-oh".

This was because he could not do it.

Baiyi was just as capable as a Demigod-level being because he could use Void Energy, but a Territory was a different ballpark altogether. For Territories, theories and instructions were useless; they were no replacements for the epiphany needed to get a Territory.

A Territory was considered a metaphysical subject; it was not something he could get by shuffling through the memories of the Voidwalkers and watch them get their own territories.

Since he was summoned to the real world by Little Mia, Baiyi had never tried out his own Territory. He had imagined how it would be like, but he never found the chance to put it to practice. He was not sure if his idea could even work.

"Pfft! Weren't you the one trying to preach to me about the wisdom in attempting to understand a Territory?! Ahaha. You never understood it yourself!" The Assassin Walker seized the opportunity to smirk.

'Oh great, now you think I said that just to look cool,' Baiyi thought internally, but he did not refute her.

Surprisingly, the Warrior Walker stood up for him. "Hey, don't tease him anymore. Give him peace and let him meditate on this while he has the time."

Saying so, she turned to Baiyi and said, "The other Voidwalkers must have shown you the events that led up to them getting their respective Territories, right? You can try to emulate them."

"Big Sister Warrior is always, always protecting him..." The Assassin Walker pouted.

"Who else should I protect, then?"

The Assassin Walker instantly went quiet, unable to answer.

Baiyi, on the other hand, had no time to ponder the deeper meaning behind the girls' conversations. After all, he had a bigger issue at hand, one which the Warrior Walker had just given him a brilliant suggestion to.

Baiyi relaxed and sat cross-legged on the riverbed. Then, he carefully began to sift through the memory of every Voidwalker. He carefully watched the events that led to the Demigod Voidwalkers awakening their Territory.

It was a long process. From the moment he sat cross-legged, he had not moved at all. The three barbarians were quiet as they knew not to disturb him.

By the time Baiyi opened his eyes, it was daybreak, and the warm rays of the rising sun shone down on him.

He realized that he had spent a day to sift through the memories.

Baiyi turned around and saw the barbarians. They were huddled together with their mountain goats, sleeping soundly. They did not leave Baiyi's side out of concern for his safety. Just beside them was a small hill of fully eaten corncobs; they had probably conducted another exchange with the villagers while he was meditating.

As he stood up, his armor made a little noise, and that was all it took for the barbarians and the mountain goats to scramble to their feet. He could tell that they had not slept very well because they had their guard up the whole time.

Huskar looked at his friend and grinned. "You're finally awake!"

He studied the soul armature for a while, and his gaze turned to one of confusion. "Brother Hope, you look kinda different."

"Maybe," Baiyi replied, with a little mirth. Baiyi walked to the middle of the riverbed and stared at the ground beneath him; he seemed to be reflecting on something. After a short while, he began to chant loudly in Ancient Rohlserlese.

"In the name of the Emperor before me, the Nineteenth, in the name of the new heir..."

As he spoke, a strange aura began to bubble around him, and it soon began to surge out wildly with a roar. This was not his mana, neither was it his own aura. It was a commanding presence that transcended one's senses.

"In the name of the Void; in the name of the Emperors of Rohlserl; in the name of Hope — I hereby decree!"

"Wherever I lay my foot is where I will reign; wherever I lay my foot is mine to claim; whatever I lay eyes on returns my gaze with obeisance— "

The aura surged out like a web and encompassed the barbarians and the mountain goats within it. The barbarians stared at each other in confusion, with only one thought running through their head: Is this armor set before them still their Brother Hope?

"I am the Inaugurated; I am the Heir; I am the Keeper of the Founded..."

"I am Rohlserl! I summon thee as the rightful Emperor; return to me! O' sacred imperial emblem, my battle regalia, my scepter; return to my side —"

"— and submit to your king!"

When that last liturgic line left Baiyi's lips, the entire riverbed vanished. The three barbarians felt as though they had been wrapped tightly by the aura emanating from the soul armature in front of them.

Baiyi's presence was now as towering and commanding as a real emperor's, and his countenance had become abnormally dignified and reverent. The barbarians, who had no concept of royalty in their semantics, were able to understand that their Brother Hope had become different; he was now as worthy of respect as their ancestors were.

Their knees began to shiver, and they did not dare loudly exhale their next breaths.

If it was not for the fact that these barbarians had no inkling of the concepts of monarchs and obeisance, they would have long since fallen to their knees and bowed their prideful heads before Baiyi.

Baiyi had successfully formed his Territory. The sea of experience he had gained from the Voidwalkers' memories — which not only included everything they learned from their respective arts and disciplines, but also millennia of discourses and contemplation in the Void — had allowed him a unique advantage through which he was able to attain the truth of his new Territory only after a day of contemplation. His Territory symbolized ultimate power.

Baiyi was calm and composed. To him, this was nothing to be joyous about. With the sea of experience within him, this breakthrough was an ineluctable one.

The Voidwalkers, however, were overjoyed and cheered in the Void for the birth of a new Demigod.

"Whoa! Congratulations, Doofus! Seriously, congrats! Who knew you weren't bluffing about your own skills? You managed to open up your Territory just by thinking it through! Now you're a real Demigod-level powerhouse; one much more powerful than I am!" The Assassin Walker cheered, with a smile.

'Excuse you, I've always been more powerful...' Baiyi thought flatly. He accepted the congratulations from the Voidwalkers and returned his attention back to the real world.

His surroundings had changed. Now that he had unsealed his Territory, some peculiar events began to occur around the riverbed. Ripples were visible in the air, and the area around the small creek now resembled a painting. The wind speed became faster, and a maelstrom had appeared in the middle of this painting-like environment. The roaring winds and the terrifying maelstrom strangely seemed to converge on a single point and transformed into a gate made or pure, white light!

The gate was about ten feet tall, and it had some elegant and quaint engravings glowing on its frame. The gate was wide open, and all that could be seen within it was blinding light.

"You guys coming?" Baiyi turned towards the three barbarians and extended his hand gallantly. His strange armor and scarp still looked weird and out of place, but the barbarians now saw him in a different light; to them, he looked like royalty. There was no way they could reject Baiyi's offer.

The barbarians, the mountain goats, and Cukoo, the alpine hawk-eagle, walked behind Baiyi, following him into the gate of light.

Just a few minutes after Baiyi and the barbarians stepped into the gate of light, three emergency reports reached the esteemed leaders of the three biggest groups in the treasure hunt.

"A gate of light appeared in the middle of nowhere? And Hope already went into it?" The Emperor muttered, with a complex expression on his face. He did not wait for all his staff members to arrive before he speedily issued a command: "Where are our best men? Deploy them pronto —with full speed!"

At the same time, in another location, the leader of the group of Northerners, the bald abbot, had just finished reading a report. In a flash, he commanded, "Move, at once!"

The Church's response was just as lightning fast. Three Paladin Grand Crosses, three bishops, and a hundred Templars had mounted their horses and were rushing in the direction of the little village, towards the gate of light.

These three forces were not the only ones eyeing the prize. Many other factions — however large or small, or legal or illegal — had taken notice of the big movements. Although they did not understand the reason behind it, they followed nonetheless.

Capital City suddenly began to bustle with activity. The road was jam-packed with horses and men, each hurrying in the direction of the little village, unknowingly volunteering themselves as attendees of the inauguration ceremony that the Archmage had planned for Baiyi.

At the same time, in Ardin City, far away from all the hubbub, the Archmage raised his head and gazed into the horizon, in the direction Baiyi had gone, and muttered to himself, "He took a bloody long time to find the door, didn't he? Urgh, he's really dense... At least you managed to attain your epiphany; that makes up for your thickness. It took you a little more time than I had expected, and the crowd to witness your inauguration is already on its way; the ceremony to crown you the new Emperor of the Rohlserl Empire is going to be awesome. Too bad I can't see it with my own eyes."

As he was muttering to himself, he heard Little Mia's voice. "Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

The girls had woken up earlier than usual as was the Archmage's plan. He had used his mana earlier to create the image of a certain hairstyle in the air and spent a sizable amount of money to hire the best hairdressers in the city for the girls. He asked the hairdressers to refer to the image he had created with his mana.

"Nothing, my dear. Just an old man talking to himself." the Archmage chuckled.

He had only spent a few days with the girls, yet he already won their hearts and respect. The trick? Excessive pampering and spending. As long as the girls wanted something in a shop, the Archmage would toss money at the shopkeeper! Classes were dismissed even before they had ever started! Who would not love him?

"Grandpa, why are we making this weird hairstyle?" Little Mia asked.

The Archmage replied, "Because today, my dear, is a very special day."

The hairstyles he had created contained a mix of elegance, regalness, and style, and it was called "The Princess's Lock".

During the time of the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire, this hairstyle was only allowed to be worn by the daughters of a Rohlerlian Emperor.Oh, the self-doubt. Step one in every Awakening.Cool. Now I really wanna know what's the experience like when the Soul Armature Practitioner realized his "Vets hate this: Make kitty become a cat in a minute!" Territory. That epicness (or absence thereof) should be fun!

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333 A Place That Made The Void Gasp

Meanwhile, the person at the center of all the hubbub, Baiyi, had no idea that a stampede was headed his way.

His attention was on the scenery in front of him.

When Baiyi found out that his teacher had a secret dimension, he expected the realm to be sufficiently large — probably about the size of a football field. Even if it was larger than that, then it would be as vast as a royal manor, at most. However, after Baiyi passed through the enormous gates and into the light, he realized that he had underestimated the extent of his teacher's power.

In front of him was a seemingly endless wasteland. Beneath his feet was a blackened ground devoid of grass, stones, mud, and even sand. Turning his gaze forward and around, he could see that the earth was at least rising and falling at certain parts. He could see the silhouettes of hills peeking out from the horizon, seemingly beckoning to him.

Baiyi took to the air with a levitation spell. The three barbarians put on their metal backpacks and did the same, and the four of them hovered in the sky, observing the vast, abandoned land.

The ground was cracked and littered with craters of varying sizes and depths. Deep long cracks that stretched across the land could be seen from high above.

Baiyi had expected the secret dimension to be big, but he had not expected it to be this big. Baiyi had thought that this teacher used a forbidden space spell to create a special space just for his use. because if he had his teacher's abilities, this was something he would have done.

However, the Archmage had aimed higher; his space was no longer qualified to be called a dimension, it was as large a realm. The Archmage's space was just as big as the small realm Baiyi visited with the girls and found the divine leather suit!

After pondering for a while, Baiyi was able to understand the reason why the space within the dimension was so vast: with the Book of Servitude, every spell the Archmage would want to experiment on would cause destruction on a large scale; hence, he needed so a large space to call a lab. The craters and cracks that riddled the earth must have been the result of the Archmage's many experimentations.

"Sir First Walker… Not only did he create his own secret dimension, but he also merged a realm into his secret dimension, and subsequently merged his secret small realm into the realm of Isythre, forcefully making his own realm the child realm of another — Isythre…" The Scholar Walker exclaimed in awe. "I-in-inconceivable… Never in my mind would I categorize this feat as something achievable by a mortal!"

"While I was still the principal of Celestial Fortress Academy, I came across a discourse addressing this very topic. The suggestion was brought up in a thesis. I still remember how the idea was lambasted and ridiculed as the dream of an idiot — a dream impossible to realize… Who would have known that the First Walker already brought this 'idiotic dream' to life... a thousand years before we even had that debate!" The Apprentice Walker exclaimed, reverently. "Just how much manpower and resources had gone into completing this feat? How much willpower was needed to see everything through? I'm afraid only the Rohlserlian Empire, in their heyday, could have pulled this off."

"I've told myself many times: 'Don't underestimate this man, never underestimate this man, never ever underestimate this man'... And yet, even my wildest imagination have done him a disservice," the Lich Walker said, looking visibly dejected. "Now I know just how insolent I was to fight him. He never even felt the slightest bit of pressure from my attacks, did he?"

This was just a glance at the real depts of the First Walker's powers. Although he was a noob at the games played in the Void, his intellect and the virtue he places in his study of power easily earned him the veneration of the other Voidwalkers.

"As expected, only the Sage-Emperor of the Magi could pull this off. Back when he was an emperor, Rohlserlian Empire was the very source and foundation of his power," Baiyi explained. "However, he is only an archmage now. He is no longer an emperor, so he no longer has access to the collective fidelity of a massive amount of followers. This miracle he created… is irreplicable."

"Oh, shall I say thank you for your kind words, hmm, your newly-elected majesty?" The Lich Walker snapped, then he went completely silent.

With the discussion in the Void abruptly terminated, Baiyi turned his attention back to reality. He sent out his psychic energy to scan the land, and he found no sign of life, no rivers, and broken mountains. The desolation may have been caused by the passing of a millennium or the passing of the owner of the secret dimension and his great empire.

"I don't like it here; it's making me queasy," Huskar said to Baiyi. However, when his gaze landed on Baiyi, he froze and soon exclaimed, "Brother Hope, you're you again!"

When Baiyi activated his Territory earlier, Huskar and the other barbarians were unable to speak due to the overwhelming veneration they felt for Baiyi; even he, the leader of this group of Divine Warriors, had to fight the urge to kneel. Hence, he was surprised to discover that the suffocating aura that was emanating from Baiyi had vanished, and the soul armature had returned to normal.

"I like this version of Brother Hope better! So ugly, so friendly!" Zar'Zar chimed in.

'Do you even know how to talk to people?' Baiyi thought to himself. The effects of his territory had subsided so silently that even he himself had not noticed it.

This was not a surprise, however. Baiyi had just used his Territory for the first time. A power as marvelous and insight-dependent as a Territory required one to practice constantly before they are able to use a Territory skillfully. This was especially true when one remembered that a Territory was a special power that should not be simply employed at one's whim. As for Baiyi's territory, questions like "What conditions need to be fulfilled before the Territory can be used?", "How long can the territory be used?", and "what are the effects of the territory?" were questions that the soul armature had no answer to.

He did not even know if his own Territory could rival the Archmage's Territory, which was able to make too many beings submit to his will. He did not even know the side-effects of his own Territory, but this was something he had to think about some other time.

"Brother Hope, we came to this ominous place to find that thing you wanted, right?" Char'Char asked.

"Yep! That thing is here somewhere," Baiyi answered.

"But this place is so huge!" Zar'Zar exclaimed. "And… Why do the goats and Cuckoo look unhappy?"

Baiyi turned at his behest. The animals, who had been cheerful from the moment they came to the village, now looked forlorn, and their heads were lowered. It was as though they had been infected by the somber solitude of the realm, which made them lament its glory days.

Animals had sharper senses than humans, after all, especially when they were also quite human-like. Perhaps they had been infected by the somber solitude of this realm, and was lamenting for its glory days?

"Let's just grab what we came for and leave, quickly." Baiyi pointed at a direction. From up high, they could make out something in the distance that seemed to be ruins of some sort. Baiyi deduced that the lab was over there.

They streaked in that direction, and that very moment, the fastest outsiders had reached the gate of light in the middle of the creek. To a side was an army composed of city guards, soldiers, and the very best working for the Walthart royal family. The royal army stood in a triangular formation. On another side was a group of Northern warriors. On yet another side was a group of Templars. The three main factions stared coldly at each other, and a growing hostility could be discerned among them. A spark would be all it took to ignite chaos.

Some smaller factions watched the standoff from a safe distance; they had not dared to get any closer to the gate of light.

For a while, no one walked over to the gate.

"Fie! Look at that slobbering face yer Southern Emperor mak's like th' glutton he truly is! It's pathetic… especially whin ye remember dat he hud promised tae nae lay his hands oan da treasure!" The muscular Northern warriors taunted sarcastically.

"Of course we are keeping our word. If we had no plans to, do you think we would have brought so few men with us?" A heavily-armored man, who was leading the royal force, retorted. He looked at the bald abbot, who was standing amongst the Northern warriors, and continued, "Let us look at these 'honorable' northerners for a second; they even brought the chief monk of Martial Lodestar Monastery with them! Hahaha. And you dare to call us greedy for desiring this treasure?"

Those who knew about the Northerners would know who the monk was. He was the abbot of Martial Lodestar Monastery — a Demigod-level fighter!

There were only a few Demigod-level fighters left in the world. Their powers were beyond mortal men, but they rarely fought because of the natural laws which they feared. They rarely used their own Territories because the more they used it, the more dangerous it would become. Their power granted them eminence across the realms, and they rarely faced situations that required them to personally intervene.

Only the direst of situations would require the presence of a demigod-level fighter. Many powers often used their demigod-level fighters to scare their foes, similar to the existence of nuclear weapons. Although the attacks of demigod-level fighters were not as wide-ranged as a nuke, they could still make quick work of enemy Immortal-level and Legendary level fighters; this was something that could not be taken lightly.

Every force that had a demigod-level powerhouse knew the courtesy that was keeping them out of the battlefield. However, it seemed that not everyone could read the atmosphere; the Northerners, for example, wasted no time to deploy their trump card for the treasure hunt.

The imperial force and the Church, who had long since gotten information about the Demigod Abbot's presence, also brought their own powerhouses with them to the gate of light. When the demigod-level powerhouses of the church and the imperial army noticed the demigod-level abbot leading the Northern force, they quickly hurried to the frontline of their own force.

If the three demigod-level powerhouses engage themselves in battle, it would only take a minute to turn the surrounding to a wasteland.

The Northern Demigod Abbot had sensed the presence of the other two demigod-level beings earlier, so he had to resist making any sudden movements.

Hence, he stood up and announced, "All o' ye, listen. I dae nae wish tae break th' rules laid doon by th' ruler o' this continent…. But I can sense someone else, beyond that gate, who awready activated their Territory... "

The faces of everyone in the surrounding turned gloomy. Someone had activated a Territory? Did a battle occur earlier? Could it have been a fight between demigods? They even dared to use their Territories as if the Laws didn't matter... If the battle took place inside the gate, then how many more demigods could already be in there? Two or three? Which association could have acted this lowly?

Or could the treasure have been claimed already?

As soon as these questions flooded the minds of the people present, they felt that their prospects in the treasure hunt had become grim.

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334 I Want To Play A Game With Them

The situation had taken a grim turn.

The first person to break the long silence that followed the Northern demigod abbot's announcement was the leader of the Church's forces, Grand Paladin Cross Roland. "Listen, all. We wouldn't be able to know how much has changed if we waste time standing here. Someone must have entered the gate already, don't you think?"

"Naturally, the Church vows to continue upholding its rule of being fair and benign to all, and we hope that the rest of us takes that into account and remember the contents of the previous Royal Decree," said the Grand Paladin Cross. As he was speaking, a lackadaisical, elderly man who was dressed as a priest quietly moved to the front of the Church's fleet. This person was the Church's demigod powerhouse; he was the reason why the Grand Paladin Cross could speak so cockily.

The other forces could see this, but they only sneered in response; some were even grinning openly. Their disgust was not without reason; this was because although the Church had said that they only came to Capital City to protect the civilians and prevent chaos, the number of personnel they had lead to the gate of light was larger than the Northern and Imperial forces combined. The Nothern and Imperial forces had only brought a combined total of 60 men with them to the gate of light, but the church had brought over two hundred.

Roland, the Paladin Grand Cross, noticed their expressions, but he paid them no mind because he was confident in the numbers he had behind him. Then, without issuing any orders, he yanked the rein of his steed and charged towards the gate!

The rest of the Church's forces quickly followed, albeit a beat slower, muttering profanities in their minds as they hurried forward. The Nothern warriors and the Imperial forces followed suit, rushing towards the gate. Hundreds of fighters rushed towards the gate of light like the stampede at the start of a Black Friday sale. There were people on horses, people flying, people running, and people hopping; all were rushing towards the gate of light as though they had been possessed. It was pure chaos.

The one leading the stampede behind the Church's forces was the Northern Demigod Abbot. Although he was old and wrinkled, he traveled an insane distance with every step he took. In two steps, he had reached the gate, passing everyone from the church, including Roland, in the time it took to blink once.

However, when he got to the gate, he froze, and his face fell. He could feel the remnants of Territory power from before, but now that he was right in front of the gate, he could tell that the Territory he had sensed earlier was, in fact, still in effect. When he got to the gate, he felt pressured by a sense of heaviness, and this caused him to stop.

As he was a Demigod-level fighter, the Northern abbot only felt a mild pressure. However, for those beneath his level, it was a completely different story. When Roland reached the range of the Territory, his warhorse neighed and refused to go forward, no matter how much Roland urged it to. The steed ignored its master and buckled its knees, going into what seemed to be a kneeling position.

"Is this the power of that mysterious Demigod-level fighter?" The Paladin Grand Cross, who was now forced to travel by feet, pondered as he tried to withstand the overwhelming feeling that seemed to be throttling him. His countenance was now sullen, but he was able to resist the urge to fall to his knees.

However, his head was forced to hang low, and a strange feeling of respect filled his heart; it was only in this manner that he was able to walk towards the gate, albeit slowly.

He was not the only one. When the rushing stampede reached the range of the Territory, everyone was forced to assume the same position. Even the sorcerers were forced to land. They walked slowly and respectfully like pilgrims entering a holy site. Not only could they not raise their heads, but they also could not speak! They could only use their silence to respectfully honor whoever owned the Territory.

Only the three people were able to walk forward properly, with their heads held high; they were the Northern abbot, a Priest from the Church, and a knight, who had a pair of Zweihänder strapped to his back. These were the demigod-level fighters from the three main forces.

The three demigods stood right in front of the gate. They glanced at each other cautiously, and after a few moments, the Northern abbot said, "Since everyone's already 'ere, whilst someobe already breaching beyond this gate with th' dreems that they kin claim th' treasure first… Perhaps we coon agree dat' th' rules cuid beh relaxed ah dis poin', aye? "

"You.. evil monk! Are you not above starting a war?" The elderly priest cried, with a voice so decrepit, it seemed like he was at his final moment of life. He despised the Martial Lodestar Monastery and the Northern abbot because their belief differed from the Church's.

"Father Jonah, rest easy. The imperial army stands with the Church; we both aim for peace and order above all else," said the middle-aged knight.

"Hmph. Then we shall see how far yer skills kin take ye," the Demigod Abbot snapped derisively, then he dashed into the gate of light.

The two remaining demigods gave each other a meaningful, albeit complicated, glance. The Demigod Knight's gaze seemed to contain a question, but the Demigod Priest silently shook his head in answer. After that, he turned to the gate and vanished into the light.

The Demigod Knight turned back and glanced at the men who were trudging over to the gate and mumbled in his mind, 'Count yourself lucky, all of you.'

He had planned to join forces with the Church and massacre everyone else present! After that, he could do some backdoor deals with the Demigod Priest, but the latter had declined his offer.

The others did not know how lucky they were to escape an abrupt death.

By the time, the others entered the secret realm, Baiyi and the barbarians had already reached the ruins. From the outside, the structure really did seem that it was indeed the Archmage's magus lab. It was the size of a small town; no one knew why he had made it so big.

"This place is ancient and foreboding," said Huskar as he picked up a broken brick from the ground. Before he could get a good grip on the brick, it shattered into fine sand, which then ebbed out from between his fingers.

Baiyi turned back to stare into the horizon and muttered quietly, "They're here."

"The people who want to snatch your thing?" Zar'Zar quickly asked.

"Yes and no," Baiyi replied vaguely.

"Have you gotten the thing you wanted?" Huskar asked.

Baiyi did not reply; he just shook his head sideways. The barbarians were not sure if that meant he had not gotten it yet or if that meant that he was unsure he could get it.

He stood there and pondered deeply, calculating the risks and benefits of his next move. After a short while, he raised his head. "My brothers! Will you be honored to witness a great ceremony with me?"

"Of course! I love great fun!" Char'Char cheered. Huskar and Zar'Zar nodded respectfully. In Harrogath, there were many important events that barbarians would ask their friends to attend, such as marriages and rites of passage. They believed that Baiyi was planning important and grand, so they were delighted to witness it.

"Very good! Now, a few of these visitors aren't necessarily friends…" Baiyi murmured as he raised his right hand, then he snapped his fingers.

The ruin instantly disappeared, and a gigantic castle rapidly emerged from beneath the earth. In only moments, the castle had fully emerged, right in front of them.

The castle was black and massive. It resembled those castles one would find in fantasy video games; inside these castles, great evils could be found, and treasures would be hidden in the castles' forbidden rooms.

The three Divine Warriors were stunned silent, and after a few moments, they speechlessly turned to face Baiyi.

"Don't worry, my brothers! This is where our ceremony will take place. Please, come in!" Baiyi said as he flew over to the enormous doors of the castle. As soon as he landed in front of the 165 foot tall black door, it began to open up all on its own, as though it were welcoming him in.

He brought the barbarians with him into the castle, and the door shut slowly behind them. Then, everywhere went silent again.

As the Fifth Walker strolled through the Ancient Rohlserlian castle, the Assassin Walker asked him a question, in the Void. "Hey, Doofus, what are you trying to do?"

'I want to—' Baiyi thought, a little maliciously, but he answered with a serious reply. "Can't you tell? I want to play a game."

"Play a game? With these three barbarians? In a place with no one? And a game for four guys?" Her reply contained a hint of terror and traces of contempt.

"No way! Of course, it's a game for those visitors who have bad intentions!" Baiyi exclaimed, almost speechless at her conclusion.

"Enlighten me on its necessity," the Scholar Walker interjected.

"Well, there is no reason why he should not flee as soon as he gets the Book of Servitude," the Charlatan Walker elucidated; he seemed to have correctly guessed Baiyi's intentions. The Charlatan Walker continued to speak. " But, Sir First Walker had gone through a lot just to create such a stage for this, even going as far as inviting so many visitors! If the main character were to leave the party early, that would be wasting the opportunity to have a good show — especially when this show, if successful, would help him in building his academy!"

"Just stay curious, all of you," Baiyi said to the Void's inhabitants as he led the barbarians to the center of the castle, deep within the palace.

At that same time, all the outsiders vying for the treasure had come in through the gate. As soon as the last person came through the gate of light, the gate closed and dissipated into thin air; in the aftermath of its disappearance, it seemed as though it was never there in the first place.

After marveling at how barren the secret dimension was, the crowd of outsiders soon realized that they were now stuck in the middle of nowhere alone, with no way to get back to their organizations. They were now lost in this wasteland!

An ordinary person would have burst into tears if they were suddenly tossed to the middle of nowhere, but only those who wielded significant power had arrived there; so none of them lost control over their emotions.

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335 Not All Bald Guys Can Throw A Serious Punch

When the outsiders — almost four hundred of them — from other forces walked through the gate of light, there were transported to a random location within the vast secret dimension. All they had for company were their shadows.

Most of them were calm enough to understand what had happened. Everyone could see the large silhouette of a castle in the distance. Some tidied up their gears and began to rush towards the dark castle, while some chose to stay back and fire off pre-planned signals to draw their allies to their locations in the wasteland.

There were some others who were sanguine despite being teleported to random locations. Most of these lot were from the Sorcerer's Association and the Doors of Conundrum. These scholarly individuals had chosen to forget all about the mysterious treasure; instead, they walked around and observed areas of the enigmatic dimension.

The Demigod Abbot, who was the first to enter the realm, had not moved from his location. He stood atop a black, barren hill, and his eyes were shut as he sensed every bit of movement around him. His expression shifted rapidly from solemness to a taunting smirk, and then to indifference.

He opened his eyes and stared into the eyes of the Demigod Knight who had appeared in front of him.

"What would ye hae o' me, Sir?" The Demigod Abbot asked calmly, seemingly unfazed by the sudden appearance Demigod Knight, who was just as strong as he was.

"I will spell it out for you: it doesn't matter what that treasure is; since it has appeared in the Southern Land, it belongs to the Southerners… It belongs to the Walhart Empire."

The knight spoke calmly, but his words belied a stark hostility. Even the air pressure around him increased because of the killing intent emanating from him.

The Demigod Abbot paid no mind to the increasing hostility emanating from the demigod knight; in fact, he seemed to ignore the Demigod Knight altogether. After a few moments, he asked, "What happens if th' Church claims it instead? "

"Lay off the childish tactic of sowing discord," the Demigod Knight replied in a steely tone. Suddenly, he unsheathed his Zweihanders in a flash. "Compared to the two of you, I'm still young. Not much time have passed since I discovered my own Territory."

It was a threat — a very bizarre one at that. However, this was the sort of threat that worked on demigod-level fighters. Those that were new to the demigod level were able to use their Territories with reckless abandon; this was because the number of times they had used their Territories were definitely less than the amount of time seasoned demigod fighters had used theirs, so they were in no danger of attracting the attention of the natural Laws any time soon. However, demigod veterans, such as the abbot — who had spent an unimaginable amount of time to perfect their powers — did not have that much leeway; in fact, they feared that they may have already attracted the attention of the Laws years ago, so if they dared to activate their Territories again, they may be quickly banished to the Void. The Demigod Abbot shared this fear.

No matter how precious this treasure was, it was still inanimate; how could it compare to a life that one had nurtured to the point that they were able to reach the demigod-level? Without knowing how valuable the treasure was, the Demigod Abbot had to de-escalate a situation. He could only swallow his fury at the Demigod Knight's provocation and took two steps back before sitting on the blackened earth.

He extended his hand and beckoned at the knight with a "please" gesture. "Then oan mah insistence, shall th' bairn be delighted wi' a discourse on philosophy 'n' knowledge and wi' me?"

The Demigod Knight sneered. His task — delaying the strongest Northern warrior — was successful.

He sheathed his Zweihanders and sat down on the ground. He did not engage the Demigod Abbot in any conversation; instead, he focused on sensings movements and changes to the surroundings.

Not long after, both demigods sensed a familiar power surge into the sky; the power seemed blessed and holy, and its shining light, which had surged into the sky, was akin to a lighthouse on a pitch-black night, which was capable of drawing everyone to it.

It was the Demigod Priest. He seemed to be announcing his location to the other members of the Church so they could head in his direction.

"Aye, quite a confident lad, that priest?" The bald abbot smirked. "Declaring his whereabouts in such candor, has th' possibility o' a fourth Demigod bein ere' completely fallen oot o' his mynd? Especially when th' fourth one hus concealed his aura 'n' presence sae thoroughly that even we kent nae who he is…"

"Father Jonah is much more powerful than you are willing to admit," the Demigod Knight snapped. "Meanwhile, whoever that other person is… If he really has reached the demigod level and still resorted to hiding his presence this way, then he most likely is a craven who will not be difficult to take down."

"Hmph. We shall see." The Demigod Abbot ended the conversation and closed his eyes, waiting for the situation to change.

In another location, a Northerner stood up, with an unsettling grin on his lips. He looked at the Sorcerers' Association badge in his hand and at the corpse at his feet. The badge had been yanked from the robe of the corpse.

"Is this magic? It's hardly stimulating," the scholarly-looking Northern said. He tightened his grip slightly, and the badge crumbled into fragments.

He took out a white silk handkerchief and wiped the bloodstain off his hand clean, then he casually tossed it onto the corpse and headed in the direction of the Demigod Priest.

In another location, Paladin Grand Cross Charlemagne, who had met Baiyi only twice, had a look of incredulity on his face as he looked down at the muscular arm protruding from his chest; it had pierced right through his armor!

Blood oozed out a corner of his lips.

He never predicted that just as he was heading towards the demigod Priest, he would to run into the muscular northerner, who donned a sleeveless shirt.

The muscular northerner never said a word as he one-hit KO'ed the paladin with an arm wrapped in combat chi. The paladin never expected the northerners to disregard the no-killing rule in Capital City's imperial decree, but he did not have enough time to think about it; he died a few moments after his armor was pierced through.

"You're one o' th' stronger ones, but b'fore us warriors who huv braced cauntless training 'n' tests, th' endurance o' ye Southerners is nothing mair than pathetic," the muscular man whispered in the Paladin Grand Cross's ear, and suddenly, a dangerous wave of combat chi course through the arm buried inside the Paladin, and his corpse exploded into countless bloody bits.

"'Only th' mos' fit shall claim th' treasure. Th' fact dat dis land bars external communication is proof enough o' th' gey nature o' this hunt."

A deep crimson combat chi engulfed the muscular northerner and vaporized the blood on his body, and soon, only a blood-red mist remained. The mist drifted to the front as he casually strode towards the Church's rendezvous point.

Murders like this one was not an isolated situation; it was happening all across the realm. Some were won by northerners, and some were won by southerners. In just a short time, the death toll was astronomical. At that point, the forces in the secret realm only had a single thought in their heads: 'there is only one treasure.' Although they had to abide by imperial decree while they were within Capital City, the same could not be said in this secret realm that was a no-mans-land. Since they stood to gain nothing should they play it gently, why would they choose not to go at it with everything they had at their disposal? Why would they not resort to killing just to reduce the competition? After all, even if they could not get the treasure, they would not suffer much loss because they could still plunder resources from the dead.

The energy signatures did not escape Baiyi's detection. He shook his head sideways and sighed. "Just as expected, huh? In an unfamiliar and unpopulated land, where a powerful yet enigmatic treasure is buried, why would a group of power men not be motivated by greed?..."

He had foreseen a bloodbath preceding his inauguration ceremony, and frankly, that was precisely what he had hoped to see. This was the game he desired these outsiders to play.

Baiyi also intended to join the fray as well. He turned to the barbarians and watched them frown at pieces of papers in their hands, which contained words written with their barbaric penmanship. "Okay. If you can't really memorize all of this, that is fine; you just have to remain quiet the entire time and do as I told, okay?"

"Yaaaay! Brother Hope is the best!" Huskar exclaimed and ripped his paper into shreds. "These words were making my head explode!"

"Brother, please remember what I said, okay? It's for the sake of a peaceful future for us," Baiyi said.

"Yea, yea. I know; don't worry! We have the greatest memories there is!" Huskar said, with a wide grin.

After that, they proceeded deeper into the castle. After they left, the surroundings became quiet again, as quiet as it was before its discovery.

Great Sage Kris, the Baldy from the Doors of Conundrum, had found himself waist deep in trouble.

When Kris entered the secret dimension, he did not rush off to find other members of the Doors of Conundrum, neither did he rush towards the black castle; instead, he remained in the same spot and observed his surroundings.

He had appeared right beside an enormous crater, which he jumped into after observing for a few moments. He picked up small chunks of rock from the bottom of the crater and examined them, trying to determine when they were formed.

The blissful silence did not last long. As Great Sage Kris was examining the rocks, he heard a shrill scream right above him. He quickly jumped out of the crater and spotted someone being murdered by a sinister man wearing a black robe.

"You! Stop this!" Baldy Kris shouted furiously and leaped forward.

In the past, he had been part of the army, working as a scribe; despite not being out on the field, Baldy Kris had gained the passionate mettle that the soldiers were known to possess.

Unfortunately, that same gusto temporarily blinded him from remembering that he was first and foremost a scholar. He quickly cast two protective magic spells and prepared to unleash a powerful spell, but a forceful fist shattered his nose before he could utter the fourth syllable of his chant.

Great Sage Kris was sent flying backward, and he crashed into the ground feebly.

"A nerd from the Doors of Conundrum… is trying to be a hero?" The robed man sneered. "You're pretty brave. However, this is it for you."

He took large strides towards Great Sage Kris, who clutched at his nose and whimpered. The robed man was going for the kill!

Great Sage found himself unable to move because of the killing intent emanating from the robed man. In his terror and panic, the Great Sage had forgotten that he, too, was a powerful fighter in his own right!What would you do?Uh? You mean… To cull all of those powerhouses so you can remain the most powerful and be unopposed?

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336 From the Land of Anguish, Comes Anguish

Just when Baldy Kris thought that he would soon be reunited with his deceased friends of old, a large hand suddenly appeared behind the robed man's head. The robed man did not notice it until it grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground. The hand slid down to the robed man's neck, and before he could let out a scream, the hand twisted; and the robed man's neck was broken.

Baldy Kris felt a chill run down his spine. 'Hell no; there's someone even more ruthless?!'

The hand tossed the corpse aside, and Baldy Kris found himself looking at Baiyi. The soul armature gazed at Baldy Kris with an indifferent expression, then he raised a finger and pointed it at Baldy. Before the Great Sage could react, a jet of water shot out of Baiyi's finger and sprayed his face.

"First, wipe that face," Baiyi advised.

Baldy Kris's breaths came in short bursts after that, but he grabbed the edge of his sleeve and wiped his face with it; after that, he began to calm down and said, "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Master Hope…"

"Oh please, look at you! You're at least a Legendary-level fighter, aren't you? How were you forced into that state by a Master-level lowlife?" Baiyi demanded. 'This guy really isn't here for the treasure, is he? He does not seem to have any gears, potions, or a basic weapon! What is he doing here? Sightseeing?'

Baldy Kris chuckled awkwardly and explained himself. "I… I, er, was actually on my way to an academic conference in the city when I heard the news about this place; that was why I came over. I never expected this to happen, honestly! I thought his Majesty's rules would be in effect, which would make this treasure hunt very safe, you know?"

"Oh please. No treasure hunt ends without casualties. Forget about those foolish 'rules'. Places like these are jungles where you're either the hunter or the hunted," Baiyi replied.

In Baiyi's mind, however, he had long since thrown his hands into the air because of the Great Sage's idiotic behavior; he had actually ventured into the secret dimension without any preparations whatsoever! What had given him the courage to embark on this venture unequipped? Fish Leong?

"I know, I know." Baldy sighed after a brief reflection. Contrary to what Baiyi thought earlier, Baldy Kris produced a few magical gears from his storage pouch and equipped them. He never thought he would have to use them because he had originally intended to attend an academic conference.

After equipping his gears, Baldy Kris looked like someone who was ready to kill in order to find the secret treasure. It was plain to see that he had little interest in the mysterious treasure; he was more interested in exploring the secret dimension. He took out some test tubes and filled them up with a few debris he picked up from the ground. He intended to carefully conduct tests on them when he returned to the Doors of Conundrum.

With a brooding tone of voice, he said, "According to a rough estimation, this unique space that attached to Isythre has, at least, a few thousand years worth of history! There is so much here to study and analyze. This dimension, for what purpose was it created? How was it created? So many mysteries… To academics, this space itself is the biggest treasure! But…"

He eyed the two corpses on the ground and sighed. He was sad that the time he had to explore this dimension was very limited. "Now that the mysterious treasure in this dimension is being fought over for, leading to environmental damage from mana and battles, I can't even be sure that this dimension will remain standing after all this is over. What if the damage exceeds the limit of what the dimension can take, causing it to collapse? We… We should get going. Try to rescue as many of our friends as we can, then we get out of here."

"First, we need to think of how to get out," Baiyi replied, with a somber tone. "I am yet to find a way to go back to Isythre, but maybe…"

He pointed at the black castle standing in the distance. "Maybe we can find a way out over there. I saw a lot of people headed there, but I'm afraid this may cause another round of bloody massacres."

"Sigh. We should at least find our companions from the Doors of Conundrum, right? They are from the Executive Branch, but they ventured into the dimension as well. Nevertheless, they can fight better than I can," Baldy Kris said.

After that, they both began to look for the other sages from the Doors of Conundrum.

Bloody murders were being committed all across the wasteland of the secret dimension. Many had been reluctant to kill at first, but as time went on, they found themselves slaying the competition because they realized that the reverse would be the case if they sat still. Furthermore, there were some factions who seemed hellbent only on killing others, as though that was the reason why they had entered the dimension. As there were no rules in this secret dimension, many were unable to stifle their bloodlust.

The casualty toll increased every second. Morality and compassion had long since being abandoned, and the secret dimension had become similar to a primal jungle filled with predators and prey.

Baiyi saved many and silently executed others. His goal was to garner a better image for himself in the eyes of others — an image of chivalry and bravery. This was the reason why he chose to leave the castle and join the fray for a while.

He admitted that his goal was technically a self-serving, self-designed one; it was also very despicable and unethical, and it was a complete drag to carry out. However, for the sake of his plan to escape the Void with the other Voidwalkers, this was one of the things he had to do.

"This… This whole thing is a sham. In words from earth, you're just a bi*ch in sheep clothing; a manipulative bastard!" The Shadow Walker taunted from the Void, without hiding her disgust.

"Hey now, that hurts a little. Plus, I'm only doing this for the sake of our future. It is only a step that leads us closer to our ultimate goal," Baiyi retorted. "Plus, I'm far from being the only one who does this sort of schtick."

"Oh, of course! If you could pick up some beautiful girls along the way, you would, wouldn't you?" The Shadow Walker snapped.

"That? Naw. I already find my current task a drag," Baiyi muttered quietly. "Besides, I don't think there are girls like that this time."

Before Baiyi ventured back into the wasteland, he spent some time pondering the best course of action he could take. In the end, he decided that when he found the book, he would not just leave the secret dimension while the others were still trapped inside. He decided to go out and rescue people from the factions he had no quarrel with, however, purely because this genocide would serve nothing substantive for Baiyi's future goal.

After a while, Baiyi and Blady Kris rescued a high-level sorcerer from the Sorcerers' Association. The sorcerer thanked them profusely and chose to tag along with them.

However, the speed at which they rescued could not match the speed with which killings occurred. Many survivors had begun to band together for safety, but all this did was make it easier to kill more of them off in a shorter period of time.

"Master Abbot must have been detained by the enemies. Prithee, leave. None of you will be able to guard your life against this one. I shall remain to engage with him," said the maudlin-faced northerner to his companions hiding behind him.

The man was already in a sorry state. His body was riddled with lacerations of varying degrees, and a frighteningly long cut — from his forehead to the left eye, and right down to his chin — was visible on his face. His right arm hung limply at his side; it had been broken.

Standing in front of the maudlin-faced northerner was a paladin clad in silver armor. This paladin was the leader of the Church's forces — Paladin Grand Cross Roland. Behind him laid dozens of bodies, some were people from the Church, while others were northerners.

It turned out that some paladins and crusaders had rendezvoused at that location earlier. They planned to head towards the Demigod Priest together, but they were ambushed by some northerners. The paladins and crusaders fought with everything they had, but the northerners held the advantage because they had the help of the Northern Scholar. Soon, the paladins and crusaders were all slain, and the northerners began to plunder the items dropped by the deceased. Paladin Grand Cross Roland rushed over, and by the time he got there, he met the northerners beheading the corpses.

One of those corpses was the Paladin Grand Cross's beloved student.

He had no hope that the deceased could be summoned back as soul armatures someday, and this was because the secret dimension would not hold out for long and would eventually collapse.

"None of you… are getting away with this." The Paladin Grand Cross muttered with a cold tone, his eyes bloodshot.

He and his broadsword moved as fast as lightning, and the northerners tried to escape. A blade made of combat chi pierced the neck of an escaping northerner, and his head flew into the air, leaving behind a fountain of blood gushing out of his neck.

"Swinging your blade at a man who already has his back turned? What a righteous paladin you are, aye?" The mauldin-faced northerner finally forced a smile. He knew he would be unable to escape, so he sought respite by taunting his assailant.

"Cleansing the realm of heretics such as yourself has always been the tenet of our faith, knave. I rue… I rue the day you stepped foot on the Southern Land because I failed to immediately obliterate you…" The Paladin Grand Cross said in a hoarse voice.

He raised his broadsword and slashed the air three times, and three human heads soared into the air; they belonged to remaining northerners, who had attempted to escape.

"This… is how it feels to lose your loved ones. Remember this, and repent in hell!"

A silver arc flashed, and the maudlin-faced northerner breathed no more.

Blood splattered all over the Paladin Grand Cross's silver armor, but he paid it no mind. He did not wipe the blood off his face and walked towards the head of his student in a daze. He dropped to a knee and hug the head in his arms, and his body trembled.

This was the struggle of a man trying not to cry out from overwhelming agony.

Roland held a simple burial rite for the deceased paladins and crusaders. When he was done, he pulled the Scripture pendant off his neck and placed it on the grave of his beloved student; after that, he stood up and headed off in the direction of the Demigod Priest.

Killings occurred throughout the realm. The death toll increased because more people gathered together for survival, and they ended up slain together.

When the Demigod Priest, who was still emitting intense waves of mana into the sky, caught wind of the news from those who managed to reach him, he sighed dejectedly and muttered "We really shouldn't have come here. Our actions have betrayed the teaching of our god! And I, who allowed this to happen… must now be denied access to the gates of Ascension by our god, right?"

"O' Saint Joel! Even though my power has surpassed yours, I am still unworthy to venture onto the path your tread! In the end… I'm nothing but a self-proclaimed saint, after all," the Demigod Priest, whose name was Saint Jonah, murmured sadly.

All around him were the surviving Church members, but they were only few in number. Too many had lost their lives on the way to the rendezvous point…Fish Leong— yes, her name is, um, Fish— is a famous Cpop singer from Malaysia. This is a reference to her album, 'Courage' (2000).Ooh, savage!Good. I'd hate to see Kris die. He's just a curious scholar-scientist guy. He might even be a great addition to your version of the Big Bang Theory (show, not the theory). Don't kill the nerd!

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337 Attack

Although the Church's forces had been drastically culled, their Demigod-level powerhouse was, at least, still with them, and their second most powerful hitters — the Templars — were still pretty much with them; this made the Church the most powerful force within the secret dimension. Now that they had regrouped, the classes of soldiers in their ensemble could finally display the results of the intense training they had in working together and covering each other's backs. They were capable of making quick work of the other forces.

Meanwhile, in another location, the northerners successfully regrouped just as the Church had. After a brief update report, they concluded that their force had suffered more losses than they were prepared for. The scholarly-looking one among them was in a foul mood, and he soon snapped. "We killed many of them! Why do they still have half their members left?"

"Nae only that, we ur still sufferin' some casualties. Our men ur at a disadvantage in numbers. Warst still, Yang hus perished," the muscular northern said, stating even worse news.

"That Yang 'Heartless Executioner' Dong-xu?! How the bloody hell did he even die here? Did he meet their Demigod-level or what?" The scholarly northern replied, incredulously.

"Ye shood hae ne'er underestimated th' skills o' th' Southerners. They hae more than jist 'dat wrinkled old chaplain! 'Member what we discussed bfore?" The shorter northern elucidated, with a grim expression. It was also natural that losing that many members would bring frowns to the faces of the northerners. "If Yang met that man called Hope en route, 'den his demise wood hae bin assured."

The Four Heavenly Kings had now lost one of their Kings, and their Demigod Abbot was still waylaid by the enemy's Demigod Knight; hence, only the three of them could lead and fight for the northerners now. Northerners were more powerful than members of the Church, so they would hold the advantage in one-on-one battles. However, even these accomplished northerners would not want to meet face the Templars, who were famous for their accomplishment in fighting together, in group battles.

"These… Southern sons of a b**ch! If they possessed even a modicum of wit, those cravens would have worked with us to wipe out the Church before they regrouped! Only then could they stand a chance, however pitiful it is. If they had done that, neither of us would have been in this… wretched position!" The Scholarly Man yelled, at the top of his voice, shifting the blame to anyone else but the northerners.

"Th' Church has existed fur thoosands o' years, mate. Their influence tae th' masses 'as reached a depth more than ye an' I ur willin' tae imagine. Whit we wanted tae do — tae go against a millennia-auld establishment — wud ne'er bi easy," the short northerner said. "Now, we shood switch tactics by nae bringin' attention tae oorselves, an' tail behin' th' Church. They ur th' biggest faction now, aren't they? They should now attract competitors... Let those ruffians dae th' dirtee wark fur us by wearin' th' Church out.

"Dinnae forget: we still hae th' Imperial force, too. I dinnae believe that th' Emperor is delighted in havin' th' Church's pope lookin' doon at him aw th' time. He might nae let them lay a hand on th' treasure, so we still have chance," the muscular man finished.

After that, the Northerners kept a low profile. They huddled together and quietly followed the Church from behind, waiting for an opening to strike.

After a lengthy period of wanton fighting, a hundred people had lost their lives. This made the survivors take a step back and hide, and when they heard that the members of the Church had regrouped, they began to form their own groups as well. None of these groups were large enough to rival the Church, but they were enough to cause trouble.

Baiyi's group, however, consisted of those he had saved along the way, like Baldy Kris. Each member in the group was of a different class. The way this group moved about made them look more like tourists than people hunting for a secret treasure.

"Tsk. So, everyone else has finally formed groups and are now headed to my castle, huh… Hmm… What about over there?" Baiyi turned his attention to another area in close proximity, where a group of men was situated.

This group was filled with sinister fellows, and their numbers were quite concerning. Every one of them wore suspicious black cloaks. One look at these black-cloaked figures is enough for anyone to know that they did not harbor any righteous intentions. However, this group was only slowly creeping towards the castle in the distance.

Baiyi could also sense necromancy-laced mana emanating from the group.

For him, there was no mistaking what kind of group this was. They had to be an underground faction also eying the secret treasure, and they were lead by someone who had somehow managed to unify their movement.

Their black cloaks made Baiyi think of the Godsfall cult. This sort of secretive movement was their modus operandi.

'This is the best time for the Church to do what they claimed they had arrived at Capital City for — eradicating underground factions like these.' Baiyi thought to himself.

He lightly raised a finger into the air but did not say anything. No one could tell what he was about to do.

The black-cloaked figures were still sneaking towards the castle, and they had no idea that the ground underneath their feet had changed slightly. They slowly crept to the top of a small hill and… found themselves staring directly at the Church's group.

Both sides froze. The black-cloaked figures were flabbergasted. Had they not taken care to ensure that their path was free of enemies? "Why is the Church's force now right in front of us?"

In terms of reflexes, the Church was way better than these black-cloaked figures. Furthermore, the Church's force was being led by an elite team of Templars! One look at the black-cloaked figures was all it took for the leader of the Templar Team to draw his longsword and issue a loud battle cry. "Face your Divine Punishment in the name of God!"

After that, the Templars charged towards the group of black-cloaked figures. The underground group knew that there was no escape for them, so they braced themselves for battle. The Templars reached them in an instant, and a battle began. Theurgical magic spells and necromancy spells were being fired off constantly. The battle was a very messy one.

The Northerners, who had been silently following the Church from behind, were quick to recognize the opening they had so yearned for, seeing as the Church was engaging an unknown group in battle. They snuck closer to the battlefield, with the intention of capitalizing on the element of surprise that they now had.

As they crept closer, the group felt that something was amiss, so they snuck even slower. There was a clearing in front of them, and when they were close to it, they charged out into the open. As soon as they emerged, they found themselves facing the Imperial forces group — the same predicament that the black-cloaked figures suffered.

Both sides momentarily froze, staring at each in surprise. However, in the next few moments, they were charging at each other, and when they collided, a battle ensued.

Just like that, the peace was shattered as two battles ensued in close proximity to each other.

"Alright, I should probably stop watching from the side now…" Baiyi murmured to himself. He turned to Baldy Kris and instructed him to lead the other members of the group to the Black Castle and make sure to avoid confrontation with any other groups.

After Baiyi said that, he vanished and reappeared in the air above the Demigod Abbot and the Demigod Knight, who were locked in a standoff. They were both seated quietly on the ground, trying to sense everything happening on the wasteland with their psychic energy.

Behind the two Demigods stood the three Divine Warriors. They were hidden inside a thick black fog that enveloped the area; even their silhouettes were hardly noticeable.

The barbarians seemed not to know that they were invisible to others; even Huskar did not notice anything unusual about their location and appearance. When he spotted Baiyi hovering in the air above, he said, "So these two are who you needed us to find, right? They… are very strong!"

Saying so, he unsheathed two hatchets on his waist. This was the first time Baiyi saw the Divine Warrior use a weapon; it was obvious that Huskar took his would-be opponents very seriously.

"Just as we planned: you guys distract the younger one, and I'll take out the grandpa," Baiyi whispered, in the language of the barbarians.

The Demigod abbot slowly opened his eyes and looked up. "Sae, ye must be Hope. What would ye gain fem this?" The two Demigods had noticed them!

The Demigod Knight looked up at Baiyi with an expression of caution, for his gut told him that Baiyi's intentions were not as friendly as he hoped. Since the soul armature was someone who had been praised by the Emperor, the Demigod Knight could only furrow his brows. "Master Hope, huh… Good. if we work together, the bald fiend will not stand a chance! Rest assured, any help you render to secure his Majesty's treasure will surely be communicated to his Majesty, the Emperor. I'll see to that personally!"

"Sounds very generous," Baiyi sneered. "You marauders raid someone's property, steal something from it, and dare to offer the property's owner a share of the loot? You'll make a good comedian."

After Baiyi said that, he snapped his fingers, and a ring of unsettling runes appeared instantly and trapped the five of them in that area.

That action made Baiyi's intentions clear, and the Demigod Knight's face darkened. He quickly pulled out his Zweihanders and roared, "What are you trying to do? Betray his Majesty? Betray the empire?"

"Hahaha. I 'undstand now, plain an' clear: ye are th' mysterioos foorth Demigod. Nae wonder ye wia able 'tah put an end o' that Azure Sect's outcast," said the demigod abbot as he slowly stood up. Then, his expression turned grave, and he said, "Dae ye really think ye can take two Demigods all by yerself?"

Baiyi slowly shook his head sideways; he took his black cape off, folded it neatly, and carefully placed it into his storage pouch. Then, he faced the Demigod Abbot. "Not two of you. All three of you. My ceremony does not require the attendance of demigods."

After saying that, his entire body began to transform — into his signature Black Meatball Mode! He made a grasping motion, and two large balls of pitch-black Void Flames appeared from nowhere and soared towards the Demigod abbot and the Demigod knight.

As if on cue, the three Divine Warriors let out hoarse warcries, and golden phantoms encased them; then, their figures turned into three black bolts of lightning, which rushed towards the Demigod Knight with unimaginable speed.

"Stay alert!" The Demigod Abbot warned, and an icy-blue combat chi erupted from his body, which consumed the ball of black flames hurtling towards him.

"I do not need you to remind me," the Demigod knight snapped, and unleashed chi fury with immense accuracy to block Baiyi's ball of black flames, then he swung his Zweihanders to meet Huskar's incoming hatchet.

When both weapons collided, the Demigod knight's expression changed. Strong! He had not expected the foe to have this much strength!

The Demigod knight had poured all the combat chi he could muster into that strike, yet he was sent flying when his Zweihanders met Huskar's hatchet in midair. He landed on his feet but was still forced to skid backward a bit more, leaving two long depressions in the ground in his wake.

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338 This Is The Ulterior Reason

The fight between Huskar and the Demigod Knight could be succinctly summarized with just two adjectives: simple and straightforward.

There did not deploy any spells during their battle, neither did they chant anything. There were no sudden and awkward pauses for flashbacks. was no method to their fighting. They had both chosen the simplest and least roundabout way to battle; chops, swings, dices… Actions that even a farmer could do.

However, this minimalism did not entail emptiness. Their actions were simple only because both opponents were focused on exerting the maximum amount of strength and speed they could. To them, everything else was theatrics.

They moved too fast to be seen. The only thing a keen observer would have caught was the fleeting after images their arms left behind. Their swift movements whipped up strong gales, which clashed with each other, leaving the air ringing with a cacophony from fast wind and weapon clashes. Sparks flew about from time to time, and soon, they had turned into webs of lightning. This battle was nothing short of a maelstrom in the making.

Layers of earth were peeled off by the crushing gales, and cracks zigzagged all around the ground beneath their feet. Would the land be unable to handle the destruction and collapse?

After the Demigod Knight's Zweihander clashed with Huskar's hatchet one more time, they both took a step back, panting hard as they waited for their strength to recover. The explosive burst of power had exerted a huge toll on them.

"Exhilarating! It's been ages since I met someone who could match my power head-on." The Demigod Knight couldn't help praising his opponent. "But now? It's time to get serious."

Golden combat chi exploded out of his body and encased him, making him resemble a Super Saiyan. The golden combat chi lowered itself onto his body and formed a golden armor, now making him resemble Jay Chao.

This was the ultimate combat chi armor — the sturdiest defense a knight could deploy. Not only that this armor complement ever cell and fiber in one's body, but the armor could also even extend and retract as willed; this way, it is able to provide an excellent defense without compromising flexibility and dynamic movements. It was perfect for the melee battle styles which knights utilize.

Huskar said nothing after the Demigod Knight praised him; the barbarian could not understand the common language. He just tilted his head a little and said something to Zar'Zar — who was watching from the side. Zar' Zar nodded in response and took out a long javelin, which he passed over to Huskar.

Huskar jammed the bottoms of both hatchets into the two ends of his javelin. Just like that, he had created a makeshift dual-tipped halberd that resembled a polearm.

The Demigod Knight was left a bit befuddled when he saw the new, strange weapon. He could not help but wonder if the weapon, which had been made in such a crude faction, would last a few hits. Wouldn't the hatchets suddenly come undone in mid-swing?

Huskar did not bother to offer any explanation; instead, he swung his polearm-like weapon so fast, it created a gale that ravaged the surroundings. Despite that, the hatchet stayed glued to the end of the javelin.

As Huskar swung his weapon, he let out a hoarse cry that could pierce the sky. Zar'Zar and Char'Char, on the other hand, fell to one knee, pulled out their javelins, and struck them into the ground. They crossed their free arms in front of their chests and lowered their heads.

Suddenly, two new golden phantoms appeared behind Huskar; these phantoms perfectly resembled the two other divine warriors — Char' Char and Zar' Zar!

In a flash, Huskar raised his polearm-like weapon and threw himself towards the Demigod Knight, who was garbed in his golden combat chi armor.

"Oh! Through melee combat alone, this knight has already forced Huskar to get serious! Not bad; not bad at all. Now that's what I call a Demigod," Baiyi exclaimed, when he saw his friend, Huskar, using his trump card move.

He then turned his attention back to his own opponent — the bald old abbot, who was trying his hardest to fend off Baiyi's attacks. "But look at you! Gosh, you're boring me."

Baiyi's battle with the Demigod Abbot was… less entertaining, seeing as the Fifth Walker clearly dominated his opponent. As the battle continued, the Demigod Abbot's already pitiful state... worsened. His body was now marred by countless scars. Furthermore, each of his injuries had bits of black flame crackling within them, which he was forced to exhaust his combat chi trying to prevent these flames from fully permeating his body.

It can't be helped. Not all bald guys are the strongest in the universe…

"Wha… what are ye?!" The Demigod Abbot managed to cry out, in short breaths. His unsteady figure evoked the scene of a candle's flame on the brink of going out.

He just could not understand why and how he had ended in his current shameful state. Back in the days of his youth, he paid a terrible price to obtain the secret of performing Frozen Fire, then he spent a lot of time training himself to control two different elemental combat chi. However, all that, including the supposedly unbeatable Frozen Fire, had now failed him; he was no match for the strange black meatball! It was as though his foe knew more about Frozen Fire than he did!

The Demigod Abbot had initially believed that Hope was an advanced fighter from Azure Cloud Sect, but the power of the black energy which he deployed was nothing like the Demigod Abbot had ever seen before. It was as though the black energy did not belong to this world…

Baiyi chose to battle this Demigod Abbot because Northerners were famous for their low endurance. He was someone with an unlimited amount of energy, making him a natural enemy of the bald abbot. The battle was made even easier for Baiyi when he realized that his opponent, the bald abbot, was using the same technique that the Warrior Walker was once famous for — Frozen Fire.

When Baiyi heard his opponent ask him a question sincerely, he decided to let slip a little clue. "You're gonna know the answer very soon," Baiyi replied, calmly. "But first, let me see your Territory. You should know, right? Ordinary powers can't make a dent on me."

A black sphere appeared in Baiyi's hand, and it instantly began to expand. It continued to stretch until it became a black javelin; black javelins exactly like this one were responsible for the scars that already riddled the Demigod Abbot's body. At this point, the abbot was already conversant with the power of these dreadful black javelin; a gentle brush against its pointy end was enough to elicit more pain than most could bear. This was a bitter lesson the abbot had learned after trying just about everything he could to block the javelin attacks; his injured body was a testament to that.

To the abbot's horror, he realized that the attacks could not be evaded, even though the black javelins were not guided by any tracking magic. Every time the Demigod Abbot thought he had dodged the black javelins with his agile movements, they would always appear right in front of him, as though he had never stepped aside in the first place.

He was done; he knew he had to use his Territory. Gone was the fear every Demigod had about activating their Territory. The abbot was now desperate! He had to do something!

"Fie! If ye sae aching fur my real power— then I shall nae deny ye e'en a drop o' it!" The bald abbot exclaimed, after making up his mind, and from the inside of his robe, he produced an ancient-looking Buddhist prayer bead. He squeezed his hand, and the beads were crushed into powder.

After that, he waved his arm, throwing the powder into the air. Wherever the powder touched distorted, the air distorted, and power began to bubble all around; power that was unmistakably characteristic of a Demigod's Territory.

Baiyi stood still, watching the bald abbot perform his rite; the soul armature already seemed confident in his victory.

"Now, ye die. A price ya wee pay o' yer arrogance! This is my Territory!" The Demigod Abbot declared. "Th' name is—"

He never finished that sentence.

A strange, incredible force suddenly consumed him, overwhelming his soul and terminating his control over his body. The force had instantly ripped him out from his corporeal body. His body, which was now without a host, crumpled to the ground; there was no sign of life in it.

The bald abbot — no, his consciousness — soared uncontrollably into the sky; higher and higher, faster and faster… When its blinding speed finally decreased and the consciousness came to a halt, all that surrounded it was pitch-black darkness and silence.

It was at this point that the bald abbot understood had what happened. The Laws had detected his last attempt to activate his Territory, and as a response, it banished him into the Void. No wonder his foe suddenly turned pacifist! Hope had been baiting him into using his Territory, enabling him to finish the abbot off in a bizarre way!

However... how did he know? How did Hope know he would get banished the next time he used his Territory? The bald abbot did not know… and he no longer wanted to. His emotions were complicated and indescribable. How many years of ascetic training had he undergone? How many years had he cultivated for? He had reached the apex of power! Had he arrived at his end?

Just as he was drowning in hopelessness and about to give up, he heard a voice in his ear — a sensory organ which should no longer work, especially in this place.

"Yo! Guess who?"

"You—! You— Wha— How—?" The bald abbot stammered in terror. He never thought he would hear the creepy voice of his enemy ever again.

"Hush, don't fash yourself. If you become hysterical, you won't be of much use." Baiyi's voice was barely audible in the Void. "But I'm a bit occupied right now, but your comrade is still here. So, I'll introduce you to our mutual friend so that they can explain to you what's going on…"

Baiyi then poked the Warrior Walker lightly, delegating the job of exposition to her.

He had not approached the two Demigods — the Demigod Abbot and the Demigod Knight — was not just because he had a bone to pick with them; he wanted to trap them in the dark jail that was the Void. It was jailbait, literally.

Doing battle in such a small dimension was akin to teetering on a tightrope. The small dimension itself was an existence that should logically be impossible to create; this was the reason why many of the outsiders marveled at its existence.

Therefore, what would happen to one who activates their Territory — an ability the natural Laws punishes one for using — inside a small dimension whose existence should have been impossible? This was akin to playing with a lit matchstick while standing atop a can of gasoline; one move, and ka-boom!

That was what Baiyi was counting on. Furthermore, he wanted to add some new members to the Void. Although he did not need more knowledge and power, and he did not need to turn the new arrivals into Voidwalkers — because he was already contented with thirty-three Voidwalkers — the abbot, knight, and priest were the top dogs of their respective organizations. They had a great deal of intel about the manner in which their organizations operated; that was information that Baiyi wanted.

As long as he could obtain the Book of Servitude, a much larger reputation, and intel of the operations in the three major factions, he would then be deserving of the extravagant stage which the Archmage had set up for him.Jay Chao is a famous Cpop artist. He sometimes dons some pretty fantastical outfit for his fantastical album concept... Of course, you can literally replace him with any Kpop or visual kei band of your liking. Personally, I just assign this knight that anonymous grey head Facebook used for "no profile picture", but colored in gold. Why? Cause I really doubt he was gonna last long, so I don't wanna spend time imagining his face…Saitama, anyone?Wait. Don't tell me—… Whoa.

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339 Scripted

With one target taken care off, Baiyi turned his attention to the other, the Demigod Knight, who was still locked in a heated battle with the Divine Warriors. Their battle had reached its climax, where weapons encased in gold moved through the air as gracefully as ripples did, trying to strike their targets. They were like golden lotus flowers blooming in a terrible sandstorm.

The battle had caused irreparable damage to the earth, and the area around them had sunk, forming a deep crater. If one were to look at the surrounding from up top, they would think that the ground had been struck with a forbidden spell.

Through the thick smog permeating the air, Huskar looked to have a slight advantage. The other two golden phantoms of Zar' Zar and Char'Char, which were behind him, were not for show. They also hurled javelins, which was formed from golden rays emanating from their figures, at the Demigod Knight. In other words, the Demigod Knight was not battling Huskar alone; he was fighting all three Divine Warriors at once!

Huskar's bizarre weapon pushed the knight deeper into a corner with its surprising versatility. Not only could it be wielded offensively and defensively, but it could also be wielded more dynamically than most polearms. Both its tip and end were weapons to be utilized.

At that moment, however, the Demigod Knight's peripheral vision caught the bald abbot slumping limply to the ground.

That development instantly grabbed his full attention, and in that millisecond, he realized that he would also have to deal with the wrath diabolical black meatball!

When a battle reaches a certain degree of severity, a little loss of focus was all one needed to be overwhelmed, and Huskar — the side who was gifted this opportunity — took action against the Demigod Knight. His double-bladed polearm was thrust in a straight line to deflect the knight's combat chi blade, then in less time that it took to blink, Huskar rotated his arms to position one of hatchet-ends of his polearm at the most optimum angle for a fatal blow.

Then, he swung downward with all his might!

The polearm struck home, and on the knight's golden armor was forcefully punctured forcefully! It now had a gaping hole on it.

The golden phantoms of Zar'Zar and Char'Char seized that moment to hurl their javelins right at the gaping hole, and the weapons pierced through the enemy's chest.

The Demigod Knight coughed, and blood poured out of his mouth. He hurriedly forced more combat chi into his golden chi armor till it blew up. The unbridled force that emanated from the explosion created gales that blew away the smog and debris in the surrounding, drastically increasing visibility on the battlefield.

The knight borrowed the force from the explosion to distance himself from the Divine Warriors.

Even Huskar, who had grown solemn when he saw the knight's actions, was blown back by the force. Even he knew it was unwise to try and brave a Demigod-level chi fury explosion, so while he was soaring through the air, he held both his hands to block his face. However, he had still gotten marred and bloodied by the combat chi explosion.

Neither side had suffered fatal injuries, though. Even the Demigod Knight whose chest had been pierced by a javelin stood tall and steady, preparing to activate his territory.

A few moments after that, the Void welcomed a new member; this time, Baiyi delegated the job of orientation to the Apprentice Walker, who was also a member of the Walhart Empire — before his death, at least. Hence, he should be used to striking up conversations with officials like the new knight.

"That's it?" Huskar asked, visibly dismayed by the battle's sudden end. He waved his hand, and the golden phantoms of Zar'Zar and Char'Char began to dissipate. When the phantoms were gone, the other two Divine Warriors stirred from their trances and got to their feet. Earlier, they had been within the blast range of the Demigod Knight's chi fury, but Huskar had protected them.

"Our work here is done, so from now onwards, we work on the next part of the plan," Baiyi said to the barbarians as he dispelled his black meatball mode.

The barbarians nodded, and then they disappeared. After that, Baiyi dispersed the runic barrier and began to patiently wait for the last prey to come to him.

He did not wait for long. As soon as the barrier dispersed, the Demigod Priest detected changes in the atmosphere. He began to dispatch of the cultists quickly, and when victory looked assured for his side, he hurriedly broke off from them, flying towards the area where the late demigods had fought.

If the other two demigods had been slain by the mysterious fourth Demigod, then the first thing he wanted to do was to discover the demigod's identity. A demigod hidden in the shadows was too threatening to leave alone.

By the time he arrived, however, all that he met was the charred and sunken ground, which implied that a huge battle had taken place just before. In the middle of the crater was Baiyi, whose head was hung low, seemingly deep in thought.

"Master Hope?" The old priest landed beside Baiyi. As he was someone from the Church, he greatly respected Baiyi, so he stayed humbled and referred to Baiyi as 'Master'. "What happened here? Where are the other two?"

Baiyi did not answer the question. He looked the priest in the eye, and in a low voice, he said, "Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you… want to live instead of merely existing?"

The old priest looked puzzled; his confusion made his face even more wrinkly.

"Alright! I was kidding. Actually, what I wanted to ask was… Are you seeking the path to Ascension?" Baiyi asked, seriously.

The Demigod priest nodded, despite being a little unsure of why Baiyi had asked him something like that.

"Ooh, goodie. Allow me to show you the real path to Ascension!" Baiyi said in a deliberately coy tone, and Void Energy surged out of his body, encasing him back into his Black Meatball mode.

"B-blackness… such… profanity! Such evil!" The Demigod Priest's face darkened as the reality dawned on him. He raised a finger at the black meatball and shakily said "You demon… you had deceived the world!"

"I have deceived no one; I've only been telling the truth. It's you people and the prejudice you have that have obscured the truth from your eyes," Baiyi replied steely and leaped towards the Demigod Priest.

The sensitive priest could feel the horrifying power emanating from Baiyi's Void Energy, so he hurriedly ripped off his scripture pendant and began to activate his Territory, hoping to defeat Baiyi in this decisive battle!

"Very good! I like how quickly you make decisions! That is the only way to unite you with your Saint Joel," Baiyi sneered as he waited for the Demigod Priest's Territory to envelop the area around them.

That did not end well for the priest; he was forcefully taken on a one way trip to the Void. Baiyi had not lied about reuniting the priest with the famous apostle; he delegated the job of guide the priest to the Cleric Walker.

"Man... those three were straightforward to a fault. I barely had to exert any effort," Baiyi exclaimed with a twinge of pride. "Alright. Now, on to the next page of the script."

In another location, a battle was still on-going: Church v Cultists.

Suddenly, three obscure figures appeared out of nowhere. They were being obscured by a thick black fog that seemed to have appeared with them. As soon as they appeared, they cried out in a language that no one understood and began to swing their weapons, massacring everyone in their way; their attacks did not distinguish between Church or cult. Worse still, these figures possessed insane might and fighting prowess. When a Templar pulled out his sword and began to yell "In the name of Gaa—", he was unceremoniously cleaved into two halves by a strange weapon, not allowed to complete his sentence.

In another location, another battle was taking place; it was between the Northerners and the Imperial forces. Suddenly, a black sphere appeared out of nowhere, then it hurled itself into the mix, summoning black flames and black lightning at random targets. The attacks reaped multiple lives, and those who tried to retaliate got consumed by the raging black flames faster than the others; not even ashes were left of them.

As that was happening, a deep, hoarse baritone voice boomed from the sky, "Death to Intruders! O my loyal guardians, kill them all!" It was as though the realm itself was speaking.

When the outsiders heard this, their hope and excitement dissipated into thin air. Their plans and ploys had amounted to nothing because the treasure they sort was not like others. It was a treasure with an owner; a treasure guarded by inhumanely powerful creatures. They had come here thinking that their worst enemies would be other factions! Looking back at how they had ended the lives of fellow humans, had they not all been a big joke?

Immediately after, everyone lost interest in the treasure and killings. The situation had drastically changed, akin to spraying water in a nest of ants. Everyone in the small realm scampered about trying to survive the calamity.

At that moment when all hope seemed lost, Hope — the soul armature — appeared suddenly.

His figure flickered around multiple times, shielding the humans and fighting back against the guardians shrouded by the black fog. He also transported the humans he saved to the black castle in the distance, putting them there with the rest of the survivors. He declined their offers to help and dove back into the battlefield all by himself, to save even more people.

No one knew how many trips like these he had to make, neither did they know how many people he had saved. Furthermore, neither of the survivors could clearly see Hope fight the guardians because of all the black smog; whenever Hope dove back into the smog, the survivors would feel very powerful mana undulations for a while, then watch Hope, whose armor would have more cuts and dents, bring back more survivors.

A maiden cleric from the Church burst into tears and stammered, "Th-thank you… M-M-Master Hope…. Th-thank you!"

Her sentiment quickly infected the rest of the survivors, and soon, the first person Baiyi had saved, Baldy Kris, sighed. "Now that is a man deserving of his name. A living savior…'The Great Sage who saves the world' could not be more fitting…"

"If I survive this, I'll compose a book of poems and songs praising his good name, just so everyone would remember this…"

Fortunately for Baiyi, he was not in the castle to hear these compliments and praises, or he would have begun to reprimand himself heavily…

Truthfully, "killing" on one hand, and "saving" with the other hand was just a part of his script. He was just playing the role of a savior...

Baiyi continued to do this until he had transporter all the outsiders he deemed worthy back to the black castle. He had simulated huge mana vibrations typical of violent high-level battle, successfully fooling the others into thinking he was in great peril. In truth, however, every time he dove into the black smog, he would call his three friends over, saying, "Over here, guys. Here, and here. Make two cuts over here — hey, don't make it too deep! It'll be a huge pain to fix them…"Dude, doesn't this count as cheating?

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340 Fin

Whenever Baiyi left after dropping off more survivors, the others in the black castle would feel explosive clashes, massive mana undulations, and loud claps of thunder emanating from within the black smog far away, which would then cause the earth to quake. Although they had not seen the battle in detail, their imaginations had run wild already; the battles they imagined could be classified as one-in-a-century.

Imitating the maiden cleric, many survivors fell on their knees and began to pray for Hope, wishing that he would win over the enemy — the strongest enemy they had ever seen. If Hope did not survive the ordeal, they — a bunch of people who had lost the will to fight — would end up getting massacred by the realm guardians!

A few of them had offered to help Baiyi, but they had no idea how they were going to do that. The news of the death of the three demigods had reached them. These demigods were the sharpest tools in the shed, yet they had fallen to the guardians. The survivors who were strong enough to fight had terrible injuries, while those who were uninjured and standing were the survivors who were not powerful enough to battle. Thus, all the survivors could do at that moment was quietly remain in the castle and wait.

"Maybe God heard us?"

A figure limped over from the smog; it was their heroic soul armature, whose armor was battered and dented. As he limped back to the castle, heartfelt cheers permeated the air, and the emotional survivors went over to welcome him.

Baiyi arrived with news that was more positive than what they had hoped for. "Those guardians… were too powerful. I had to use up everything I possessed, yet all I did was… cripple them a bit, temporarily stopping them from moving. I couldn't kill them, though, and as we speak, their injuries are already healing. They are going to come after us once they are healed…"

"W-what are we going to do?" The survivors began to panic. Their demigods were gone, and the only person who could battle the guardians, Baiyi, had suffered grave damages; the guardians were still alive, however. Will they all die there?

"Don't worry; I managed to buy us some time," Baiyi said, hurriedly. "During our battle, I was able to obtain some information from them. Their mission is to protect a secret treasure within this black castle, but I don't know what it is. However, if we can get our hands on the treasure, we would be able to escape."

"W-will there not be even more guardians lurking inside this creepy castle?" The maiden cleric, who had become Baiyi's biggest fan at some point, asked.

"I doubt that. If there were more here, they should have attacked us already… ah! Haven't all of you been hiding in here? Did any of you notice anything strange?" Baiyi turned to her and asked.

The girl shook her head sideways.

"Then, that settles it. The three demigod powerhouses must have helped us obliterate most of the guardians, and now I was barely able to temporarily immobilize the rest. Our only hope for survival is to search this castle for that treasure."

"We're all ears!" The cleric girl spoke out loud.

"Good! Alright; everyone, follow me into the castle!" Baiyi said, with a wave of his hand, then he levitated himself over the high wall of the black castle. The others used their own techniques and breached the castle's grounds as well.

Immediately after the survivors scaled the castle wall, the realm quaked as powerful mana undulations surged forth from somewhere in the distance. Worse still, the tremors had become stronger, and everything the terrifying mana surges seemed to be slowly getting closer to their position. The guardians had recovered and were on the move again.

The survivors freaked out; it was as though the end of the world was nigh. It took all Baiyi had just to calm the panic group down and maintain order.

"Everyone, do not panic! We will split up here and try to look for clues that lead us to the treasure, for the time we have left is very limited. Come on, this is our only chance!" Baiyi hollered and grabbed a communication slab from his inner pocket.

He handed it over to the maiden cleric, who had been walking by his side and staring at him with stary eyes. "I'm going out to buy us some more time. If you guys found anything important, use this to let me know."

"But… your wounds!" The girl hugged the slab tightly and looked at Baiyi with concern. "I should… I should come along with you!"

"It's going to be alright. Remember, I'm just a Soul Armature," Baiyi replied, and he patted her head gently. "You have such a rich caramel-colored hair. It'll be a waste if you don't make it out of this."

After that, he took off into the air and flew off in the direction of the powerful mana surges. The maiden cleric watched him fly off and hugged the slab even harder.

She had no idea that Hope who she so greatly admired had landed beside the three Divine Warrior without meeting any harm. "Alright, this is good enough.I'm gonna send you guys back to the real world first. I'll meet you all at the manor later."

The barbarians nodded before Huskar asked, "But, Brother Hope, after this many twists and turns… have you actually found your thing?"

Baiyi nodded lightly. "To be honest, I found it immediately we entered here. The other things we did are set-ups, which would prevent us from suffering in the future."

"I really don't understand you…" Huskar muttered as his vision blurred before darkening completely. When he saw light again, he found himself standing in the villagers' cornfield.

'Should I bring some corncobs back to Harrogath for the others?' Huskar began to ponder about this problem, which he considered more important.

Baiyi had Huskar told the truth. As soon as he stepped foot into the unique dimension, he realized that it was the Book of Servitude. In other words, the only item that could govern and manipulate this realm was the Book of Servitude itself. The moment Baiyi activated his Territory and entered the realm, he became the new owner of the Book of Servitude.

It was just as his teacher had said: Baiyi would definitely be able to claim his birthright the instant he got there.

As for the passing of authoritative powers between the abdicated emperor and his heir? It had already been done a long, long time ago — even before the book had resurfaced. It was done the moment this strange pocket dimension accepted Baiyi's control.

The Archmage had not lied to him. It really was as simple as he had made it out to be.

The Archmage had only put on a show of the whole thing after taking into consideration the future plans to the Voidwalkers and Baiyi's character. He wished for his student, Baiyi, to ascend the throne in front of a bustling crowd of spectators. Although Rohserl was no more, the great empire would never die as long as her emperor still existed.

The Archmage, however, had not expected his student to pull off even more tricks in order to gain more out of what he had set up, turning the entire inauguration ceremony into a carnival.

In fact, Baiyi had been able to change the landscape of the realm because he already inherited control over the Book of Servitude. With the book under his control, Baiyi was able to cause a black castle to emerge and simulate waves of powerful mana to frighten the survivors. These were 'simple tricks' that just so happened to require a massive amount of formations that only the Book of Servitude contained. In fact, at this moment, the only thing he couldn't do with the book was create life; other than that little blemish, he was pretty much invincible.

The entire small realm was his Territory.

'What an invincible, undefeatable divine item…' Baiyi stifled tears when he witnessed the power of the Book of Servitude. Suddenly, a message from his communication slab interrupted his thoughts; it was from the maiden cleric. A gravedigger, who nicknamed himself 'the scholar', had discovered a hidden underground basement where the treasure was most likely hidden. Hope had to return at once.

"I made that place too obvious, yet it's taken you guys this long to discover it. Sheesh, the gravedigging and tombraiding community of nowadays is really not up to par," Baiyi mumbled in a low voice. He stimulated a few more mana surges and earth tremors before heading back to the black castle.

All the survivors were in that basement, searching through heaps and heaps of old items for anything that looked like it could be the treasure. They did not stumble upon any golden chests filled with gold and rare jewels, however; all they found were darkened metal sheets, which may have once been money, black rocks that may have once been gems, and aged armor and weapons, which shattered into powder at a single touch.

The mana surges and tremors continued to rock the small realm, so the frightened survivors searched around in a frenzy. Only the maiden cleric noticed Baiyi return.

"There's no telling how long these things have been here for! And look at how badly they were cared for… it's all junk now, except for that elusive treasure!" The gravedigger, who found the basement, lamented loudly.

"But whaur is it? Whaur is d'at treasure?!" A Northerner, who had lost half of his left arm, gripped the gravedigger by the collar and began to shake him frantically. "Dae ye e'en see anythin' 'at looks like treasure?"

"How am I supposed to bloody know?" The gravedigger snapped, pushing the Northern's hand off. "This castle is too big; who knows how many more vaults like this one are in it!"

"Then, aren't we just wasting time? Wasting the time Master Hope has used his precious life to buy for us?" Someone hollered.

"All of you, stop this right now!" Baiyi bellowed. "I have set up a formation to trap those guardians, so now we have even more time on our hands. But first, we need to calm down!"

"... It's Master Hope! He's back!"

"Master Hope, what should we do now? This place is too big, and the treasure is still missing…"

"Fie, fie, fie! I'm going to die here!"

The crowd began to clamor in fear and panic, losing their cool pretty quickly.

Upon seeing the crowd, who now thought they were on the brink of annihilation, panic, Baiyi knew it was time. He quickly climbed a tall dias nearby and said, "Do not panic, all of you! Just look through the things around you. I'm sure the treasure must be here somewhere!"

Then, he jumped down to the ground and began to search. In a few moments, he dramatically picked up a dusty, big black book.

Unlike the other items in the basement, this book did not turn to dust; instead, when Baiyi picked it up, it began to glow with a golden brilliance!

"The treasure!" Someone cried out.

"It's glowing! That must it! Master Hope has found the treasure! We should now be free to leave here!"

The survivors cheered loudly. With the threat of sudden death hanging over them, leaving them sanity on the precipice of collapse, they no longer cared how valuable the treasure was; no one even questioned why Baiyi seemed to have as much luck as the devil himself.With his right hand, duh!

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341 A Little Stain In A Series of Perfect Executions

Just like that, the finale of the script was reached, and it was a very simple one at that. Baiyi hovered in the air like some sort of deity while the glowing book flipped through its pages on its own. In a matter of moments, the survivors were sent out of the realm, back to the real world.

Even though he could have sent them all out once, he did not do that; it would not be theatrical. First, Baiyi simulated more violent mana surges, and the earth tremors became full-blown earthquakes, emulating the scene of an impending apocalypse. The castle trembled and began to fall apart, causing the survivors to panic even more. Each of them pleaded with Baiyi to send them out first, as soon as possible.

The last two survivors to be teleported out the realm were Baldy Kris and the maiden cleric. Before he sent them out, they bowed deeply with gratitude. At that point, even the ceiling had begun to fall apart.

"We'll meet again," Baiyi said, calmly, and sent the two back to Isythre.

Suddenly, the earthquakes stopped, the mana surges ceased, and silence encompassed the realm; he was all alone. Now, the swan song was upon him.

Baiyi snapped his finger, and the decrepit basement instantly transformed into the golden interior of an opulent palace. Gigantic pillars and neatly-aligned stairs appeared, and a throne emerged atop the tallest dais. The only thing that was lacking in this place was a crowd.

"This should resemble the image in our memory, right??" Baiyi murmured. He dragged his battered armor of body to the throne and sat down. He looked around the empty royal hall and sighed, feeling a little lonely.

"This would do. This would do nicely…" He murmured to no one in particular and stretched out his right hand. Suddenly, golden orbs from every nook and cranny of the hall soared to Baiyi's outstretched hand, coalescing into a book atop his palm. The dimension began to tremble again, heralding a collapse, and this time, it was not fake.

The small dimension still existed because the Book of Servitude had sustained it for all this time. Now that Baiyi was going to retrieve it, the realm would have to succumb to the ruling of the Laws.

"In summary, this was a perfect trip, right?" Baiyi said, flatly, as he watched the book slowly take form. His show was a masterpiece, and he was sure that there had been no mistakes; nothing would give him away, he thought. Every one of the survivors was sure to sing praises of his good deeds to the public, and he would once again be coined a savior.

Of course, this excludes those in the comment section…

Baiyi chose to teleport himself to a location in Isythre that was more remote than the other locations he sent the survivors to. In fact, it was far away from the little village where he had opened the gate of light. When he appeared out of thin air, there was no one in the vicinity; this was just the way he liked it. He could imagine how large the uproar preceding recent events would be, and he had no patience to offer any explanations. The lesser visitors he had, the better it would be for him.

That night, under the cloak of darkness, Baiyi quietly returned to the manor. The three barbarians were already there waiting for him, carrying large crates full of corncobs.

When Baiyi spotted them, he almost laughed."Exchanging items with the villagers again?"

"Nope. No one is in that village anymore, so we just grabbed all we could," Huskar replied, with a huge grin on his face.

Baiyi was speechless. 'We had just been through one of the greatest events in Isythre — an event that will eventually be recorded into history by a historian somewhere and might change what the future holds for mankind — yet you three were only interested in stealing some farmers' corncobs?! Are you modest at heart or just bonkers in the head?'

"...You know what? Whatever. Get the goats; we're leaving, now," Baiyi replied, with a sigh.

"To where?" one of them asked.

"Home. Our respective homes. It's over. You can return to your ancestors and tell them that I now have the object in my possession. They need not worry; I'll forever remember our friendship," Baiyi said. "Anyway, time's almost up. Let's go."

"Oh! Oh." Huskar, who had been scratching his head a little in confusion, suddenly nodded enthusiastically, finally understanding the directive. He whistled for his mountain goats to come to him, and when they did, he placed metal backpacks on each of them. Then, they all took into the air with Baiyi and flew off.

When Baiyi and the barbarians reached an unpopulated wasteland, they parted ways. Before the barbarians, who were being guided by Cuckoo, left, however, they gave Baiyi a few bags filled with corncobs and reluctantly bade him farewell.

After flying for a while, Baiyi found a small town nearby, and he used its transporter portal to return to Arfin City.

When he finally reached the Aegis Mansion, the little kids were in the bath, after which they would be ready for bed.

As soon as Baiyi entered the gate, he was welcomed by the Jaw Flower, which rushed at him with a wide-open maw, ready to snap at its behind. Baiyi responded to the gesture with a well-timed kick, which sent the enormous bizarre plant flying. He walked to the door and opened it, and the first person he saw was little Mia, who had just come out of the bath.

The little girl's hair was still wet, and she had donned a snow-white sleeping gown, which left her soft shoulders and feet exposed. She stared at him for a while, aghast, and leaped right at him before wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Awwww! Mr. Hope, you're finally home!" Mia murmured coquettishly.

'Huh-hey! My youngest daughter is still as clingy as ever!' Baiyi rubbed on Mia's little head contentedly, then he raised her up and rubbed his face mask against her soft cheeks.

He knew that time in the small dimension flowed no differently from time in Isythre, so there was no chance for him to open the door and see something as heart-wrenching as a grown Mia cradling the child of an unknown boy.

"H-huh? Your... wounds!" Mia noticed the scars on his body, and her face paled. She struggled to imagine the terror of the battle Baiyi had been in that caused him this much damage.

"Nothing to it. These are only small bruises," Baiyi replied nonchalantly and placed the girl down on the couch. The other kids heard the noise and came down the stairs, and then they happily surrounded Baiyi and began to ask him various questions about his adventure.

Baiyi, however, gently sent the kids back to their rooms because it was too late for storytelling; they all had to sleep.

Soon, only he and his teacher remained.

"Did it go smoothly?" The Archmage whispered.

Baiyi nodded and opened his right palm, and a big black book appeared atop it, out of nowhere. It resembled any ordinary book one could find at a bookstore.

"That's a lowkey design. I supposed it fits your personality." the Archmage nodded. "At least, it's finally back in hands that deserve it. This is comforting — really comforting. Now I have given even my most important treasure to you."

Baiyi was a little saddened by the Archmage's words, prompting him to come up with something, but the Archmage continued, "Alright. You've had your fun, and I should really be going back. We can always just discuss there. Remember what you promised me, though: my gacha game! Gimme more of those sweet, sweet Saint Quartz—"

As soon as Baiyi heard that, his sadness disappeared into thin air.

The two returned to the underground Magus Lab. Baiyi undid the secret Pseudo-Descent spell, and the militia armor fell to the floor piece by piece. Amongst the mess were two storage pouches.

Baiyi picked the pouches up and peered into them; he saw only two nickels.

He instantly shifted his attention to the Archmage, who had just returned to the Void, and hollered, "There were five million gold coins in both pouches! How did you spend it all in a few days? What did you even do? Bought lottery tickets? Downloaded free-to-play mobile games? Was Steam having some kinda sales?"

"How about you start by offering me a smartphone?" The Archmage retorted. "You wretched brat, raising your voice just because I used a little of your money! Do you even know that a royal has to do things the way royals do? Especially when said royal has to bring a bevy of adorable girls with them. Naturally, this would cost more money than usual! I gave the kids the money that remained as their allowance! Besides, I should be the one asking you a question: why is it that, despite earning this much, Mia-chan still doesn't have enough nickels in her pocket?"

'That girl gets one hundred gold coins as her monthly allowance; it's a hundred times more the average child's allowance! If this was considered a little, then how much should I even give? Plus, what does she even need so much money for? She only needs enough for pretty clothes and miniskirts. It's not like there are other outlets for her to spend money!'

"Sigh. Fine, fine. Let us move on from these trivial matters; there are more important issues at hand." Baiyi quickly closed the previous topic of discussion and proceded to share the memory of his past few days with the Archmage.

After watching his student carry out all sorts of schemes, the Archmage pondered for a short while before saying, "You actually turned a normal inauguration ceremony into this… I guess I really did underestimate you, after all. Where are the three prisoners? Have you gotten any intel from them, yet?"

"The Warrior Walker and the rest are on it. I guess we will be hearing from them soon."

The Archmage decided to spend the free time his gatcha game, but every time he tried to summon them in ten trails, they all ended in a second, without a single Super-Super-Rare ever falling into his hands. This made him start to wonder if Baiyi had secretly lowered the rate of SSRs in retaliation for his spending, but his thoughts were interrupted by a notification from the Cleric Walker.

It was a piece of bad news. The old priest went hysterical the moment he realized he was in the presence of his venerated Deity, Apostle Joel, whose pictures adorned the walls of too many cathedrals in the real world. The shock made the old priest begin to laugh and cry at the same time; he had most likely gone insane and was now unfit to provide any intel.

"You! Bloody dimwit!" Baiyi almost spewed fire from his mouth. "You had one job — One! Job!"

That old priest was one of the old higher-ups in the Church — the very organization that was the number one enemy of the Voidwalkers! His intel would have been priceless and most critical for their future mission, but the Cleric Walker had now ruined it.

"What was I supposed to do? I'm just as helpless!" The Cleric Walker protested, voicing his grievance. "I even tried to teach him how to accept life in the Void, but he wouldn't listen. Is that even my fault?"

'By 'teach', you mean degenerate into a horny a** gentleman, isn't it? Why would you even tell someone something like that? Do you even realize that by letting him know how low you have sunk, you may have forced him deeper into insanity?'Ooh, you caught me redhanded, hee hee! But just because you're savvy enough to know doesn't mean you're not craven!

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342 Dating at Midnigh

The punishment doled out to the Cleric Walker for pushing a valuable hostage to insanity was forced silence was twenty-four hours. Baiyi used this punishment to issue a warning the other two Voidwalkers tasked with similar jobs. "Don't repeat his mistake, or else!" Only after that was he able to regain his composure.

The Archmage continued trying his luck on summoning his card, while Baiyi turned his attention back to the Book of Servitude he had just obtained.

"This thing… Is it capable of bending Laws like that tight leather suit from before can?" Baiyi asked the Archmage after some quiet contemplation.

The Archmage laughed out loud. "Ahahahhaha! Finally, an SSR! And all I exhausted was two thousand Saint Quartz only! I'm on fire today!"

"Would it kill you to be a bit more serious…" Baiyi muttered, flatly.

"Please! Those things are already yours. Plus, when it comes to the Laws, who here could possibly be as knowledgeable as you are? So really, why even bother asking me? Just tell me what comes to your mind when you figure something out. Oh, and also, chop chop! I ache for more Saint Quartz," The Archmage, whose full attention was on his game, exclaimed.

Baiyi had to admit that his teacher had a point.

Baiyi believed that the Book of Servitude was similar to the Divine Leather Suit, in that they both had the ability to manipulate natural Laws by a small degree. Although these changes would look catastrophic to mortals, on a grander scale, it was nothing but a slight tweak.

Despite that, this book was not as useful to Baiyi as most would think. First, before getting the book, Baiyi did not lack powerful accessories. Secondly, the forbidden spells in the book were a mouthful and took a very long time to cast. Lastly, each spell required the consumption of an alarming amount of mana, which was starkly inferior to Void Energy.

To him, one of the few things this book was good for was its usefulness in casting certain useful forbidden spells, such as the special forbidden space spell and the Trans-realm Collective Transporting Spell. With the Book of Servitude in his possession, Baiyi would no longer have to build a trans-realm portal formation to make trips between Isythre and the small realm where his future Academy would be located.

"You could try putting more spells to use with that book, you know," the Lich Walker suggested. "A long time ago, I was handicapped by a lack of powerful souls, so I was forced to spend some time researching the art of merging souls; this was so that I could merge smaller souls into one powerful composite. There were significant results, but the experimentation was too complex and plagued by various difficulties; so I gave up. However, now that this book is in our possession, I can pick that research up again."

"If your research is successful, does that mean we could more souls as powerful as the one we're using now?" Baiyi asked with interest. If this plan worked, that would mean that the Voidwalkers could acquire more powerful soul containers to host them, instead of splitting the only powerful soul container they owned at the moment. In other words, the Voidwalkers would possess, more or less, the same abilities they did in the past!

However, the burden it would have on Baiyi would be tremendous. With the amount of amount of consciousness he currently had available, Baiyi could not manipulate so many soul containers at once.

"If I had known better, back then, I would have smuggled in more of my consciousness! I didn't think of this... What a wasted opportunity!" Baiyi lamented.

"Hmm, hmm. Sir Hope, if you're stumbled by the limitation of your soul, may I suggest using some of my secret techniques?" The Incubus Walker said, suddenly. "You must know already; our species is weak, but we can normalize a man's soul easily. That way, you will never have to worry about this anymore, right?"

"You make a good point, but…" Baiyi understood what the Incubus Walker was suggesting, and it was a good solution; however, that process was a step over his personal line, and this made it difficult for him to agree to it.

"Oh? Still holding on to that hypocritic mask of yours? I hope you remember that you're an agent of the Void, not some savior or immaculate mother," the Incubus Walker reminded him carefully. "Or perhaps, you thought that Sir Lich's research wouldn't require any human sacrifices? To make a strong composite soul using only average souls… Even someone who only knows little of these sort of things could guess how many average souls would be needed."

"I get it. I get it! I'll make my choice when the time comes." Baiyi hurried replied, eager to dismiss him. "There's always a way around it, right? If worse comes to worst, I'll just imitate the Cleric Walker's old adventure in the Abyss, freeing trapped and tormented souls from the claws of the demons… in a different way."

"You hypocrites bore me," the Lich Walker made his final remark on the subject.

"Alright, let's move on from this! Now that the Archmage's back, Lich Walker, do you want to try this out?" Baiyi asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Why? So that I can play house with your little pets?" The Lich Walker snapped, as though he had lost his desire to descend to the real world. This was actually pretty good for Baiyi, however; at least, he would not need to worry about putting the Lich Walker on a leash.

"Ey? You're not gonna go out? Good; lemme out then!" Lady Assasin Walker spoke up, quickly taking the chance that had presented itself. She also poked Baiyi severally as she spoke.

"Whatever," the Lich Walker replied, exiting the conversation. Baiyi proceeded to convene a gathering with the Soul Armature Practitioner Walker and the other Voidwalkers to continue his research.

"Hee hee! Thanks!" The Assassin Walker replied, mirthfully.

A while later, she poked Baiyi, urging him to hurry. "Hey, Doofus! Could you do it a little faster? I have never descended before… not even in that hammerhead shark plushie."

Baiyi stifled his chuckles and agreed to her request. He cast the Pseudo-Descent Secret Spell, sending the female Voidwalker right into the old militia armor set.

The armor set rose to its fit, but this time, its countenance seemed jovial and perky. The Assassin Walker danced around Baiyi and chuckled adorably, then she pushed open the door and dashed out of the lab, with an intention to jump around inside the mansion. Since it was already late at night, Baiyi did not move to stop her. She was no a kid anymore, so she would, at least, know what she could do and what she could not.

With an understanding of that implicit leeway, Lady Assassin Walker hummed a perky tune that Baiyi had never heard before and pranced all the way to where Aya lived. Moments after, Baiyi, who was still in the underground magus lab, heard a piercing scream ring out from Aya's place.

He hurried out of the mansion just in time to see Lady Assassin Walker happily skipping back home. "What did you do?"

"Taught that dragon lady a lesson! She's always taking advantage of you," Lady Assassin Walker said, with a hum.

"You killed her?"

"What? No! I told ya I never liked killing. I just pretended to be a ghost and gave her a good fright! I didn't know that a big dragon like her could be so scared of this armor," she replied, nonchalantly.

'I did not expect you to be so childish that you would pull this prank off, okay?'

"Hey, Doofus! Let's take a walk around, shall we?" Lady Assassin Walker said, flirtatiously, and held onto his arms tightly, clinging to him like a cat.

"It's midnight. Where can we even go?" Baiyi asked, a little helpless.

"Anywhere! I'm an assassin, after all. I live in the shadow and the darkness," Lady Assassin Walker replied very casually.

Baiyi could not refute her reply, so he let her pull him out of the house and into the streets, like a couple on a midnight date.

However, she never said a word throughout their walk; she just hummed that song only she knew and beamed with happiness.

They used the night to walk around the entire Arfin City. All through their journey, they hardly said anything to each other. This was not something they needed to do, however; after all, they had shared their memories with each other, so they did not need any words.

At the crack of dawn, Lady Assassin Walker finally began to look a little tired. She sat on a random bench by the street and tilted her head a little, looking at Baiyi, who had taken a seat next to her. "I'm boring, aren't I? I finally got to have a date, but what I chose to do was tour the empty streets in the middle of the night like a mental person. A girl like me is just unlikeable, right?"

Baiyi calmly shook his head sideways. "That's just who you are. Pretty cute, too."

"Heehee. I rarely get to hear you say anything sweet!" She stood up and stretched like a normal human. "Alright, the sun's up. Cinderella has to go home now."

"Cinderella goes home by midnight though, doesn't she?" Baiyi asked, puzzled.

Lady Assassin Walker was just about to throw a little tantrum, but she stopped herself in time and shook her head. "If I talk to you for too long, Doofus, I'll just get mad. Alright, send me back to the Void."

"You don't wanna stay longer?" Baiyi asked.

"Why? In a body like this? I can't do anything, and I look horrible! Besides, if I don't return soon, won't you be worried about how your dragon lady will feel?" She replied with a discernible tone of dismay.

Baiyi nodded, and just as he was about to touch the armor to dispell the spell, the Assassin Walker suddenly blurted, "Hold on. There's one thing I forgot."

"The last step of a date… we haven't done that, right? But since I'm only a Soul Armature this time, I suppose I could forgive you for forgetting. Next time, when I'd descend as a human, remember to take this last step!"

"Huh? What last step?" Baiyi asked, dumbfounded.

"Hmph! You doofus!"

After that, Lady Assassin Walker, who had stayed in the real word for only one night, returned to the Void in fulfillment.

Baiyi brought armor back home, alone. As his students were still asleep, he stayed behind in the courtyard to water the mutated plants. These florae, who now delighted in welcoming visitors into the manner with physical attacks and horrifying expressions, gathered beside him to enjoy the water; just like it had once been.

For some reason, Baiyi felt really upbeat.Eh, that's true!

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343 How About You Take A Guess?

Although Baiyi was in a good mood after recent developments, the other inhabitants of the Void were less excited about the upcoming tidings. The other two interrogation sessions were not working out as well as they had hoped. Even though the Voidwalkers assigned to conduct the interrogations did so with a delicate decorum — which, at least, succeeded in keeping the hostages sane — the two hostages, the knight, and the abbot, refused to divulge any information; be it because of pride or some other reason, neither Baiyi nor the Voidwalkers were sure. They refused to budge even after the Voidwalkers explained their long term plans in detail.

"Fine, then. The two of you are dismissed; I'll handle it," Baiyi said in resignation.

"Apologies," the Warrior Walker whispered.

"It's alright. I know the both of you have done the best you could. Let me take it from here," Baiyi replied before. After that, he used his consciousness to enclose the two hostages separately; this was akin to placing each hostage in solitary confinement.

It was a form of torture more pernicious than being forcefully muted. Being locked up in perpetual darkness without a single mode to communicate or a single way of telling how much time had passed, for a very long time, could mar even a person's cognizance of self-identity. This was, in short, a very cruel punishment.

"Let's see how long your pride can last," said Baiyi. He had no plan to spend more of his time on matters regarding these hostages; whenever they could not take it anymore, they would loosen up.

When the students woke up, Baiyi summoned them all and began to tell them about his latest adventure. Naturally, there were bits and pieces included in the story that never really happened, including in his description of the inexistent realm guardians. He did this so that he would hold the complete attention of his students.

"Then, suddenly, right in front of me rose a strange, massive creature. It was eight feet tall, eyes as wide as bells, a vermillion face, and a mouth which resembled a pool filled with blood. It was incredibly bloodthirsty, so I yanked my cape off, spat on the ground, and let out a warcry from deep within my guts. After that, I catapulted myself straight at it and fought it for about three hundred rounds..."

He spun a tale of an incredible, titanic uphill battle, which he had to rely on his hardened resolve to overcome, in order to rescue so many from being devoured. Only a story of this caliber would make his students coin him the greatest hero alive. When Baiyi saw the starry eyes of his beautiful girls fixed on him, he felt strangely fulfilled.

No wonder so many enjoyed espousing a good sailor's tale in a bar; the feeling of becoming an object of awe and reverence was pretty addictive!

When Baiyi finished his tale, it became his turn to inquire about their progress. "Okay, so my story is over. What's yours? How were you? Did you guys have fun in class?"

The students instantly lowered their head in shame. Some were even red-faced.

"No classes, huh... Then, what have you all been up to?" Baiyi continued.

Mia stepped forward and filled him in on their activities. They ate, played, shopped like spendthrifts, and visited every part of the Walthart Empire, where they enjoyed the enriching experience of the local culture. It was as though they had been practicing the philosophy of 'You Only Live Once'…

That would explain why so much of Baiyi's money was spent.

"Mr. Hope…?" Little Mia could feel Baiyi's anger boil from a mile away, so she instantly donned her most adorable facial expression and inched closer to him. When she got closed enough, she stuffed her horsetail braid into his hand. "Wanna play with this?"

Watching the youngest girl's antic, Tisdale quickly followed suit and sat next to him. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her thigh, which was covered by a black silk sock. "Sir, you can play with me too. Just no stormy moods, okay?"

'Who taught them to do something like this?' Baiyi thought, slightly upset. Naturally, he had no plan to entertain their suggestions, but since they already seemed apologetic, he also had no plans to remain angry.

He retracted his hands and sat up straight, and with a serious expression, he said, "Alright; I'll give you a pass on the past., but in the coming days, I'll be adjusting the curriculum and the amount of homework to compensate for the lost time.

The students' faces fell, and they screamed "no!" in their minds.

At that moment, a series of frantic knocks on the door rang through the living room, and an unfamiliar voice screamed, "H-help me! Master Hope, help me! These monsters are going to eat me!"

"You, go over there and tell those flowers to adhere to civility. After that, send the visitor away. Tell him that I have sustained an injury so grievous I cannot even walk properly, so I will not be able to accept visitors," Baiyi said, pointing to the great Fox.

A wary expression appeared on the fox's face. 'So many people in this house, yet you ask me to get the door?'

Baiyi's orders were not open to negotiations, however, so with a lowered tail, the fox went off to dismiss the visitor.

A few moments after the fox left, they heard the same voice saying, "Ey? Why is a dog answering the doo — oww, hey! Why is this dog biting me?! Help!"

Not long after that, silence returned to the mansion, and the fox returned.

"Mm-hmm. Perfect. In fact, for the next few days, you will be in charge of answering the door. If the visitors are strangers, bite them so that they will know not to visit again. None of them have noble intents, believe me," Baiyi said to the Fox.

"As for the rest of you, Follow me to the lab and help me repair my armor," Baiyi finished, looking at the remaining students.

His augustril armor was had dilapidated so much, it could now be confused with scrap metal. In truth, Baiyi had initially calculated just how hard the barbarians should hit his armor so that the damage would appear terrifying on the inside, even though it was still under his control. A sufficient amount of repairs could extend the armor's useful life by a decade.

Augustril was a rare material that Baiyi himself did not possess, but he could fill the cracks in his augustril armor with mithril, and paint the patched armor to make it look as good as new.

Once inside the underground lab, Baiyi relaxed and let the broken pieces fall off, and then he instructed his students on just how to patch him back up.

As though their efforts were fueled by love and respect, the students worked carefully and meticulously, paying attention to even the slightest of details. It took a day for most of the damages to be mended. After that, a few girls went out and purchased silver paint, which they used to paint the refurbished armor, making him look as good as new.

After the work was done, Mia did not rub her cheeks against his face mask because his paint was still wet...

When the other students were working on the repairs, the fox sent off at least a dozen strangers. It could not help but feel that Baiyi had coined it an annoying mutt only useful for scaring away interlopers.

The interlopers did not give up, though; they decided to come at Baiyi using a deadly weapon — a woman's curves. The next morning, Undine's screams could be heard just outside the door. "Owwww! This horny Jawflower has focused on my skirt again!"

The fox knew better than to bite an acquaintance, so it let her in. This time, Undine was quick with her movements, so the Jawflower was not able to rip her skirt apart in service of its master.

"My most beloved Master Hope, what have you done this time? The whole world's talking about you again. What crazy stunt did you pull off this time?" Undine went straight to the point the moment she stepped into the house. As per usual, she treated the place as her own, bouncing right onto the couch. She raised her feet into the air, baring the long lean legs on her curvaceous body for the soul armature to see.

"Yes; I did something, but it was not as crazy as they would like you to think it was. It did require a bit of luck, though," Baiyi replied, briskly, foregoing a re-telling of his story. He expected Undine to already know the details. She must have only come at that moment because she had gotten the details from an outside source. Before coming over.

"Everyone just wants to know what the treasure you got is, you know?" Undine's voluptuous body arched in an attempt to seduce Baiyi. "Must be something powerful, I'll bet."

"To be honest, I'm not sure what is it, either. I'm still studying it, but I need to keep visitors away for that. All I know at this point is that the treasure is a tome from ancient Rohlserlian times. It's quite cryptic and unique."

He did not mention the name of the book, however; he just opted for a vague answer. The public was free to guess what it was.

"A tome from the ancient Rohlserlian times? It can't be the Book of Servitude from legends, right?" Undine's expression was one of shock.

"Who knows? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I need to investigate it more to know conclusively," Baiyi remained oblique.

Undine furrowed her eyebrows and began to ponder something. After a while, she propped herself up into a reclining position and tossed her pale blue hair backward, baring her supple shoulders in an alluring manner, and then she cooed, "Master Hope, would you marry me?"

"No way!" Baiyi replied and fired a blackboard chalk-sized ice projectile at her forehead, sending her reeling backward.

Later that week, a rumor began to spread that the treasure Baiyi acquired may have been the Book of Servitude, a divine item which almost all sorcerers had dreamed of acquiring. Some powers even began to ponder how best to ally themselves with him if the rumors turned out to be true.

The elites and nobles of the society attempted to contact Baiyi, including Vice President Grant of the Sorcerers' Association, the Emperor and the Pope — who had both suffered the biggest loses in the expedition to the secret realm — and even Vidomina's father.

At first, they sent letters, but Baiyi did not read them. He instructed Laeticia to place them with the letters he received from strangers and burn the lot or use them as fertilizer for the mutated plants.

When the interested parties noticed that their letters were not being answered, they dispatched messengers to Baiyi's home. After suffering attacks from the mutated flora and bites from the fox, the messengers got the same cryptic answer that Undine did.

Although Baiyi spoke in a humble and candid manner, his answers were empty and revealed nothing. It was the same as not answering.

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344 Why Won’t You Believe Me?

Baiyi's penchant to give ambiguous answers had begun to annoy those in positions of authority, yet they were powerless to act against him. Because if the treasure really was the Book of Servitude, just how do they plan to intimate him? If the rumors were true, then he was now someone armed with a legendary book filled with forbidden spells, making him a terrorist deadlier than the gods! Provoke him? Oh, hell no.

This was the sentiment that Baiyi wished to incite; it was also the same effect that the Archmage had hoped for. The Book of Servitude was not given to him to ruin the lives of others; it was given to him to stop others from disturbing his life.

Regardless of how empty Baiyi's responses to inquiries were, he was still the topic of discussion in many societies; 'the hottest personality du jour'— if you will. This time, the North had also joined the South to talk about him. As of now, Baiyi no longer needed the Church's help to increase his fame; the survivors of the secret realm expedition, on their volition, were now his propaganda-spreading-machines, singing praises of how noble he was to anyone who cared to listen.

Although the hostages in the Void were still uncooperative, Baiyi had still obtained impressive rewards in terms of fame. He had not needed to leave his house to know how famous he had become.

Despite that, his daily routine at home did not change. For about ten days, he continued living a mundane life, giving lessons, preparing documents for his upcoming Academy, playing around with Mia, Tisdale, and his Kitty Cat Maid; it was quite the comfortable life. However, the fame did not make it easy for him to go about his business, so anytime he needed to run some documents by some organizations, he would ask his students to do it for him.

On this day, after Baiyi finished writing a request letter, he handed it over to Potter the Owl. "Take this to the Sorcerers' Association. Attached to this is my newest thesis."

The Owl looked at him unwillingly. 'You're basically treating me as your carrier pigeon now, aren't you?'

Unfortunately, it, too, was not inclined to go against Baiyi's words, so it gripped the canister containing his letter, flapped its wings, and flew out the door.

"My documents are almost completed now. Let me see if I left anything undone." Baiyi produced a checklist from his inner pocket. With the documents cleared, he could now shift his attention to the staff resources and money.

He quickly penned a letter asking for monetary aid and handed it to his youngest student, Mia. "Take this to Vidomina's butler next door, and tell him to send it as soon as possible."

Mia nodded and left the house in a hurry.

'Hmm… A few building materials, desks and chairs, and dispensable wares… I should probably start preparing them now.' Baiyi thought, then he wrote another letter. After that, he summoned Tisdale and gave the letter to her. "Give this to that money-loving Undine. Tell her to take care of these quickly and also choose only merchants with high-quality wares."

After receiving her instructions, Tisdale left the house in a hurry.

"I need staff, too. Now that my fame is at an all-time high, I could probably get some decent staff members via public requests. Man, I really picked a great time to present My Greatest Show Ever..." Baiyi murmured as he wrote two more letters. After writing them, he gave one to Attie and the other to Nota.

"Take this letter to the city's local government office. Tell them to like it and share it," he instructed Attie.

"Take this letter to the headhunting guild. Tell them to follow my requirements to the letter," he instructed Nota.

Both girls left the house in a hurry after receiving their instructions.

"Mmm… right. I still have some unfinished business with the Church." Baiyi took out another paper and wrote speedily. When he was done, he called Laeticia and said, "Take this to the Church — straight to the higher-ups."

Laeticia, too, rushed out of the house after receiving her instructions.

"That should do it. The rest of you, assemble for class!" Baiyi announced loudly.

His holler was answered with an echo and eventually, silence. All he could see was the Jawflower peeking at him through the window, with curiosity written all over its face. There was no one at home.

"Tsk tsk. Why do I feel like an old man whose kids have all grown up and left the house?" Baiyi murmured, feeling a little unhappy as sat in the living room.

Unfortunately, such things could not be avoided, even if he went out of his way to try to prevent it. When his students finally returned from their errands, they brought news with them.

As Baiyi was now famous, the academics had agreed to analyse his credentials and research papers with a fine-toothed comb, provide the publicity necessary, and obtain government subsidy; all on one condition, however: he had to attend a quorum hosted by the Doors of Conundrum, which would be joined by other important people from many organizations and academies.

To put it simply, they wanted to force his presence. Of course, it wasn't for a meet-and-greet fan event; it was for the treasure he had obtained.

"Looks like I don't have a choice this time. But, I guess it's okay; I might as well as settle this once and for all," Baiyi murmured as he played with Mia's hair.

Mia, however, shook her hair out of his grasp and asked, "So, Mr. Hope, what's the name of the Academy going to be?"

'Ey? This is something I haven't… really thought about.' After all, he was not the First Walker, who had a lot passion for coming up with names. Before he could start thinking about it, the Voidwalkers began to discuss amongst themselves.

"Since this it academy is being established by his Majesty, the Emperor, himself, it should be called the Rohlserlian Royal Institute!" The Archmage stated. It was quite rare that he came up with a name that was not embarassing or copyright-infringing!

"Such audacity within the Walhart Empire? That's simply asking for a war!" The Scholar Walker replied. " Fortunately, my keener insights has determined a name that suggests more prudence… The Void Academy! How is that?"

'How the hell is that name prudent? The Archmage's suggestion may turn us into enemies of the Walhart royalty, but your suggestion… may turn us into the enemies of the entire world, okay?' Baiyi said, instantly criticizing the suggestion.

"Nah, that's not too apt. Just called it the Hope Academy. After all, it's customary to name a school after its principal," the Apprentice Walker said, drawing experience from his own tenure.

'Sure, that is customary. 'Hope' is a pretty good word, but when it is attached to an organization, anyone could mistake it to be a famous organization that manufactures pig-feed, which is totally not halal.'

"Please! If we are to build our private academy in a private realm, then we should be open minded when christening it. It should have a name that is unique and highlights our individuality! So, let us christen it… The School of Gentlemen!" The Cleric Walker suggested, hopefully.

For his suggestion, Baiyi punished him with a twenty-four hour forced mute.

"Fine, you wanna be straightforward? Let's called it Fair Maidens Grooming Academy! And, the only students we accept in our application will be ladies and cute boys who look like ladie — mmmhhh!" The Cleric Walker's brother-in-arms, the Paladin Walker, was also muted for twenty four hours.

However, the Cleric Walker's lousy suggestion seemed to have influenced the other Voidwalkers, because the suggestions that began to come in were without logic. Hogwarts, Totsuki Saryo Institute, Ooarai High School, Otonokizaka Academy, Academy City, and even debatable schools like Chinese Academy of White (Album) Studies, the Academy of Lightning, the Chinese Academy of Chtholly. They had come up from the ding.

These suggestions really made him wonder why the Voidwalkers spend their free time doing.

By the time Baiyi arrived for the special quorum the next day, suggestions for an academy name were still pouring in from the Void, despite forcefully muting the weeaboos, NEETs, and researchers of 'White Album' and 'Chtholly'.

Therefore, Baiyi decided to ignore and turn his attention to reality. Let them mess around amongst themselves; he had serious business to attend to.

Although they had called this a special quorum, to Baiyi, it seemed more like a public Senate hearing. It was being held in a conference room within the Sorcerers' Associations. By the time Baiyi arrived, excluding a circular desk in the middle of the room, the conference room was packed with representatives of various factions and societies; they numbered more than a hundred. Even the Northerners had sent their own representatives to attend the hearing, despite not having any intention to actively participate in the questions and discussions.

It seemed that everyone there was very interested in the book that Baiyi found in the secret realm. The meeting had not started yet, but the room was noisy from hushed whispers, which, no doubt, had Baiyi as the topic of conversation.

The quorum began with a greeting and an introduction, as was customary. After that, Baiyi's academy was only briefly discussed. No one was against it. Instead, they all quickly congratulated him, and some directors of other academies quickly expressed their desires to establish a good rapport with Baiyi, hoping to rope him into an alliance with them.

After a short period of pretending to host a discussion and a few superficial congratulatory words, the host of the quorum, an old fellow from the Doors of Conundrum called Great Sage Tom, instantly shifted to the true agenda for the gathering. "Master Hope, as your fellow academic in the Doors of Conundrum, I'm very curious as to what you acquired. Could you please sate our curiosity?"

"Sure!" Baiyi replied, without any hesitation. The Book of Servitude appeared in his hands, and this time, its cover was not black but dazzling gold.

As a divine item, the Book of Servitude could change its appearance according to its owner's will.

Baiyi told the crowd that he believed the book to be an ancient relic of the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire, but that was all he knew due to lack of research; this was the same tale he had been telling since he got the book.

"Master Hope, I think you'd been saying the same thing for a while now, yes?" Great Sage Tom replied, visibly unimpressed. " Everyone's here to eagerly listen to your finding, yet you're dismissing us… quite uncourteous, don't you think?"

"But, what I'd said was the truth. Why won't you believe me?" Baiyi shrugged helplessly. "Maybe I should just do it this way…"

He tossed the Book of Servitude onto Great Sage Tom's lap.I… am lost on why he would think so, really. It didn't conjure that image to me… But, perhaps there is a famous pig-feed manufacturer in China that goes by the name 'Hope'...?I skipped Hogwarts because, damn, I really expect everyone to know what Hogwarts is. (A) The culinary institute featured in Food Wars. (B) The school featured in Girls und Panzer. (C) The school featured in Love Live! School Idol Diary. (D) The school featured in A Certain Magical Index. (E) A parody "academy" established by the Chinese to conduct "research" on a galgame called White Album. (F) If it was originally some sort of Chinese meme, I'd failed to establish a connection. (G)A self-proclaimed "academy"/ "religion" centered around some tragic fairy, Chtholly Nota Seniorius from… Sigh, Shuumatsu nani shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte moratte ii desu ka?

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345 Long Time No See, Ms. Certain Character

Baiyi had just done what they least expected him to do. Although they wanted more information, no one would have expected him to be so casual with the old book, which may or may not be a treasure which countless people had thrown their lives away in an attempt to obtain. Was he not worried that someone would claim it from him there and then?

"It does not matter what I say, right? So maybe you people will be more convinced by your own eyes," Baiyi said, placidly — a stark contrast to the intense emotional shock his action had caused Great Sage Tom.

It only took a short while for the stunned man to recover his composure, and a glint of excitement appeared in his eyes, closely followed by surprise, confusion, and greed. However, he said nothing, and instead, he sat down and wrapped his psychic energy around the book.

The crowd of representatives no longer acted reserved; they huddled closer around the great sage like kids attracted to the fanciest toy in the neighborhood. However, no one tried to disrupt the Great Sage's concentration. They silently watched the Great Sage with complicated gazes.

Baiyi, on the other hand, seemed to have been forgotten completely. He was enjoying the scene, however. He took another seat further away and watched them examine the book, while the Voidwalkers tried to come up with names for his future Academy.

Great Sage Tom concentrated on the appraisal so much that he shut down his sense to everything else. He sat so still, it was as though he had become a statue. Only his lips moved from time to time, mumbling, "Hmm, is this…. is this what Ancient Rohlserlese is? Very difficult to understand… Mm…. what a strange reaction. What does it mean?"

A long time later, he opened his eyes, and an expression of confusion appeared on his face. He began to look around, searching for Baiyi, obviously needing answers.

When the crowd saw this, they opened a path for his line of sight to fall on Baiyi, who seemed relaxed.

"Master Hope, this book actually—"

Great Sage Tom had only just begun to speak when he felt his hand lighten. He looked down and saw it empty. The book was already back in Baiyi's hand.

"Alright. Now, if anyone has any further questions, you can go to Great Sage Tom," Baiyi casually said and put the Book of Servitude away before leaving the conference room. The ostensible purpose of the quorum was already achieved, so it could be considered over.

After he left, Great Sage Tom was bombarded with all sorts of questions regarding the book. One particular question was asked more than others: What exactly was that thing?

The Great Sage was embarrassed and stammered, "I… I don't know either! All I know is that the tome is from the Ancient Rohlserlian time… Probably related to forbidden spells? I'm not sure about anything else!"

That answer was quite similar with what Baiyi had initially told them, and since they did not dare to do anything to Baiyi, they took their frustrations out on the old man from the Doors of Conundrum, Great Sage Tom. Some were more tempestuous and grabbed the Great Sage's robe, while some grabbed his beard.

"Ow! Ow! Put me down, please! Everyone calm down! I did not lie to any of you. This treasure really is uncharacteristically cryptic, and I can't be certain if it is the Book of Servitude of legends... Aaaah, my little brother! My butt!" The Great Sage's cries spread so far that it reached Baiyi, who was already some distance away, and he could not help laughing in his mind.

The Book of Servitude was just a moniker because a book was one of the forms it could take. Its true form was actually a group of golden light orbs that could shapeshift into any form he willed it to. If Baiyi wanted, he could easily change the book into a club-shaped object obscured by pixelation and rechristen it 'The Stick of Servitude'.

Now, didn't that just give us the grand feeling of a horndog who builds his harem the 'hard' way?

So, as it was shown, it wasn't as simple as a magical tool or weapon. The Archmage could even shift its appearance when he started activating his second Territory. It was even emblematic of the Rohlserlian's royalty— an object with so much significance attached to it like that would never fall into the hands of anyone this easily, especially when Baiyi had to go through this much to get it.

Most importantly, though, there was no actual manual or instruction in the Book of Servitude. It was built on the Laws themselves to the point that it had the ability to manipulate the Laws on certain degrees! How could something this powerful even comes with an instruction manual? So whatever Great Sage Tom had seen and sensed was exactly what Baiyi had wanted him to see.

Baiyi thought he was being kind to the old man for only showing the illogical, chaotic content, seeing how he was this old and yet still managed to do things like these. The Soul Armature could have just shown him a few clips of Philosophy ♂.

"Now I have someone to share the burden of this fame," Baiyi said in the Void. "But honestly, the Doors of Conundrum is not very loyal, isn't it? I mean, I know I lied about being one of them, but still, it makes me one of them nonetheless. Do they really want my secret so much that they would betray me like this in public like that? Geez, that's too far."

"With all due respect, the survivability of a purely academic organization throughout millennia, in a world marked by constant wars, requires… Certain condonations," the actual Great Sage of the Void, the Scholar, tried to explain.

"Understandable," Baiyi replied generously.

With the way things had turned out, Baiyi should no longer have to deal with questions regarding the Book of Servitude, at least for a while. After all, he had given it to them temporarily, yet even a Great Sage was unable to uncover how the book worked. Since they were still not sure what the book was, no one would dare cause trouble for him.

This was much better than the alternative, for if the public were to get wind of the true identity of the book, those who are primarily motivated by greed will begin to target him. Although these cretins would not be a problem for Baiyi, he still had to be careful because of his young students.

Contrary to what Baiyi had thought, he continued receiving visitors, even at night; he just could not catch a break. Unlike the visitors who came during the day to sit and talk with him, the visitors who came at night arrived with ill intentions and face masks, definitely with the intent to rob him. Whether they were doing this of their own volition or because someone paid them to remained to be seen.

Unfortunately for the robbers, Baiyi's mutated plants had no need for sleep, so the robbers had their behinds handed to them. The more professional robbers, who were able to slip past the mutated plants, could not break through the Aegis Mansion's many defense formations, which Baiyi had set up a long time ago. Therefore, Baiyi had no need to take action personally.

Some interested parties took another approach to try to get closer to Baiyi; they targetted his female students. For days after the failed robbery attempts, the Aegis Mansion was visited by a variety of handsome men, who could all pass off as models on magazine covers. Some were prim and proper; some could pass off as the handsome boy next door; some were plain bad boys, and others had cheery and enthusiastic dispositions. It was as though someone had turned Baiyi's home into a massage parlor for ladies.

These visitors caused more headache for the Fifth Walker than other visitors did. Some of them even had the gall to profess their love for Baiyi's girls, with roses; some came over with harps and played love songs, which Baiyi found sickening, and others came shirtless, showing off their toned bodies and firm abs.

Baiyi was having none of it, though. Whenever he saw them, he would sic the Jawflower or Zakum the fox on them.

Thus, the male hotties had no choice but to flee while whimpering, while the girls watched them with expressions of pity.

"They are just shallow men borne with good looks. None of them could ever deserve any one of you!" Baiyi declared with confidence. "If they want to win your heart, they would have to go through me! And only the best can do that!"

'If there is a boy whose strong, smart, and brave enough to beat me up until only my head is left, then I could maybe let the boy 'hang out' with Nota for a while…' Baiyi added quietly.

"But… they all look pretty... um, hot," Laeticia mumbled.

"What do you mean? Am I not hot?" Baiyi exclaimed as he patted his head and tidied up his bandit-like veil. "And, what's more… I'm deep."

"Mr. Hope is different, though," Laeticia chuckled, and her face gradually reddened. The redder she got, the more adorable she looked.

After seeing so many of their attempts fail, the unseen parties decided to play their trump cards. The next day, there were a few adorable and docile girls, who were dressed in proper clothes, innocently standing outside the mansion.

These girls are all the features that self-aspiring lolitas would kill to acquire, and they all plead, with tender and flirtatious voices, with Baiyi to take them in as his student.

Baiyi's students silently watched the girls from inside the mansion, with curiosity written all over their faces.

After making sure that the Cleric Walker, Paladin Walker, Engineer Walker, and the other members of the Void's gentlemen club were muted, Baiyi opened the gate. Like a venerable senior, he smiled gently and patted the heads of the visiting girls and kindly said, "My Academy is not established yet. When it's open, I'll welcome your registration."

He closed the gate after that and sighed, then he kicked the Jawflower all the way to the door, scaring the girls outside away.

'You guys can stop the advances now, right?' Baiyi thought to himself, sighing.

He summoned Mia to his side, and the girl came over with a puzzled expression.

Baiyi just rubbed her soft cheeks almost violently…

Seeing their trump cards fail, most of the unseen parties decided to give up. However, there were some who still felt confident in their chances.

That night, Baiyi was in his underground magus lab, when he felt a strange undulation emanate from his yard. Alarmed, he rushed out of the lab and hurried outside just in time to see his mutated plants toppling over. A family figure stood in their midst.

"Long time no see, Duchess Wright," Baiyi said calmly, as he stared at the mutated cabbage plant lying beside his feet. "You better hope they are not dead, or else I'll peel your pretty skin from your bones..."Er, are these representatives even, well, adults? I don't understand... How does bullying a senior enlighten anyone on what that treasure really is?Philosophy ♂ again! Gods! Stop the fairy ♂ reference from coming up again!!! Gaaah!]Or, no one. I bet no one can do that.…. Little girls.Trying to scratch an "aroused itch", I think. You know what sort of itch that is, I presume?

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346 Everything Is In Order

Unfazed by Baiyi's chilling threat, she calmly replied, "No, no more Duchess. I left that filthy place long ago. Just call me Harllotte."

She glanced down at the toppled plants and said, "These adorable kids are only asleep, you see. Don't worry; I'm not so bold as to really hurt them." She stepped closer to the Fifth Walker, and the blurry moonlight illuminated her alluring figure.

"Or, rather… are you looking for a good chance to turn me into a dryad, as told in legends?" She cooed, offering up an irresistible suggestion.

She was Vidomina's mother and the ex-Duchess of Breighton. She was a belle with so much beauty, she could start a war amongst nations, much like Helen of Troy. However, her beauty had brought her nothing but strife, and in the end, she had joined the Godsfall cult and became Baiyi's enemy. The Fifth Walker reserved some conflicting views on the seductress. Although he agreed that a foe as dangerous as she was ought to be slain, he could not bring himself to kill the mother of one of his students with his own hands.

The fact that the woman was really beautiful was also another reason Baiyi was not so eager to kill her. She was not wearing the partial see-through satin gown she had been wearing the last time she saw Baiyi; instead, she had opted for a tasteless and unalluring black robe — a robe of the Godsfall cult. However, this did nothing to hide her beautiful figure and mature grace. No matter what one chooses to wear, beauty could not be tarnished.

"Curious… Why are you here?" Baiyi muttered in a low voice, and without waiting for an answer, he vanished instantly, reappearing inches away from Harllotte. In less time than it took to blink, he had grabbed her neck and lifted her up.

"You can't possibly be here to see your kid, can you?" Baiyi said, steely.

At this point, a normal person would lose their composure from fear, but Harllotte was completely placid, like a doll; she did not look like she planned on struggling, either. Even her breathing remained steady as she gazed at Baiyi with a serene expression before saying, "Impatient, aren't you, Master Hope? Whatever happened to chivalry?"

"Oh? Now I see… You guys at Godsfall have such interesting toys," Baiyi remarked, instantly discovering the secret of her body. Apparently, Harllotte was not there in person. The body in front of him had been formed by a strange creature similar to one of his students, Potter the Owl.

As there was no point in killing a substitute, Baiyi let go of her and decided to listen to what she wanted.

"This is our corvine messenger. It is a mystical creature used by the members of our organization to communicate with each other," Harllotte explained briefly. Then, she added, "The purpose of my visit was not to cause harm, dear. I come in peace from our organization."

With that said, she got on one knee and raised two storage pouches up to Baiyi. "These humble gifts come from our organization, in celebration of your success in establishing your academy."

"Interesting," Baiyi mumbled and accepted the pouches. He had not expected the Godsfall Cult to be the type to exchange gifts for events out of societal customs. In fact, they were the first organization to congratulate him with gifts!

Could it be that their previous request for a truce was not a misdirection but an honest request? Or had they decided to try and recruit Baiyi after realizing that he was a disturbing and troublesome foe?

As soon as he opened the pouches, he discarded his second theory. Both pouches were filled with gold coins, jewelry, and magical materials. He was sure even they did not believe that mere trinkets could buy him out; hence, they were probably just adhering to courteous customs.

Harllotte seemed to have read his mind and offered an explanation. "The organization would not try to bribe the Messenger of a God. We, however, wish to make amends to the previous, unfortunate conflicts between us. We really aren't enemies."

"Oh, alas... this time, at least, you people did not expect me to buy your crap just because you asked me to," Baiyi replied sardonically.

"Hmm. Then, what must we do to earn your trust, O' Messenger of God? Shall I offer myself?" Harllotte whispered, and a seductive expression emerged on her beautiful face as she slowly sauntered toward Baiyi. Her eyes seemed to contain a passionate anticipation that sprung from the depths of a dangerous mind.

At this moment, describing Harllotte's beauty as something akin to the treasure of a dynasty would be doing her a disservice. She was currently so bewitching, her beauty would be nothing short of kingdom-toppling. Baiyi finally noticed that despite the fact her black robe was conservative, with the right posture, it was translucent enough to partially see the body parts that mattered, which were not shielded by any underwear. This was the sort of reward one would get just by standing close enough to Harllotte.

Fortunately, Baiyi was a man with ample amounts of self-control, chivalry, and ethics. Furthermore, he knew that the person standing before him was not Harollotte herself. The 'reward' offered by Harllotte was one that was enough to make the average man go crazy; perhaps, some women of legend, such as Daji and Tamamo-no-Mae, had as much carnal beauty as the one before him. This was why it was not surprising that such a case of tragic perversion had happened in the Wright family.

Baiyi coldly pushed the woman away. In his eyes, the closer she got to him, the worse she looked. With the same cold demeanor, Baiyi replied, "Now that you have passed your message, shouldn't you leave?"

"Understood." The vixen wisely took another step back before snapping her fingers once, and Baiyi's mutated plants sprang back to their roots. They began to look left and right hastily, trying to make sense of the situation. It made them look quite comical.

"I bid you farewell," Harllotte said and began to walk away.

Suddenly, after a few steps, she stopped in her tracks and turned to gaze at the mansion behind Baiyi with an expression of unwillingness.

"You want to see Vidomina, don't you?" Baiyi asked.

"Me? A sorry excuse of a mother? Not worthy of her audience," She replied serenely, shaking her head sideways. "Please take care of her for me. I'll return the favor one day."

After saying that, she dissolved into a small cloud of black fog, which then condensed into a crow seconds later. As soon as the crow appeared, it took off into the night sky.

After watching the crow fly away, Baiyi shook his head sideways and murmured, "Such a pitiful woman."

He kicked the slobbering Jawflower which had been charging towards him and walked back into the Aegis' residence.

The thought of informing Vidomina of her mother's visit crossed Baiyi's mind, but when he entered the mansion and saw Vidomina sitting close to Little Mia as they copied each other's homework, the nagging thought evaporated from his mind; instead, a new thought compelled him to grab his feather duster and approach the two brats who were not doing their homework properly.

February was a little hectic for Baiyi, and most of his time was devoted to his upcoming academy. He was glad that he had Aya and Joseph, the new part-time teacher, to help him teach the students; without their help, he would have been forced to stop classes for a long time.

Vidomina's father had very generously sponsored Baiyi's endeavor with ten million gold coins — a very kind sum. Other organizations he has had dealings with — the Church, the Walthart royals, and the Sorcerers' Association — had made monetary contributions towards Baiyi's academy, as well. Even Undine, whose motive could not be ascertained, had contributed five million golds to him. So far, in just a short period of time, the Fifth Walker had amassed about twenty million golds in donations; it was just enough to cover some of the cost of the building.

The Southern Duke, who did not see eye to eye with the soul armature, had sent over a full construction team consisting of thousands of workers and mages. Everyone on the team were veterans, especially in the field of realm excavations.

To Baiyi, this was more helpful than gold coins because of the size of the team and the number of experts were in it. The Southern Duke had lent him this team for a year, and this gesture had earned him a favorable impression with Baiyi.

Minor issues such as lab apparatuses were solved for him by Duke Wright and the Dole family.

Meanwhile, the Doors of Conundrum — the organization Baiyi had long since been pretending to be a part of — made a promise to Baiyi that when his academy had been established, they would send over a group of academic sages who had a knack for teaching. Furthermore, Mr. Owl, Mr. Sorry, and some other of Baiyi's colleagues had accepted his offers to become teachers at his academy. Hence, he had every possible problem with human resources covered.

Baiyi also did not have any problems with attracting students. Due to Arfin city's mayor's help, many nobles had already expressed interests in his upcoming academy. Many non-clingy dads had decided to send their daughters to his academy, and this interest was not limited to people in Arfin city. Many parties living in other places had expressed their interests, as well.

The only explanation one could offer about why Baiyi was getting so much support, was that the soul armature's reputation was finally being put into good use.

Baiyi then communicated with the leader of the forest fairies, which was still in the small realm he wished to build his academy, and asked it to watch over the construction team. After that, he spent some time and a large amount of money to build a trans-realm portal to transport his building materials to the realm where he would be building his academy. The construction had begun.

The building's design had been designed by the Engineer Walker; it contained a fusion of architectural concepts from this world and from earth. When the design was completed, Baiyi carefully scrutinized it to make sure that the Engineer Walker did not sneak in some design ideas that his fellow members of the Gentlemen's Club would applaud — such as secret passages to the girls' dormitories or bathrooms.

Baiyi found nothing of the sort, though; the Engineer Walker had been professional this one time, so the blueprint was approved.

However, the Engineer Walker's request to design the girls' uniform was regrettably denied.

According to Baiyi's rough estimation, the construction team would require three months to construct the building, and after that, they would require another half a year to build its facilities. This was already the fastest speed they could attain, in a world where magic existed. It was many times faster than the amount of time it would take to construct a similar establishment on earth.

Now that the construction had begun, most of Baiyi's troubles had been resolved. Therefore, to the joy of his students, he now had the time to go back to a leisurely activity he enjoyed: teaching. This marked the return of Mr. Hope the teacher.Two of the most famous deadly women in Chinese and Japanese myths! Daji was from China, the favorite consort of King Shang Zhou; while Tamamo-no-Mae was a courtesan of Emperor Konoe (Japan). Both were described to be fox spirits disguised as women (with the Japanese actually explaining that it had always been the same spirit, who first became Daji then Tamamo-no-Mae) because of how much havoc they had wrecked onto the people just by being too beautiful for the emperors to resist.

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347 There Shall Not Be A Single Shortcoming in This Academy

After three months of making preparations, April arrived to find Baiyi finished with the trivial activities. Now, all he had to do was wait for the completion of the academy's building construction.

As the weather had become warmer, the skirts the girls wore had become shorter Whenever Baiyi suggested that they change into something more apt for the season, the girls would fervently protest.

'Why do they love mini skirts so much?' Baiyi thought as he flipped though his calendar. He recalled that there was to be another festival of some sort in April. If that was a certainty, then it was time for him to find another excuse to flee the scene temporarily.

At that time, there was a lively discussion ongoing in the Void, concerning the facilities the academy ought to have. Baiyi had already opted to provide facilities for magic, martial arts, soul armature summoning, and alchemy. He also sought to make available the less popular courses, such as Engineering, Literature, Economics, Sociology, and Psychology. Theurgy and Astrology — courses tailored to spread the ideologies of the Void — were also included in the course lineup.

The Voidwalkers were not satisfied with this, though. They wanted to provide over a hundred courses, including those studied on Earth!

'Guys? Let's not get carried away and forget the original purpose for which we started this school...' Baiyi thought to himself as he listened to their banter.

"In my humble opinion, don't you think we already have enough majors? Way more than other institutions offer, you know. In fact, with this many we already offer, I'm afraid we may soon be short on human resource. Perhaps, we should just focus on the electives, no?" The Apprentice Walker said loudly, trying to gain the attention of the others.

As the only Voidwalker with 'Principal' on his resume, the Apprentice Walker's advice and guidance, for this endeavor, was indispensable to Baiyi, who did not hesitate to carve solutions out of the ideas and advice he was given by the Apprentice Walker. The Voidwalker had proven himself to be a genius in all manners of management — much to everyone's satisfaction; he made quick work of trivial and important matters with a sufficient amount of professionalism.

Hence, whenever the Apprentice Walker offered a suggestion, the other voidwalkers listened.

Suddenly, the Astrologer, a member of the Void's 'Gentleman club', offered his take on things, saying, "Yes! Electives — E for Important! In fact, I would like to humbly remind you all of the importance of education on ladies' physiological welfare! Our female students must be undergoing some changes in their bodies as they physically transform under the spell that is 'youth', so why shouldn't we teach them about it? In fact, may I be so very bold as to suggest that not only should we have this class, but we should also have myself be the class coordinato — mmmmf!" The would-be class coordinator for the astrology course had not finished his speech before he was publicly muted by Baiyi.

However, Baiyi knew that physical education would be an informative addition to the curriculum; there was just something about the way that the Astrologer Walker had said it that caused alarms to ring in Baiyi's head. Baiyi conceded that Phys Ed would be an informative addition to their curriculum, but there was something about the way the Astrologer Walker had spoken that rang alarm bells in Baiyi's head. Besides, are the female Voidwalkers not better suited to be the coordinators for this class?

"If I may, I recommend we offer a course on the art of knot-tying, as I have a surplus of fascinating designs that I'm most eager to tutor!" The Scholar Walker suggested.

'I understand that she is talking about regular knot-tying, like making head knots and hand knots — the version that is rated E for everyone. However, does she know that there is another version of knot-tying that is not safe for work? Let's face it; that's the version everyone's mind went to the moment you mentioned "knot-tying".'

"Culinary class, too! I want to teach my students how to bake cakes!" The Assassin Walker hurriedly chimed in.

'You can actually bake a cake? Tell me that you do not use human blood as an ingredient, please.'

"We must offer a course on women's fashion designing! This is one course we could even make a major! I understand that Sir Hope does not have a modicum of talent in this field, but fear not, fair dames, for I shall take on this responsibility!" The Paladin Walker added, and to no one's surprise, he was muted.

'Fashion designing is bloody fashion designing! Why place the label "women" on it?'

The other Voidwalkers were still engaged in the banter when the Sorcerer Walker nudged Baiyi in the Void. "Is it just me, or do we not have archery amongst our majors?"

Baiyi froze momentarily, then he looked down at the list of courses in his hand. The Sorcerer Walker was right; there were no classes on archery. This was not out of the norm, though.

Archers possessed laudable attack prowess — with abilities that naturally countered those of sorcerers — but most academy institutions did not offer specialized classes on archery. They would either include it under Martial arts or dismiss it altogether.

Hence, legendary archers who had appeared throughout history were either from the military, or they were of a species which had a high affinity in archery, such as fairies.

"It's not like we can't have this class, too. I mean, don't we have an archery expert amongst us?" Baiyi asked.

"Uh, hello? Did you forget about your 'wife'? I know you'd picked her up easily that one time, but still."

"No, I did not. I happen to remember her so well that I can clearly remember her title — The Walking Bane. This begs the question, are you sure you want me to wake her up, which will have her realize how many girls are around now? This will surely maker her jealous, and with the uncontrolled tendency she has to attract disasters… will it be wise to have her descend?"

"Oo-kay. Look; if your hands are tied, I can become the instructor," the Sorcerer Walker replied confidently. "My archery skill may not be topnotch — probably even just average — but! I can still shoot hit a bullseye from a hundred steps away."

'Huh? Why would a sorcerer be good at archery? Nevertheless, that's an impressive feat! How could you call that 'average'?'

"That is only sensible! As long as that wife of yours still exists, who would dare consider themselves anything better than mediocrity? She's not just any archer, she's the archer who had inherited the title: 'Zephyr'!" The Sorcerer Walker said, with a rare tone of humility.

Baiyi had to admit that the Sorcerer Walker was right. Although the Fairy Walker had inherited this title because she had caused too much trouble for her own village, making the locals wish she would vanish without a trace, her archery skill was still as impeccable as the Sorcerer Walker had described it; that was why she was able to wield the Caudillo Butterfly bow.

Baiyi believed that her skill with a bow was the real deal; that held true even without the Caudillo Butterfly bow in her possession.

This was an incident that had happened close to the moment the Fairy Walker was banished to the Void. Back then, she was hiding in a remote village hidden in the hills, living with the unsuspecting villagers. There was a war ravaging the realm at the time, and some mercenaries accidentally stumbled on the village. The leader of this rogue group ordered the male villagers to join them, with the intention of using them as cannon fodder, and ordered the females to take on the role of 'comforting' him and his members. He threatened to massacre the village if anyone disobeyed his orders!

At first, the Fairy Walker tried to talk the mercenaries out of it, but one of them pulled down the hoodie of her robe, exposing her breathtaking beauty to all. Seized by carnal desire, the mercenary leader charged towards her without a single word.

Without the Caudillo Butterfly bow in her possession at the time, all the Fairy Walker had to defend herself with was a toy bow, which she used to teach archery the local kids. It was no match for the heavy armors and sharp blades wielded by the mercenaries; compared to these equipment, she might not have been holding any weapon at all! At that point, the charging mercenary leader could already imagine himself between the pretty girl's legs, having her whimper and moan without stop.

However, the Fairy Walker picked a few leaves from the ground, calmly raised her toy bow, and moved her fingers to the string gracefully as though she was playing a harp; in the next moment, the mercenaries, including the leader, all dropped to the ground, their hands clutching their throats.

Their throats had been pierced through by the soft leaves!

With leaves and a toy bow, the Fairy Walker had still hit all her targets, who were wearing heavy armor, despite being three hundred feet away; none of her shots had missed. To her, the mercenaries had been nothing but mushy bean cord, and the situation was nothing more than a child's play.

After Baiyi watched this scene in her memories, he was completely astonished; he could not fathom how she had managed to aim the leaves so accurately and use them to pierce through heavy armor. Had she mastered archery to the point of using anything she wished as an arrow, like in wuxia novels?

This was perhaps the peak of archery skill — a level most archers could only dream of attaining. Breaking the laws of physics with archery was not something humans could do, only fairies.

"Her skill is a little too good for teaching. We don't need our instructors to be that good," Baiyi replied.

"Well, I could suffice as a military instructor, but our Academy is of a different tier, remember? I'm not good enough to be a teacher in the academy, especially when the other teachers are literally masters in their own field. I'm just going to make the archery class a joke!" The Sorcerer Walker replied.

Baiyi believed him, hence he shifted his attention to the teachers of other courses, for the time being.

He had the Archmage, the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, teach Magic, and the Sword Saint, the Knight Walker, teach most of the topics under Martial arts, with help from the Hitman Walker and the Barbarian Walker. The Soul Armature Practioner Walker was handed the reins of the soul armature practitioner course, and the Alchemist Walker, God's Right Hand, was to teach Alchemy. The expertise they had in their fields could not be questioned!

Then, the Cleric Walker, Apostle Joel, and the Paladin Walker, Sir Hentai, were put in charge of the Theurgy course — while the Blacksmith Walker, the legend who freed the dwarves, and the Engineer Walker, the champion of the Blacksmith's Association, were tasked to teach Engineering. As for the course that was easiest to fail, Psychology, it was handed over to the realm's greatest con artist — the Charlatan Walker!

Just as the Sorcerer Walker had said, the academy's lecturers were the realm's best in the subjects they were to teach, except for the Archery course. This was akin to a small flaw in an almost-perfect puzzle, which is enough to turn a perfectionist or someone who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder into a furious maniac.

Nevertheless, Baiyi did not want the Fairy Walker to teach the archery class; she possessed a certain trait which made her descent an undesirable option. Baiyi himself could not take the class. Who was he kidding? He was a Rohserlian sorcerer! He had no need to learn archery; after all, to him, bows were for heathens!

"Maybe the Hitman Walker could help? He's pretty good at ambushing people with clandestine arrows, right?" Baiyi muttered before attempting to contact the Voidwalker in question.

However, the Hitman Walker was quick to pour cold water all over the thought. "Sorry, I am no good with bows. It's a wimpy a** weapon; indirect and ineffective — definitely not my style."

Baiyi was speechless. If a bow was not suitable for a hitman, what weapon would be? Dual axes? A morning star?

If his vision for the academy was for it to be the very best in the realm, then there had to be no tolerance for flaws or shortcomings. Since that was the case, did he really have to let her descend to the world?

After giving it some thought, Baiyi dismissed the idea. Even if he turned a blind eye to the Fairy Walker's tendency to cause chaos, the relationship problem would cause him constant migraines. The two puffing piggies, the Warrior Walker and the Assassin Walker, were already crazy as it was; if he released the Fairy Walker, she may leave his students alone, but she definitely would not let Aya go. Baiyi may just return home one day to find the dragon lady pierced with an uncountable number of arrows, making her resemble a porcupine.

"Er… maybe we can go out and find another fairy? The current heiress to the Zephyr title? Maybe we could come up with a ploy to get her banished to the Void?" The Sorcerer Walker suggested.

'Have you… have you started to look at the Void as some of Hall of Heroes?!'An important note though: OCD actually doesn't entail perfectionism! It's actually pretty different. You don't have to read the DSM-V (published by the American Psychiatric Association), but it's always better to know what mental disorders really are than to believe the Hollywood version of it! Then... you can brag about your knowledge too, hee hee!Hall of Heroes is this place in Mount Liang where heroes would gather to convene and stuffs. Every self-respecting hero would be there. Featured in the classic Chinese literature "Water Margins".

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348 The Students’ Favorite Activity

Although Baiyi did not want to force anyone into the Void at this point, finding out the identity the current Zephyr of the fairies was worth a shot; no pun intended. Besides, there was a possibility that the suggestion to find out the Zephyr's identity was made with the hidden intention of getting a chance to interact with the beautiful fairies of the race. Nevertheless, the Voidwalkers were pretty worried about the Caudillo Butterfly bow — the weapon that sent the Lich Walker to the Void.

Since that was the case, what of if it had the ability to send an inhabitant of the Void back to the world?

With that thought planted in his mind, Baiyi got a calendar and flipped through it, and his suspicions were confirmed; the National Day of the Walhart Empire was coming up in mid-April. When Baiyi came to that realization, he decided to inform his students that they would all be going on another excursion, to a realm called Marle.

However, the students were having their first lesson of the day with Joseph, so Baiyi had to wait. When the class was over, Joseph was ready to go back home, but Baiyi held him back. He informed Joseph of the excursion and told him that he would not need to come to work for the duration of the excursion, until further notice.

"Oh! That is a great idea!" Joseph's face brightened up the instant Baiyi finished speaking. It was possible that the past two months of working for Baiyi and his own institution had taken a toll on Joseph; nevertheless, he was visibly supportive. "Excursions are great — direct and effective learning experiences for students. I would love to take part in this one, but I still have the few students in my institution to get to; furthermore, I would love to plan an excursion for them... but, I guess the funds for such an endeavor would have to be present first…"

With that, he rushed to the door of the mansion, looking busy but not the least bit regretful.

Baiyi entered the classroom that Joseph had just vacated and made an announcement. "Today, I have two pieces of good news. First, you don't have to worry about homework because you will not be given any today!"

This made the students cheer loudly. Zakum the fox was so excited, it jumped onto a desk and wagged his tail enthusiastically. As the only student with claws, the fox always had trouble writing.

Baiyi decided to add to their excitement with his second piece of news. "Secondly, I know everyone here has been a little exhausted lately, so I've decided that we should go on another school trip! It will be a relaxing break in the warm embrace of our tranquil nature; I know this is what you've all yearned for! Thus, everyone, pack your bags because we will be going on our trip right this instant! Remember not to bring miniskirts!"

The classroom turned silent, and the students' smiles vanished instantly. Mia and Tisdale — the students who had gone on all the Fifth Walker's trips — immediately turned pale, even though their skins were already fair, to begin with.

Baiyi had taken them on three 'safe and relaxing' excursions, and so far, they had either had to flee like lottery winners, avoided getting crushed by stampeding calvaries, watch a beautiful realm get plagued by horrifying natural disasters, or have Baiyi himself suddenly disappear on them for a long period of time.

None of the previous excursions had been as safe and relaxing as was announced prior to the trips! Although they had not really gotten hurt over these unfavorable occurrences, no one's heart ought to be subjected to this many thrills at the same time, right?

Each and every one of the students knew the truth behind Baiyi's 'relaxing' excursions. Even students that had not experienced the first two truly apocalyptic events, such as Nota, knew better.

"Why are you all sitting still? Go on; go get your bags!" Baiyi urged.

Despite their reluctance, the students did not dare to disobey him, so they hurried to ready their bags. The girls silently bade farewell to their fashionable dresses and miniskirts, before donning unfashionable outfits only fit for exploration.

As though they were languid, the students dragged their feet, taking some time to gather around Baiyi with their bags packed. Then, Baiyi began to lay out plans for their trip. He asked the students to form a line, with Mia at Tisdale at the forefront; after that, he began to elucidate. "This time, our destination is a realm called Marle. I believe everyone already knows a thing or two about Marle from their books, right? Marle is a realm created by the combination of two other realms," Baiyi explained, "Just like these two." He placed his heads on Mia's and Tisdale's heads.

Ruffling Tisdale's hair, Baiyi said, "This would be Marle. It is a location inhabited by multitudes of diverse species, such as fairies, dwarves, faes that live underground and more — even elder dragons! These dragons are not like Aya, though; they are real elder dragons! In summary, this realm can be regarded as a mixing pot of culture, where a variety of species live together, bringing with them their own customs, traditions, and way of life."

Then, he ruffled Mia's hair. "We call this realm 'Mars'. It is primarily inhabited by humans. This realm is smaller than Marle," said Baiyi.

"Although these two realms can be considered one and the same, they are still two distinct realms. There has not even been a unified stance in academic consensus. Nevertheless, you're bound to be in for a very wonderful experience; you will realize this very soon!"

Stoked by his words, the students finally relaxed and began to look forward to the trip. Baiyi continued to ruffle Mia's hair and Tisdale's hair, causing both girls to narrow their eyes in comfort like litten kittens being petted.

The fifth walker and his students arrived at the Sorcerers' Association a while after, and after making the necessary arrangements for teleportation, they stepped into the association's trans-realm teleporting portal. After jumping through portals for a while, they finally arrived at Mars realm's Sorcerers' Association's Babel towel. When they stepped out from the tower, they found themselves in another realm also dominated by humans — Mars.

"This… scent is familiar. It smells… like home," Nota said as she raised the brim of her hat, then she stood on her toes and heaved in a deep breathe of fresh air. The anxiety she felt before whittled with every breath she took.

"That is because this is the hometown of the fairies — your hometown," Baiyi said. Every fairy was borne here. It was later on that they moved to other realms via different means."

"Is that so?" Nota whispered, turning to face him with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Mentor. I don't really remember what happened before I was summoned…"

Although Nota's summoner, an unknown great sage, had long since passed away, she remained at the Doors of Conundrum to learn more, before becoming one of Baiyi's students.

Nota was not from Isythre, neither was she a local creature. She was summoned by a great sage, who had dabbled in the art of summoning. After a long period of time, which Nota herself was not aware of, she developed human-like cognitive abilities, albeit slowly. Prior to this development, she was only as smart as the average bear, so she was unable to remember much at the time.

'What else could you have been doing at the time, other than flying around naked and without purpose,' Baiyi though to himself, but on the outside, he was more serious. 'You must have lived a carefree life. A beautiful life without stress.'

"But I'm rather fond of the life I have now, though," Nota replied, with a smile.

'Off course. You can no longer fly naked, right? Even if I asked you to, right?'

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349 You Jump, I Jump With You

Mars, in its entirety, was pretty similar to isythre sociopolitically, such that the two realms could actually learn from one another. However, Mars was better at nature conservation than Isythre was, which showed how much the realm's inhabitants valued nature.

Mars had a political system similar to Isythre's, but on more Mars, there were more shake-ups in the government than there was in Isythre; this is a stark contrast to the perpetually unchanged Fairy Kingdom and Dwarf Kingdom. Mar's current government administration had only been in power for 30 years, which could be considered its infancy, but it was supported by the faires.

Although Baiyi did not know the name of this administration, he was not bothered, for his true destination was Marle.

Hence, as soon as the posse stepped out from Mars' Sorcerers' Association's tower, they moved straight to the realm's customs office, skipping tours altogether. Before they got to the customs office, however, Baiyi made sure to instruct his overly-attractive students. "Cover your face with a hoodie. The people here aren't straight-laced."

The students did not need any more convincing. In a realm where many species lived together, and many organizations cooperated with one another, it was only natural that outlaws would find it the perfect place to hide in; hence, the group would do well to be on their guards till they crossed the border into the fairy kingdom.

The fairies in this realm were similar to the classical depiction of fairies in books. They were remarkably beautiful; they lived for a really long time; they had a passion for music and dancing, and they had a natural affinity with nature. Their population was not sparse, neither were they forced to live in a remote, secluded area. The fairies lived in of the densest forests in Marle, which had grown in the realm's most fertile area. In that forest, the fairies had built a strong, sturdy empire and a bustling civilization.

The fairies interacted with humans frequently and opened their borders to human travelers, allowing them to migrate without much hustle. Furthermore, they mediated in human political fueds and participated in wars fought in Isythre; all these showed how far the influence of the fairies had extended.

Therefore, there was no need for one to treat these fairies with the fear-filled reverence given to rare and hidden spirits; they were actually a mighty force on par with humans.

Due to the fairies' open-border policy, a lot of people flooded the custom's office each day to acquire their migration documents. Only very dangerous looking individuals were not allowed to cross the borders. Merchants and explorers, however, were not held up in the slightest.

When Baiyi's posse arrived at the customs office, they began to attract some stares. This was not because of the beauties amongst Baiyi's students, who all had their faces hidden by hoodies, but because of Baiyi himself. The presence of a soul armature whose head resembled a pumpkin, and whose veil made him look like a bandit, was bound to draw attention. Several guards watched him with caution, scared that he may suddenly go crazy and hurt someone. Some people in the crowd even had their hands at the hilts of their weapons while watching Baiyi cautiously.

'I'm not wearing a black full-body robe and a burqa, neither do I identify with any relegion, so why are you all looking at me this way?' Baiyi grumbled in his mind.

Soon, it was Baiyi's turn to approach the counter. He stepped forward and gave the lady at the counter his name, the number of people in his posse, the purpose of their visit, and the duration of their visit.

In order to avoid any more unnecessary attention to his group, Baiyi had used a fake name: "Peho".

The counter lady was a beautiful, little fairy. As Baiyi spoke, the little fairy, who was watching him carefully, furrowed her brows and said, "Please remove your veil. I will need to confirm your identity."

A deadpan expression appeared on Baiyi's face, but he still complied.

When the veil was gone, the fairy official burst into laughter.

"Oh! apologies, Sir. Your mask is too… unconventional." The little fairy used a bit of effort to stifle her chuckles before she continued, saying, "So… you said you are a soul armature? Where is your practitioner?"

Baiyi nodded and raised Mia up for the fairy to see. As the counter was too tall for Mia, she could not see above it, even if she stood on her toes.

"Oh, what a pretty young lady!" The fairy muttered. After seeing Mia, the fairy did not waste any more of Baiyi's time and gave him some passes with their names printed on it; this speedy delivery was probably out of some sort of kinship between beauties.

"Please take care of your identification passes while in our kingdom. Losing it will be very troublesome to take care of!" She said, with a smile. "Oh, and by the way… we're facing some problems with those savage and uncultured dwarves lately, so please skip the tourist destinations that lie close to the border!"

"That being said, have a happy trip, Mr. Peho."

The fairy official seemed to consider welcoming beautiful ladies to their kingdom a thing of pride because her reception became warm after seeing little Mia, and she even gave Baiyi a piece of advice; thus, she had proven herself to be a person who judged books by their covers.

Baiyi had yet to move when a loud voice that sounded like thunder boomed from the counter opposite theirs. "You annoying biyatches! Bloody idiots with stretched-out ears!"

Baiyi turned to look and spotted a burly set of arms waving angrily. He looked at the sign hanging over the counter and realized that the counter was specifically for dwarves.

"See that? Uncultured and unrefined." The fairy shrugged before letting them pass.

After passing through a few military checkpoints filled with fairy soldiers donning heavy pair, who Baiyi's group had to flash their passes at before being let through, they finally reached the outskirts of the fairy kingdom, arriving at an area before a large canyon, which had a towering, wide bridge across with it.

The canyon was wide and long — about two hundred twenty yards apart from one end to the other — and one could not see the bottom of it. It was akin to a deep cut on the face of the earth. This massive bridge resembled those back on earth, and it was wide enough to accomodate four horese carriages at the same time. This bridge was a grand one.

"This canyon, here, is pretty strange. Come and take a look," Baiyi said, leading his student to the large bridge. When they got on the bridge, they all walked over to its side and stared at the chasm below, seeing nothing but pitch-darkness.

"This is creepy…" Little Mia muttered quietly and inched closer to Baiyi.

"If we accidentally fall, we won't be able to come back up, even with a levitation spell, right?" Tisdale said with a grave expression as she also inched closer to Baiyi.

"Why isn't there a safety fence on this bridge? What if someone falls off it by accident?" Laeticia asked with worry as she looked around the bridge.

"Well…" Baiyi murmurred as he looked around them.

Suddenly, the group spotted a man and a woman walking over to the bridge excitedly, after having passed their border check. When they reached the bridge, however, they did not go on it; instead, they sauntered to the edge of the canyon, laughing with each other.

When they finally reached the edge, they hugged each other, implying that they were a couple, and began to profess their love to eachother. "Let me go first.""No, let me go first." Suddenly, they both jumped off the edge together!

The lady's ear-piercing shriek cut through the air from the below, fading as seconds went by.

"Aaagghhh!" Mia screamed, shocked from the apparent suicide she had just witnessed. "Mr. Hope, do something!!!"

'Why the f*ck would I save two horny teens?' Baiyi snickered on the inside, but on the outside, he gently placed his arm on Mia's shoulder, signaling her to be calm and keep watching.

In a few moments, however, both idiots suddenly flew up and fell back down on the spot they had jumped from, as though they had been tossed back up by something unseen. After having cheated death, the faces of the couple lit up, and they began to kiss passionately as though they were newly-weds.

"B*tch please," said some of the students muttered in their minds, but they all turned to Baiyi for an explanation.

"This chasm is actually the gap between the two realms, you see? Below this edge lies the barrier that separates the two realms. Without employing special spells like transporter spells, anything that gets close to the barrier below would be instantly repelled back upwards by it. Over time, many explorers have come to realize this."

"On paper, Marle and Mars are two separate realms, but under the craftsmanship of nature, these two realms were never completely separated; in fact, a large part of them are conjoined. Some theorize that these two realms originally made up one large realm together; the reason why they got separated is unknown."

"Nevertheless, the separation birthed a marvel of nature. You may think this canyon is bottomless, but it is actually only ten yards deep; once one reaches this distance, the repelling force kicks in, hurling them back up.

"So, if you jump down from this cliff, nothing will happen to you; you'll just get sent back here, as though you were jumping onto a trampoline at the bottom. This was exactly what those two horndogs were playing at," Baiyi explained before pointing at somewhere in the distance. "Check that out."

It looked like an aisle for cargo transportations. A few workers were transporting cargo. The workers appeared to be pushing at the cargo with all their might, towards the cliff.

With one mighty combined kick, the workers were able to send all the cargo over the cliff and into the abyss. In just a few moments, however, the fallen cargo all bounced back up to the opposite side of the canyon, and some other workers who had been waiting there for a while began to load the cargo into carriages.

They were taking advantage of nature to do their work!

"How's that? Fun, right? Wanna give it a try?" Baiyi asked.

The students quickly shook their heads sideways. No amount of explanation could override the deep-seated fear they had of falling into that chasm.

"Oh come on; why so afraid? I mean, you guys just got here! Aren't you supposed to try something like this to commemorate your trip to Marle?" Baiyi asked. "How about this: whoever's too scared to jump could jump together with me."

The students still shook their heads sideways. After that, the girls lowered their heads to hide their flushed faces.

'Why did they suddenly turn red?' Baiyi thought as he watched them curiously.Some pretty cool fact: Traditional fairies aren't actually all shiny and pretty and beautiful! They were actually quite ugly and at least very nonhuman like, enough to have people in the past to "blame the fairies" for "exchanging human children with their own" if the human baby looked, well, ugly or deformed. These babies were called "changelings". If I didn't remember it wrong… People had only started romanticizing fairies around the Victorian times... Right?Hahahaha! Damn. This is seriously one of the most relaxed and notably illogical practices I've ever heard of, man!

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350 Methinks the Two of You Have A Very Different Regard of Each Other

Seeing as his students showed no intention of jumping down the edge, what more could Baiyi do? He had no choice but to cross the bridge with his students, arriving at the Fairy Kingdom.

After completing the last few customs documents, the group arrived at the city closest to the border — a place called Leaos, which was brimming with fairies. Legends had it that no fairies were ever born ugly, and Baiyi and his group now knew this to be true. They all looked unnaturally beautiful; even the male fairies looked as pretty as the females. Even when a fairy and a human are having an argument about the price of a product — to the point that they are almost maniacal, with spittle flying from their mouths — the fairy would still look outstanding and graceful.

'Sigh… Being so beautiful is similar to winning the lottery; one whose rewards are the best things life has to offer,' Baiyi thought, with a sighed, and he turned around to see his female students ogling every male fairy in the vicinity. 'Gee. Aren't they too young to be enslaved by physical beauty? Perhaps I should pay even more attention to them so that they do not get fooled by the beautiful eyes of nefarious male fairies.'

"Alright, alright. You all should pay more attention to the architecture, instead," Baiyi said, beginning a lecture in a bid to divert their attention. "You see, the buildings you see here, which were built by fairies, are inspired by nature. So instead of looking grand and defiant, they delight in achieving elegant harmony with their buildings. For example, pay attention to this delicate fretwork that adorns their buildings; these are the products of intense craftsmanship and dedication to arts by fairy blacksmiths, exemplifying a laudable spirit all artisans should aspire to. This is nothing like Japanese manufacturers... hey?! Are any of you even listening to me?"

The students were not paying attention at all; this made Baiyi feel pretty bad and embarrassed. He silently admitted that there was nothing he could do to shift their attention, for now, so he decided to allow them to get used to the unnatural beauties around them.

Nota the fairy was the first female student to regain her composure, which may very well have been because she was just as beautiful as the other fairies around them. The other girls, on the other hand, were still lost in their daze.

"Mentor?" Nota started. "I remember reading from the books that fairies are cultured and refind people, but why do these fairies look s—so…"

She was having trouble finding a less disparaging adjective, so Baiyi finished her sentence. "Self-serving?"

Nota nodded slowly, embarrassed about speaking of her people in such a way. However, Baiyi was nothing like her; he would not hesitate to lambast others if they warranted it.

"Well, in the beginning, fairies were just as the books described them: haughty, proud, antisocial, and self-isolated. However, no civilization would expand if they isolated themselves from other species because of pride. For other species, this made it easier for them to treat fairies with extreme hostility, even going as far as to declare war on them. This made the fairies quickly realize that communication and humility were important."

"Being pragmatic allows you achieve a lot in life, you know? If this was not the case, the fairies would have long since become objects of stress release for others. After all, humans crave beauty so much that they could do whatever it took to possess it, no matter how brutal the means, right?"

Although Nota did not understand what Baiyi meant by 'objects of stress release', she did understand that it was a euphemism for something really horrible.

Therefore, she nodded and sadly replied, "I bet… I bet fairies that resemble those in the books should be even more beautiful, right?"

"Hmm, maybe?" Baiyi answered. "Besides, some members of the race who are more traditional still exist, you know. The self-serving fairies we see here are just a subgroup of the entire fairy society. There are a few who oppose the abandonment of their traditional ways of life, and because of this, they could only accept a small degree of secularization. Traditionalist fairies like these are not accustomed to urban life, so they live in their own rural commune, where nature remains untouched."

"Will we get to see them?" Nota turned to look at Baiyi with shiny, puppy eyes, making her hidden request hard to reject.

"Of course. Let's make that our first agenda. Let us proceed to visit the fairy settlements in order to learn and experience their culture," Baiyi replied and led his students to a carriage service provider nearby.

These traditionalist fairies lived in the most remote part of the forest, but it was still easy to find a convenient means of transportation to get there; they even had road signs in place so that no one would get lost. Seeing as even these traditionalist fairies were being provided with basic amenities, one could tell that the ruling fairies had not abandoned them, despite their differing opinions.

As for the traditionalist fairies, although they advocated for the preservation of their traditional culture, they were not stupid enough to reject the basic amenities that modern technological advancements provided.

Baiyi hired the largest coach the carriage service had, and its coachman was a handsome young fairy. The handsome fairy glanced at his new customers, and surprisingly, his eyes did not lit up when he spotted Mia and the female students; however, when saw Zakum the fox, his interest was piqued. He clapped Biayi on the shoulder like an old friend and said, "That's a huge, handsome dog you have there, bro—"

"Careful! It bites!" Baiyi exclaimed and pushed the coachman aside, helping him narrowly dodge the fox's gigantic teeth, which had been coming straight for him.

It seemed Zakum the fox had completely immersed itself in the task Baiyi assigned it earlier: guarding the Aegis Mansion. Although Baiyi was not sure if this was the case, he was sure that the fox had developed a few bad habits.

"W-w-whoa! Th-that's a mean dog! It u-understood what I said?" The coachman stammered in fright, shivering at the near-fatal experience he just had.

After he said that, a speech bubble made from mana appeared over the fox's head, and words of reply appeared inside it: "f**k you!"

'When did you learn how to cuss? Hmm… you probably learned from everyone who got bitten by you, right?' Baiyi thought. He looked at the coachman and gave him a kind reminder, saying, "It's a lot smarter than you think. Maybe you should get back to work?"

With that, the coachman got into the driver's seat of the coach.

Baiyi had always been very generous with the monetary tips he gave out, and this time was no different. The coachman received a generous tip, which caused him to grin broadly and steer the six cobs harnessed to the coach towards the outskirts of the city.

The interior of the carriage was wide and spacious, so the students could lie around if they wished to. Getting this level of comfort was why Baiyi had hired the largest and most comfortable coach for their trip.

However, the journey was a restless one. The coach was not fast, and the scenery outside their window seemed repetitive; after all, they were moving through a forest. After some time had passed, most of the students no longer bothered looking out the coach's windows; instead, they looked to Baiyi for some stories, which was something they did whenever they were bored.

Mia was already accustomed to this. As soon as she got bored, she kicked off her shows, and laid on the seat, with her head in his lap, waiting for him to start.

Baiyi poked Mia's cheeks, and the little girl chuckled in response. "What do you want to hear this time?"

Tisdale was quick to answer. "Duh, I wanna hear stories about heroes!"

"Mmhmm! Can I hear about Saint Joel? I've always wanted to hear about how the two of you met!" Laeticia added.

'You sure you wanna know about him in detail? I guarantee you that once I've finished, you'll never dare wear black stockings in front of me anymore,' Baiyi thought.

Then, Baiyi suddenly thought of something. "Since we're heading to the settlement of some fairies, let me tell you the story about a fairy who has a little connection with the location we're heading to!"

If they were going to the Fairy Walker's hometown, then maybe he ought to tell the kids the story of his cheap wife.

This was the tale of a carefree girl who started out as a bit of a prankster in her village, wreaking havoc whenever she saw fit. The students were easily taken by the girl's carefree attitude, and they felt a little jealous of the freedom she had. After all, the students had not grown up with pet unicorns or bears to pull pranks on.

As the story progressed, a dark tone began to grow within it. The carefree and benevolent young fairy seemed to have been forced to bear a heavy burden, and despite doing everything in her power to stand strong, fate was cruel to her.

By the time Baiyi reached the climax of his story, the atmosphere within the coach was heavy. The carefree fairy had fled her own village to another village, where she pretended to be a witch so that she will be left alone. However, some kids in the new village still came to her home and pleaded with her to teach them archery.

In the end, however, misfortune befell that village. A group of mercenaries accidentally located the village and decided to do harm to the villagers. The carefree fairy killed this group with a toy bow and some leaves, but more arrived later on; this time, they numbered even more than before. Left with no other way to protect the villagers, the cheerful fairy was forced to pull the strings of her Caudillo Flower Bow once more.

Even before she used it, she already nursed the feeling that misfortune would befall her if she was ever to use the bow again, and she was right. Before she could fire off the arrow she had loaded onto the bow, she found herself in an endless void of darkness, standing in front of Baiyi.

Without her protection, everyone in the carriage could imagine the terrible fate that befell the people of that little village.

Back then, after viewing her memories, Baiyi felt something tear at his heartstrings. However, the Fairy Walker seemed optimistic about the outcome. "Hey! Maybe the village was spared from all that. Those mercenaries may have been scared off by my feat with the toy bow, you know!"

Her words only made Baiyi sadder, though.

"Poor big sister Fairy! Why would someone so kind and optimistic suffer such a fate?" This prompted Mia, who was saddened by the story, to whisper, "Mr. Hope, if we ever meet carefree fairy again, can we help her?"

'Little Mia may be docile and kind, but the fairy you speak off has never liked you; in fact, she has even plotted to become your stepmother!' Baiyi muttered in his mind.

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351 Should I Come In?

After listening to the sad tale of the carefree fairy, the students were not particularly happy; this was something Baiyi found difficult to keep watching. "Hey, now! The reason I told all of you this story was not so that you all could frown! I just wanted all of you to learn to be as optimistic as that fairy, because you are all in a better position than she ever was. So remember to smile all the time, even when I am handing out homework..."

Contrary to Baiyi's expectations, his attempt at consolation made the mood of his students worsen, and they could not help but think, 'Don't tell me this dictator of a teacher is seriously planning on giving out homework during vacation!'

When Baiyi saw their mood worsen, he hurried waved his arm. "Alright, alright. I've told you a sob-story, so let us move on to a heartwarming and uplifting story, alright? Hmm… There was once a girl around your age group. She had pink hair and a pair of snow-white pointy ears, which resembled a mystical beast's..."

This story was not as long as the Fairy Walker's story. This story had caught the interest of the students, so they listened intently. When the story was almost at its end, the students had regained their happy moods again.

"That was how it ended. They defeated the Diabolical One and returned the crest to the mountain in Chaldea; after that, they watched the snow, which never melts, on the peak, waiting for their next great challenge," Baiyi finished.

Applause rang out in the coach. Zakum the fox was clapping with its paws, and the Potter the owl was flapping its wings hard.

"Godfather, did you tell us this story because you wanted us to remember that as long as our conviction is strong, we'll always be able to protect what's most important to us?" Vidomina asked, trying to decipher the reason for which Baiyi had told them the story.

"What? No! When the hell is conviction alone ever enough? The moral of the story was to keep your gears ready at all times, as well as getting yourself good teammates. Look at the female protagonist! If she didn't have that mystical beast, which sacrificed itself, she wouldn't have succeeded!" Baiyi said as he rapped his knuckles on Vidomina's head.

By the end of the second story, the sky had begun to darken. The coach reached a remote town, and the group decided to stay there for the night.

After a long, bumpy ride in the coach, the students were exhausted. The group located an inn that was up in a treehouse and went in, where they had a very vegan dinner. After that, everyone went to their respective rooms. After lights out, Baiyi received some visitors. He opened the door and saw two large pairs of green eyes outside his room; it was Zakum the fox and Sunny the sunflower.

"What's the matter?"

A speech bubble appeared over the fox's head, and the word "Hungry" appeared in it.

"But you all just had dinner!"

"Yes; grass"

"Well, it can't be helped. Fairies are vegetarians, after all. I know the two of you need meat, but there isn't any place here that serves that! So, maybe we should go out hunting." Baiyi replied and sighed.

"There's no need for Mentor to go with us. We are capable hunters," Zakum replied.

"Alright, then. Get it done as soon as possible, and don't come back with the smell of blood on you. Remember, we are in foreign territory; we should not draw too much attention to ourselves."

After obtaining his permission, both non-human students assumed their real forms. Zakum transformed into an enormous fox-like creature the size of an adult steed, and Sunny transformed into a strange plant with multiple tendrils.

After the transformations, they both jumped out of Baiyi's window and disappeared into the night.

Baiyi had no idea where they had gone or what ultimately became their midnight snack, but the pair returned soon. They did not look messy, neither did they reek of blood, possibly because they had used magic to clean up.

After they returned, they both transformed back to their tame forms, greeted Baiyi, and returned to their rooms.

The next morning, in the process of paying the innkeeper for the night, the man advised Baiyi with a tone of caution. "Mister, if your group plans to venture deeper into the dark woods, please be careful. It's not very safe out there."

"What do you mean?" Baiyi asked calmly as he handed the innkeeper two gold coins.

"Something I heard from the local farmers. Last night, some terrifying monsters were on the loose, and they ate a lot of animals living in the woods outside of town. Some families who are focused on farming lost all their goats! Blasted creatures! Those farmers depend on the milk from their goats to make a living; how are they supposed to recover their losses now?" The innkeeper angrily replied. "We've already informed the town's guards so that they can find whatever blasted creature did it. Heck, you should probably stay a little while longer, at least until the monsters are caught."

"That is very kind of you," Baiyi said. "Oh, please allow me to go upstairs to retrieve something important. I think I forgot it there."

"Go ahead. I'm honored to help a generous customer coming from the distant realm of Isythre!" The innkeeper flashed him an understanding smile and pocketed the gold coins.

Baiyi had secretly grabbed the fox and the sunflower, and raced up the stairs.

A short while later, whimpers that sounded like it was coming from an animal on the verge of death could be heard from up the stairs. It was not loud, but it sounded hysterical.

A very short while later, Baiyi led a very dispirited fox and sunflower downstairs, and he seemed to be carrying the pieces of five broken feather dusters with him. He poured the rubbish into a nearby trashcan and led the dispirited duo out the front door. Before he left, however, he turned around and asked the innkeeper, "Excuse me. Where can I buy a feather duster in this town?"

When the fox and sunflower heard that, they began to tremble.

The group entered their coach and continued on their journey. When the coach was passing by the farms on the outskirt of town, where the animals were massacred, it suddenly stopped. The local people saw a fox with a storage pouch in its mouth jump down from the coach and dash into an empty farm. Soon afterward, it was seen returning to the coach with nothing in its mouth. When the locals went into the farm to take a look, they spotted the storage pouch on the grass with a note underneath it, which stated: "please use this to buy new goats."

It was only after Zakum did this that Baiyi's attitude towards it and the sunflower softened.

However, when the two remembered that their meals, from that point onward, would only consist of vegetables, their moods quickly soured.

It did not take long before the coach stopped again, and at this time, Baiyi was in the middle of a heartwarming romance story, which contained a beautiful maiden with long, pale blue hair and a teenager — who was actually a hundred years old — humming to the melody of the popular "Scarborough Fair". The handsome fairy driving the coach interrupted Baiyi's story and informed the latter that he could not move any further ahead.

When Baiyi stepped out of the coach, he saw that they were still in the woods. The road they had been traveling on was in the only sign of civilization in these part of the woods. In other words, they were still very far away from their destination.

"There's a sign here, sir," the coachman said, pointing at a piece of parchment pinned to a tree. On the parchment was a note which stated: 'Strictly no visitors to Eom Village, effective from the time of writing this, until further notice.'

The notice was written in the language of the fairies, and although it contained much more than just that, Baiyi had translated a summarized version for his students.

"What happened?" Baiyi asked curiously.

The coachman shrugged; he was also not in the know as to recent developments. Despite that, he proceeded to give his two cents on the matter. "Maybe there were too many visitors to Eom Village, and their daily life was disturbed? The locals there are very different from us, you know. They are conservatives; even more conservative than what could be considered normal."

"Oh, so you mean there are a lot more people who know this village..." Baiyi muttered, finding the coachman's theory rather strange. Although the heiress of the Caudillo Butterfly bow is only selected from the girls in this village, no outsider could possibly know that such a custom existed. Even the Fairy Walker had undergone a series of sacred rites and taken stygian oaths to never leak the secret of this village. Baiyi had only come to know of its existence after exchanging memories with her.

As though the coachman had read his mind, he suddenly said, "No one, not even us secular families, had known that within this village lies an ancient weapon the earliest fairies called the Caudillo Butterfly. When that news broke, everyone rushed into the village to see it, and it wasn't just fairies who were interested.

"Caudillo Butterfly? The same one in legends?" Baiyi asked, feigning ignorance. "Wherever did you hear that from? How could something that miraculous exists in a place like this?"

"I heard it while drinking. At that time, the news had spread everywhere, and everyone seemed to be talking about it. No one could tell if it was true or not, though. For the past two months, most of the customers I have had also wished to visit Eon Village, but back then, the village was not stopping visitors from coming. However, those visitors returned in disappointment, so I began to believe that the rumor was fake news. The problem is, people would believe all kinds of things, even rumors," the coachman finished.

"Um, okay. Alright then, we'll disembark here and walk the rest of the way on foot," Baiyi replied and tossed a gold coin toward him.

The coachman caught it and studied it with an expression of pleasant surprise; it was a gold coin from Isythre! The coins from that realm were minted with more gold, so they had a very profound luster, making them more valuable than the coins the fairy kingdom.

"It is just as they say; only the visitors from Isythre are this generous!" He exclaimed. "A piece of advice to you, though, my generous friend. There are very few fairies still living in Eom Village, but they have preserved a lot of our ancient techniques, including unstoppable bow techniques. If you must go there, then please be vigilant."

With that, the coachman leaped back onto the driver seat of the coach and began to head back in the direction they had come from. After the advice, he had wished Baiyi good luck in the fairy language.

Even when the coach was only a speck in the horizon, Baiyi remained standing at the same spot, lost in his thoughts.

It was true that the secret of the Caudillo Butterfly was leaked, but who did it? It could not possibly have been Baiyi or the Fairy Walker, who was currently sleeping in the Void. It had to be someone else from the village, most likely...

That was not the point, however. The bigger issue on hand was the fact that many people had visited the village in the past few months, but they had returned empty-handed. This could only mean that the Caudillo Butterfly bow was no longer in the village; it had been taken somewhere else...

Hence, would he have to be crude and breach on someone else's property, only to end up ripping open their old scar?

Baiyi was starting to hesitate. He originally intended just to pay a visit to his cheap wife's hometown. Did he really have to commit uncivilized acts on his first visit? After all, this trip was almost no different from that of a son-in-law paying his first visit.

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352 I Am Not Your Grandpa

"Since we're already here, we might as well as just visit," Baiyi muttered to himself as he eyed the long stretch of road in front of him. He waved his students — who were wandering about close by — over and led them onward. They were going to cover the remaining distance on foot.

Baiyi had not walked for very long when the Archmage's voice resounded in his head from the Void. "Are you sure you don't want to wake the Fairy Walker up? It is her hometown you all are visiting, after all, and it's been a long time since she saw her home. It should be worth her while, even if she gets to see it through your eyes. How unlike poor, lonely old me, who no longer has a home to return to, tsk tsk tsk…"

'What the… Why are you sad all of a sudden?' Baiyi was speechless. However, he admitted that the Archmage had a point there. The Fairy Walker had not returned to Eom, even once, since she was whisked away to the Void, so if he let her see her home town once again, her sanity may return, Baiyi thought.

After coming to a decision, Baiyi gentle poked the Fairy Walker's consciousness, but she did not stir. The previous game may have worn her out more than he thought it did. Unsure of what to do, Baiyi poked her harder, and harder, and even harder. Soon, he was basically forcefully jabbing at her consciousness; only then did the Fairy Walker finally respond a little.

"Aah~~! Darling, that was quite the mean touch, mm? Must you wake me up so brutally? Hmm. Have I been sleeping for a long time? I get it now; my darling needs me to help satisfy his pent-up carnal desire!"

'What the f*ck is she even talking about?!' Baiyi widened his eyes, suddenly regretting his decision.

"Tell me, dearie, would you like to have dinner, a bath… or me?"

'I can't even...' Baiyi sighed and ignored the question; instead, he shared his memories of events that had occurred since the last game with her.

The speed with which one could sift through memories depended on the person watching the memories. It took the Fairy Walker a very short time to finish watching the half a year's worth of memories Baiyi had shared with her. When she was done, she quietly muttered, "Ohh, look at my handsome darling, filling up the spaces next to him with more beautiful girls! Oh, and they are so, so beautiful. Each one is prettier, sweeter, and more gentle than the last… Ho ho ho. Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho..."

'Th-there's something about that chuckle that can cause one's blood to run cold'

After her low ramble, the Fairy Walker swiftly turned around to examine the other Voidwalkers, especially the Warrior Walker and the Assassin Walker. "Mm-hmm, and what do we have here? It was very bold of you to sneak over to my man like that while I was away, right?"

Unexpectedly, the Warrior Walker stepped forward to face her. "I was here first."

It was true. The Assassin Walker was the twenty-second Voidwalker to arrive in the Void; the Warrior Walker was the twenty-eighth Voidwalker to arrive, and the Fairy Walker was the thirtieth Voidwalker.

"Oh, sweetie… It is possible for a girl to lose her childhood friend to another woman who came into his life many years later. Hence, does it matter who came first, hmm?" The Fairy Walker retorted with logic Baiyi found strange.

"I agree. The best will win," the Warrior Walker replied.

Seeing the situation escalate, Baiyi's mouth began to open, in an attempt to speak words of mediation; however, the three Voidwalkers suddenly glared at him and shouted in unison, "Don't you dare, you moron!"

At that, he had no choice but to swallow his words and shut his mouth.

For the remainder of the day, there were no discussions in the Void. All every one of its inhabitants could hear were sentences like "If y'all have the balls to steal my man, y'all better have that same damn balls to face me!", "I can make a child just as well as I can make a cake!", and "Hmph!"

This went on until the revered First Walker had had enough, and his voice thundered across the Void. "The three of you, behave!"

The three went quiet instantly. Apparently, despite his jovial nature, the Archmage held a more esteemed position in their minds than Baiyi did.

Baiyi had spent a long time with these female Voidwalkers, so he could easily list what he thought their best features were. In the hardware department, which dealt with natural beauty and figure, the Fairy Walker was a clear winner; Baiyi had already admitted that he had never seen someone as beautiful as the Fairy Walker was[1]. In the software department, which dealt with wits and capabilities, no one held a candle to the Warrior Walker, which was a given from the tactics she employed in their void games. As for the Assassin Walker, her best feature was her age! She was the youngest of the three Voidwalkers. She was only twenty years old when she arrived at the Void, so she still looked girly and had a small frame — assets thought to be the best.

Baiyi had no idea what was being discussed because the three female Voidwalkers were conversing privately. However, after some time, the Fairy Walker poked him, with a smug expression, and proudly declared, "Dar~ling! I won!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

Two chilling snorts followed the declaration.

'These two piggies actually lost?' Baiyi was shocked. 'Is it because they have been too devoted in training? Is that what has now come back to haunt them? No wonder they could not fight back against someone who had been through this part of life like the Fairy Walker… Hahahahah, this is funny!'

" I didn't lose. She had an advantage in this aspect," the Warrior replied calmly before going quiet.

"Mm-hmm. Now, let's shift our focus to those midgets in the real world. Hmm.. dearie, you don't seem to like them in that way, so maybe I can hold back, for now. Really, though, if you wanted a daughter so much, why don't we hit it so that I can bear a daughter for you?" The Fairy Walker began.

'Hit what with what? What do we have to "hit" with?!' Her words left Baiyi speechless, but he forced himself to move on to the topics that mattered. "Let's just move on, shall we? You now know the reason for which we have embarked on our current trip. Any suggestions?"

"Of course I do~!" She replied, confidently. "That secret technique you and your friends invented could bring me to the real world, and from there, I can just sense the bow to determine its location. Isn't that right, my dear? You little fool, you should have just woken me up earlier, instead of traveling all the way to my home… unless! You knew that I missed my home, so this whole thing was just a ruse for me to visit my old place again! Ohh… Darling, darling, darling! Always so considerate and gentle~!"

It may have been wistful-thinking on her part, but Baiyi was too embarrassed to correct her, so he shamelessly let it slide. "Ha… H-ha haha! Th-that's part of the purpose; yep!"

At that moment, however, he felt a sharp jab in the void. "Psst, Doofus... I miss home too…"

Another jab came Baiyi's way, followed by a whisper. "It's been ages since I got to see my home, too."

'What's with you two? My main purpose is the Caudillo Butterfly bow. It's only by necessity that we're also visiting her hometown!'

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

The Assassin Walker and Warrior Walker both snorted and kept quiet.

The Fairy Walker nudged him at that moment. "What's the matter, dear? Does the secret spell take a long time to prepare? That's rather curious since it did not take such a long time for that dwarf-sized assassin to descend, right~?"

'C-can I ask for a refund on this cheap wife? I-I-I don't want her anymore!' Baiyi shook his head slowly and shifted his attention back to reality. He asked his students to wait for him, and he went underneath a small shrub, then he took out the old militia armor set and cast the spell.

The old militia armor set, which now contained the Fairy Walker, began to move. She stretched her arms and slowly sat up in a cat-like manner, then she sniffed the air deeply and smiled. "Smells like home. So familiar, so good..." Thanks to the Archmage's tinkering, even the sense of smell on this thing is perfect.

Baiyi stood to the side, looking around anxiously. He had even expanded the range of his psychic energy.

"My dear? You look a little tense." The Fairy cooed and moved closer to him. "I apologize that all forms of touching can only be done through the wretched armor I now have for a body. If that was not the case, this beautiful scenery would have been the most perfect location for us to try to conceive our own child!"

'The first thing that comes to your mind after descending is to have alfresco sex? Seriously, what do you store in your brain? How are my students supposed to link you with that carefree girl in the story I told them?' Baiyi hollered in his mind, but on the outside, he urged her, saying, "You should try sensing the location of the Caudillo Butterfly bow first, don't you agree? I mean, you're no longer its owner, so it might not work."

"Worry not!" She replied. "As soon as I returned, the child called out to me. Mm-hmm, such a precious one!"

"So where is it?" He quickly asked.

"What's the hurry, dearie? You're not thinking of getting me back in there as soon as you know where it is, are you?"

That was actually what Baiyi wished to do.

"Anyways, I have to listen to what my dearest husband says; this is something a good wife would do. However, I'm afraid I can't tell where exactly the bow is. All I can feel is its general direction, so we'll have to follow that until we locate it," the Fairy Walker explained. Baiyi did not know whether that was a lie, though.

In certain ways, the Fairy Walker was different from the other female Voidwalkers because she had experienced a lot more in her life than they had. Her actions and thoughts reflected her experience with different kinds of people, so Baiyi could did not allow the fact that she called him 'darling' make him forget that if she was to become his enemy...

"Nevertheless, we should head home now, right, dear?" The Fairy Walker asked as she hugged Baiyi's arm like a girl who was taking her boyfriend to see her parents for the first time.

Baiyi felt nothing from the gesture, though. He could not help but remember that the same militia armor had already been occupied by the Archmage and the Assassin Walker before. Hence, to him, there was no feeling.

When they returned to the students, Tisdale, who was happy to see the militia armor again, ran over to the pair. "Grandpa?!"

While the Archmage was around, she was his favorite, so it only stood to reason that she would be even happier than Mia to see grandpa Archmage again.

The other students were also very happy to see the Archmage again. Unlike Baiyi, the First Walker actually knew how to ingratiate himself with the students.

However, before Tisdale could embrace the militia armor, she sensed something odd and stopped dead in her tracks. Then, she began to study the armor, before asking, "Are you…. Are you Grandpa?"

To this, the Fairy Walker snapped. "Call me Mama!"Even Harllotte? Or is this subjective? Ho ho ho ho ho ho…Sex in the woods or park or wilderness. Did you already know that?

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353 Bursting Shots

"Call me Mama!"

The aggressiveness with which the Fairy Walker used to ascertain her position left Baiyi astonished; he quickly pulled the unruly militia armor behind him, away from the eyes of the now-alarmed Tisdale. With an apologetic smile on his face, he explained, "Whoa! Th-this is my old friend Mar-Mar! That's err... her name! Hahaha! How fortunate to see an old face here! I'm so happy!"

To get his point across, Baiyi laughed dryly and dragged the Fairy Walker forward, silently signaling her to cooperate.

The Fairy Walker's vast life experience made her understand the importance of leaving a man some face, so she decided to play along. "Yep; I'm Mar-Mar. Very pleased to meet you, Dale."

Tisdale was surprised. "Huh? You knew of my pet name?"

"Why, of course! You all are Hope's little cinnamon buns — his pride! Whenever we write to each other, all he ever talks about are you girls!" The Fairy Walker replied. "And, look at this little cutie here... You must be Little Mia. Hoho, your teacher dotes on you the most." The Fairy Walker chuckled as she stretched at hand towards Mia for a handshake.

"Huh?! No way! Mr. Hope always gets mad at me," Mia replied, going red in the face as she shook the Fairy Walker's hand. At that moment, however, some thoughts were going through her mind. 'Why does this cowskin gauntlet feel so familiar? And also, back then, Grandpa also wore a militia armor set very similar to what Mar-Mar is wearing now! Do all of Mr. Hope's friends like this type of armor?'

The Fairy Walker spent some time familiarizing herself with the students. Throughout the process, not only did she carry herself as elegantly as a noblewoman, but she was also affable and easy going — the complete opposite of how she acted in the Void, especially when she had that showdown with the Warrior Walker and Assassin Walker.

This was more than enough to save Baiyi some face. Furthermore, she had made sure to speak with a graceful feminine tone of voice, and the students soon began to call her 'Big sister Mar-Mar', to which the sly Fairy Walker replied, "There's no need to call me Big sister. Just call me Mar-Mar! Makes us sound really close, like family, doesn't it?"

The Fairy Walker's prowess in social interaction was truly advanced; even taking advantage of the students' susceptibility was done with class. There was just no way the puffing piggies, the Assassin and Warrior Walkers, would have been able to show this level of skill!

This was only natural, though, because, by now, she ought to have had some ways with which she compensated for her status as 'The Walking Bane'; if not, she would have long since been fooled into marriage and taken advantage of.

However, one of Baiyi's students, a little girl, was able to detect cues that suggest that there was something more to her Godfather and this Mar-Mar than was let on. In fact, judging from the way Baiyi and the militia armor interacted with each other, Vidomina even felt like she was watching her parents converse.

However, before she could ask a question one would consider socially inappropriate, both Baiyi and the Fairy Walker suddenly turned around and rushed to stand in front of the students. Multiple formations appeared in front of Baiyi and formed a vast protection barrier.

The Fairy Walker's countenance instantly changed. She ditched her noble persona and stomped the ground hard, causing a few leaves to fly into the air, and she caught them.

"Will it work?" Baiyi whispered. He did not the power that would be extracted from the leaves the Fairy Walker sought to use a weapon; he doubted his own barrier.

The Fairy Walker, who was staring ahead with a serious expression on her face, only shook her head sideways in reply.

Suddenly, she hurled the leaves in her hands as though they were daggers.

'Thwip! Thwip!'

From a clearing far beyond the woods, the sounds of arrows being fired rang out. The students had yet to realize there was something wrong before two dark strands entered their periphery vision, rushing towards them with insane speed.

However, with similarly insane speed, Baiyi and the Fairy Walker each caught one of the flying arrows.

'How do arrows even fly at such speed?'

The arrows had been flying close to light speed, and even the students could not see them with their naked eyes. 'If it wasn't for our teacher, what would have happened to us?' They thought in unison.

Baiyi glanced warily his barrier, which had been easily penetrated. In order to prevent being overheard, he turned and spoke to the Fairy Walker in her language, saying, "Please don't do that again. It was very risky. What if I was a millisecond too late?"

In the same language, the Fairy Walker cooed, "You are the love of my life, darling. There is simply no way my husband would have failed to catch it. Besides, you now get to look even more badass in front of your students!"

Although the students were unable to see the arrows, their two veteran guardians did. The arrows were fired as a warning, with no intention to hit anyone. If both soul armatures had stood still, the arrows would have just flown past their heads. The attack seemed to have been a warning to would-be trespassers.

The leaves hurled by the Fairy Walker hit the arrows and changed their trajectories, making them easy to catch. It was more accurate to say that the arrows had flown directly into their hands.

Although their stunt had looked badass, it was very risky. If Baiyi had been a millisecond slower, he would have been a badass, instead.

"Now what? These are your tribe people's doing, right? Shouldn't you interact with them?" Baiyi asked.

The Fairy Walker titled her head at an awkward angle and stared at Baiyi fiercely. "How do you expect me to interact when I look like this?"

"Using a bow and some arrows, of course," Baiyi replied. An icy blue glow surged from his arms, and Baiyi placed his palms together in front of his chest before slowly moving one backward.

When his palms separated, there was a bow made of ice hovering between them. He hurried handed it to the Fairy Walker.

"Hee hee! Having a sorcerer for a husband makes everything so convenient!" She chuckled and took the ice bow. "Looks pretty low in resolution, but hey, I'll be a bad woman if I can appreciate my man's effort! But what about the bowstring? Are you only going to attach it once you marry a new wife~?"

'Why would you always think of things like these? And, aren't you still alive?!' Baiyi thought. He was relieved that they used the language of the fairies to have that embarrassing conversation. If they had not, he had no idea how he would be able to explain to the students what they had talked about.

For an archery mastery like the Fairy Walker, the absence of a bowstring was not an issue; so long as the bow she sought to use was still intact, she would always find a way. At that moment, the Fairy Walker turned to Tisdale and cried, "Look, Dale! There's a flying saucer over there!"

"What? What's a flying saucer?" Tisdale asked, quickly turning around, only to feel a slight tug on her hair. The Fairy Walker had plucked a strand of her hair out.

It could not be helped because Tisdale had the longest hair among the lot.

The Fairy Walker quickly fashioned the golden strand of hair into a bow, then she took out two ice arrows. She placed the arrows against the golden hair bow and yanked them backward, till the bow seemed like it would snap.

This feat was supposed to be impossible. The laws of physics had clearly been violated because the density of the ice arrows and the minuscule tensile strength of the strand of hair should have made drawing a full bow impossible. However, physics could limit only mortals. In this world, no one would dare call themselves masters if they could not bend the laws of physics.

It was a good thing Newton was dead, for if he got wind of what the Fairy Walker had just done, he would roll around in his grave.

The two archers hidden deep inside the woods were about to make their next move. After firing their warning shots, they had waited for Baiyi and his crew to leave; however, as soon as they noticed that the trespassers had no intention of vacating their spot, the archers became serious.

They drew their bows, aiming at the soul armatures and his crew.

Suddenly, they felt a very, very familiar presence locking onto them. This left them feeling astonished.

The strange presence was nothing like psychic energy or combat chi; It was a special energy called Zephyr's Sigh, which could only be used by Gale Snipers like themselves. The ability of one to use the same mysterious energy was an indirect way of identifying themselves as someone from the tribe of the two Gale Snipers.

When the archers sensed the mysterious energy, that surprise caused them to pause for only a moment.

That time was all the Fairy Walker needed to take action. She did not give a damn about shooting her own kind, instantly letting loose the two ice arrows. A faint line of silver could be briefly seen leaving the bow, and after that — to the dead Newton's relief — the golden strand of hair snapped.

However, if the Fairy Walker could accurately change the trajectory of her enemies' attacks with her own, then it was only natural that the two archers, who were also Gale Snipers, could do the same. Instead of panicking from the time they had lost, the two Gale Snipers displayed a show of abnormal reflexes to fire off arrows of their own, which moved as fast as lightning towards the ice arrows.

The four arrows met squarely in midair, and Baiyi's ice arrows were shattered into mist. It was only natural because the ice was not a sturdy material, and the arrows had been short with a bow made from a strand of hair, whose tensile strength was almost negligible.

The Fairy Walker seemed to have lost; after all, her arrows had been shot down.

The two Gale Snipers heaved a sigh of relief, basking in the aftermath of their superior display of skill. Their arrows had been knocked off course as well and were wedged deep inside the branch of a tree far away.

However, the Gale Snipers did not enjoy their relief for too long because a few ice needles suddenly tore through the ice mists, hurtling towards them!

They never saw it coming, so their abnormal reflexes could do nothing for them.

They could only watch the needles brush past their faces by a minute distance and land in the bushes behind them, with sharp sounds.In China, there is a euphemism about someone's marital status by describing bowstring. "The bowstring has broken" would mean that the man had lost his wife; But if "a new bowstring had been attached", it means the man had remarried another woman after he lost the first one.{I didn't even know there are Laws of Physics operating here, mate.

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354 Blessed By The Woods

As the Gale Snipers rubbed their cheeks, they felt chills on their skin where the ice needles flew past. They now clearly understood that if the weird-looking trespassers wanted to slay them, they could. Why did they not do it, though?

Was it a warning? Was it to make fun of them?

With solemn expressions on their faces, the two Gale Snipers could only think, 'We still have little advantage.' It was clear that one of the soul armatures was just as skilled at archery as they were; furthermore, both soul armatures were strong enough and fast enough to catch their arrows with bare hands. Although an average pair of eyes may not have been able to catch the soul armatures' actions leading up to that feat, the Gale Snipers' eyes clearly could. They understood how difficult a foe they had in the soul armatures.

Hence, they clearly understood that, if they wanted to overpower their enemies, they would need to cut the theatrics and aim for critical hits. Both Gale Snipers pulled out two arrows each, but at that exact moment, a graceful voice resounded from the more decrepit-looking soul armature in front of them, saying, "Hello, bairns of the Alderglot clan! Those are some smooth skills you got there."

Not only did their opponent suddenly identify their clan, but she also seemed to have discarded all hostilities. The Gale Snipers watched the soul armature raise her hands to her chest, striking a pose that made her seem as though she was gently pulling an invisible bowstring. It was a gesture in ancient Fairy tradition that symbolized camaraderie between the victor and the loser of a friendly match. It was a sign of encouragement to the loser signifying that the victor considered them really skilled and a huge challenge despite coming out victorious.

Not many fairies remembered traditions like this anymore, but Eom Village did.

Upon realizing that they had been facing one of their own kin all along, the Gale Snipers lowered their bows, put away their arrows, and walked out from underneath the shrubs they had been hiding. As the Gale Snipers approached the soul armatures, Baiyi beckoned his students over. The students did not know what had just transpired.

As the archers walked towards them, Baiyi quietly whispered to the Fairy Walker, "Two shots were all you needed to tell which clan they were from?"

"Why, of course, my dear! After every bairn ha completed tutelage underneath their elders, the clan's trademark quirks in their archery would be passed down to the new generation. Even our Zephyr's Sigh contains our clan's trademark quirk. Do you know what that means? It means that our children's archery skill would inherit our quirks, and fairies like these guys would be able to detect them!" She replied quietly.

Baiyi himself was not able to detect anything substantive from their quirk exchange. It was more obvious that the kind of archery the fairies practiced exceeded the limits of dynamic theories, becoming a sort of metaphysical concept; this was something he had no interest in, neither was he willing to make any effort to learn it.

If he ever had kids with the Fairy Walker, Baiyi was sure that the kids would adopt his family name and not practicing the heretical gale-sniping archery, which he believed had no future. His kids would have to practice magic or programming!

The archery that these fairies practiced had long since escaped the confines of physics, and this made Baiyi — and practically anyone else born a human — feel quite unsure of it. Unlike humans who practiced archery using combat chi, these fairies practiced archery using an ethereal power they called Zephyr's Sigh.

In the Fairy Walker's memory, this power was all about 'listening to the voice of the gale', losing oneself in the ebbs of the air, and borrowing strength from the wind. This system eschewed analytical theories and empirical dissections, relying instead on supermundane tactile instinct. In summary, one could use the wind to lock onto their targets, no matter how far off they are, before firing off arrows that defy thermodynamics, thereby frustrating Isaac Newton.

Unfortunately, this power could only be used to shoot arrows. Hence, the Gale Snipers had no choice but to focus on archery and forgo other forms of combat. As a result of this, no form of standardized assessment could determine their upper and lower limits, so the power ranking system could not be applied to them.

Focusing on a single form of combat was not something that appealed to humans, who, in fact, were fond of polymaths. If one majored in long-range attacks, they had to remember to bring a turtle, crane, and a doggo with them, all whilst they rode atop a monster. While they were at it, they could also add status buffs to everyone with them. One could equally decide to become a master at melee attacks, possessing the capability to use a heavy crouching sweep to negate an aerial hurricane kick. If one was too weak to do any of the above, they could, at least, learn to operate a gun turret. The days of people being contented in their abilities to fire multiple arrows in a short period of time while standing still or running, were long since over!

One could take the courageous archer Orrin of the Walthart Empire, whose arrows cleared a path for the empire's conquest, as an example. He was skilled in archery, and he was a proficient Immortal level fighter; both made him a truly impressive soldier. On the other hand, the first commander of the Fairy Empire, General Gru the hairy-human hybrid, was exceptionally gifted in archery and good at magic.

To humans, these types of archers were considered true paragons of archery. In front of beings like General Gru, the Gale Snipers could only be considered inferior; after all, should they ever be cornered into close combat by their enemies, or assassins — who are considered the bane of their existence — they would be at a massive disadvantage. Even the Fairy Walker, someone who had created maelstroms back then in Isythre, was only considered a Legendary-level fighter.

However, this begged a question: how did a Legendary-level fairy defeat a Demigod Lich?

This question was the reason why the Voidwalkers assessed her power level more objectively. If they had not, they would have asked Baiyi to look for a more qualified archery teacher from amongst the fairies still living today because, from the fight between the Fairy Walker and the Lich Walker, they had realized the potential of an archer to use an unbelievable amount of power. As for the disadvantages archers had with hand-to-hand combat and weak defensive measures, they were easily resolved: before a battle, archers would need to equip better gears and secure a good vantage point. If these did not work, they could try using a Black King Bar or a Hurricane Pike.

"What do you think? Do these two lads meet my requirements?" Baiyi asked quietly.

After watching Baiyi's memories of recent developments, the Fairy Walker knew the other reason Baiyi had chosen to visit this place, and because she also agreed that her role as the living embodiment of Murphy's Law would not be helpful for teaching, she did not volunteer herself to take the academy's archery class.

When she heard Baiyi's question, the Fairy Walker shook her head sideways. "Nah. The Alderglot clan's archery isn't the best amongst fairies; trust me. If you want a teacher for archery, then not only should that person have had the title of Zephyr before, but they should also be from the Sidhe clan."

'Isn't that the name of your own clan? You're just blowing your own trumpet, aren't you?' Baiyi sighed.

It was at that point that the two Gale Snipers reached Baiyi and his crew. Their armor was humbly made from rattan, and their longbows, which were slung on their backs, were made out of backwood. Overall, the Gale Snipers looked pretty normal, but when they pulled back their hoods, the students, especially the girls — who were not graced with the opportunity to interact with many boys daily — could not help but let their mouths open wide.

Compared to these two Gale Snipers, the pretty boys who visited the Aegis mansion in the past, with the purpose of wooing the girls, resembled badly drawn cartoons. The two Gale Snipers, on the other hand, resembled perfect anime husbands.

"Who are you?" One of them asked the Fairy Walker. His voice was cool and composed — an indication that he was the cool, regal type.

"A returning vagabond," the Fairy Walker replied, as though she was a bourgeoisie.

"We felt the wind in your arrows, so may we know…" The second Gale Sniper urged, more respectfully than his counterpart.

"Just bring us home to see the Elders, and you'll know." the Fairy Walker replied, without giving a direct answer. She knew that the rumors that had spread about her, before and after her demise, had not done justice to her reputation. However, after saying that, she pointed at Baiyi first, then at the students, before saying, "This is my boyfriend, and these are our students."

Mixed emotions crossed the faces of the Gale Snipers, closely followed by some thoughts. 'You speak our language perfectly, but you look nothing like us. This boyfriend of yours looks so weird; he resembles a highwayman! Well, unlike the greedy bastards who come here for the treasure, these students look pretty normal, at least, especially that fox! What a handsome being… It looks almost like a strong dog.

After mulling over their options for a while, the two Gale Snipers gave each other a meaningful glance and nodded, albeit hesitantly. Then, they led Baiyi's group through a detour in the woods, completely ignoring the road that Baiyi's group had originally been on. After a while, the Fairy Walker realized that they were not headed in the direction of Eom Village. Although she had not been here for a very long time, she still remembered the route to the village.

"This isn't the way to my home," whispered the Fairy Walker, and at that moment, her hands moved as fast as lightning to stop Baiyi from raising his arm. "But it's still alright. We should visit Tree Gramps instead. That way, they will feel more secure."

She was right. The Gale Snipers wanted first to bring the group to see the Legendary Grandfather tree; this was a decision Baiyi had no reason to object to.

A while later, the group arrived at a patch of woods that looked no different from where they began their journey. The Gale Snipers stopped at this point and glanced at each other before stepping aside, making way for the group to walk forward. However, before they could say anything, the Fairy Walker suddenly cried out, with the innocent voice of a little girl, saying, "Tree Gramps! I'm baaaaaack to see ya!"

She had deliberately chosen to sound like a cute eight-year-old girl. This was how she spoke back in the day when she pranked the Grandfather Tree into digging holes for moles.

Her cry made a part of the woods shiver visibly, then a tree suddenly jerked, as though someone had stomped hard on its root, and an ancient voice permeated the surrounding, "This voice… And here I was, thinking that I will never see this little nightmare again…"

Then, the tree turned around like a human, and a face appeared on its darkened bark.

Grandfather Tree was neither a tree spirit nor the hybrid of a human and a tree; he was a great druid who had long since learned the Gnosis of Nature, which made him become one with nature. After his enlightenment, Grandfather Tree discarded his fairy body and became a spirit-like being which flowed within this forest. Every blade of grass, leaf, and tree here were part of his body. One could say that he was the forest itself.

No one knew how long this great druid had lived, for even his name had been lost in the rivers of time. It was possible for him to be as old as Baiyi was, and wield powers and abilities just as incredible.

As soon as the great druid heard the Fairy Walker's voice, he chose to inhabit a tree at random and looked at the group, but he realized that the tree made him too tall to look properly at them, so he chose to possess a young, short sapling, causing a new shoot to emerge from the earth; he continued his observation from this newly-born shoot.

No one spoke, including Baiyi, who dearly wished to ask the tree if its name rhymed with 'root'.

After a period of observation, Grandfather Tree sighed, and the sapling shook its leaves helplessly before saying, "It really is you, child. You really have returned. But, why do you look like this? What misfortune did you encounter, my poor child?"

"Well, a lot has happened to me, but lookie! I'm doing pretty fine. My sweetheart here loves me a lot; he dotes on me constantly, or I wouldn't have been able to see you again!" The Fairy Walker continued, in her little girl voice, then she wrapped her hands around Baiyi. "Tree Gramps, meet my precious dear."

The sapling eyed Baiyi from head to toe and mumbled, "Oh 'dear', that's a hideous one. There is something about him that makes me feel at ease… hmm. Could it be…"

The sapling bent forward and stared at Baiyi from even closer. "I sense the Gnosis in you, child."

'Stop calling me a child! We don't even know who is older between the both of us!' Baiyi retorted in his mind, but outwardly he shook his head affirmatively. "In the past, I spent some time with another great druid who had also realized the Gnosis. Maybe its scent was smeared on me?"

"It?" The sapling took note of that word, and after carefully pondering something, it replied, "Then it must have been a very generous, selfless, and gentle; just like a mother. It gifted you its complete understanding of the Gnosis, but you have failed to grasp it."

Baiyi was not surprised by its words. Another Great Druid had now affirmed something Baiyi had suspected for a long time; the Eight Walker really had passed him the Gnosis of Nature. This realization made Baiyi feel moved at its generosity.

However, what good could that do? Could it help him summon a jade golem, or insta-kill someone before summoning a whole bunch of little tree people?

The sapling, however, did not answer Baiyi; instead, it said, "You're a qualified druid, mm… Yes, the two of you do complement each other nicely. I hereby, in the name of nature, give the both of you my blessing."

Saying so, the sapling shook its branches, and green light encased Baiyi and the Fairy Walker.

Grandfather Tree spoke again, saying, "Child, you'll probably suffer a little while you're with this little miss, so be careful."

'Before all that, just tell me why you had to bless someone with the color of infidelity?!'Yo, you're quite a traditionalist there, mate!So in other words, these fairies are…  Air Nomads, right? Airbenders? "Like a leaf, y'all!"Author showing off his DoTA 2 knowledge again. I'm in the dark about how these work, though.Gee, colored me surprised.

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355 There Is Something I Would Like To Speak About To Him

For as long as Baiyi can remember — even as far back as his time on Earth — he had never liked druids. This was because of the bad experience he had with certain card games. This dislike extended to the druids of this world.

'Why would this tree suddenly assume the role of a father and "bless" us in a ceremony? This cheap wife is... well, someone I got from a random misunderstanding! Maybe, due to his age, this tree dude has become senile, causing his thought process to deviate from the norm!'

Then again, due to how much trouble the Fairy Walker had caused her own village, it would make sense if they sought to marry her off to an outsider as quickly as possible so that she would leave them be. If that really was the case, then it was pretty smart of them.

Baiyi turned to look at the Fairy Walker after realizing that he may have just fallen into a trap. The Fairy Walker had lowered her head like a sweet, submissive wife, and even though the facemask of the old militia armor she was currently possessing did not have the ability to make facial expressions, Baiyi still swore he could sense her grinning; it was a sly "I've got him now" kind of smile.

It was at that point that Baiyi recalled bits of events he had seen in the Fairy Walker's memories. When a couple finally tied the knot, it was customary for them to be blessed by the most eminent figure in the village. This figure was none other than their guardian and most venerated elder great druid. The newly married couple were blessed so that they can live happily ever after; there was no doubt that the Fairy Walker had seen this process many times before, in the past.

This would explain why she did not put up a fight when she realized that the Gale Snipers were not taking the group to Eom Village; she was complicit in the scheme. As someone who had no interest in watching fairies get married, Baiyi had chosen to forget those parts of the Fairy Walker's memories, but now that he finally recalled it, he realized that he had been played!

At that point, he could envision the two Puffing Piggies, the Assassin Walker and the Warrior Walker, going crazy in the Void, while in tears! Especially the Assassin Walker, who was poking Baiyi with all her might at that point.

This development could not be helped, however, because the Fairy Walker was too experienced and proactive. All she required was a little bit of planning; the Assassin Walker and the Warrior Walker did not stand a chance…

'Plus, it wasn't my fault! I'm a victim too, you guys! Who would want to marry a militia armor? One that has had too many people inserted into it already; wait, not that kind of insertion! Do—don't even go there!'

As these thoughts were roaming free in Baiyi's head, causing chaos in his mind, Little Mia yanked his arm from behind and innocently asked, "Mr. Hope, what did you say to Mr. Tree? Your face has been green for a while now — owww! Why are you pinching my cheeks?"

How would one feel if their daughter tells me that they "were green all over"?

They would feel very, very sad!

Very unwillingly, Baiyi did not object to the strange marriage rite, and his mood dipped to an all-day low; unlike him, however, the Fairy Walker was feeling pretty enthusiastic. At that point, Grandfather Tree, who probably did not think he had caused enough damage already, turned to the two Gale Snipers and instructed, "The two of you need to return to the village first. Tell the Elder that Sylvia 'the monstrous maelstrom' Sidhe has returned, so some preparations will be needed."

'Ummmmm…' Baiyi was sure that whatever preparation the great druid was talking about would not be one used to welcome visitors.

After the Gale Snipers left, Grandfather Tree switched bodies from the sapling to a small patch of shrubs situated closer to Baiyi's group. After that, he used his ability to manipulate plants to make some benches out of broken twigs and fallen leaves for Baiyi and the others to sit.

"So, for what reason have you come to visit? I believe that it was much more than because you were homesick, isn't it?" The shrub asked the Fairy Walker.

She replied, "I just want to bring him home for everyone to see!" After saying that, she moved closer to Baiyi, and her face reddened even more.

'If you could at least assume your original appearance, I would not mind the close proximity between us. However, I'm curious; do you even remember that you're only an old militia armor set right now?' Baiyi thought in wonder. He sensed Grandfather Tree's gaze on him, so he began to explain himself.

Baiyi told the shrub that all he sought was a very good archery teacher for his academy, conveniently leaving out the part about the Caudillo Butterfly bow.

"Oh, is that so? I thought you were here for the Caudillo Butterfly bow," the shrub replied, causing Baiyi to feel quite guilty.

Grandfather Tree's gaze shifted to Baiyi students. "These children are so adorable! Their gazes are innocent, and some of them are perfectly suited to study the way of the druids…"

One could clearly see that he was referring to Zakum the fox.

"Grandfather Tree thinks you all would make great druids," Baiyi said, translating the shrub's speech to human language for his students.

Since Zakum the fox and Potter the owl were wild animals, they were drawn to the talking shrub and approached it closely, with eyes brimming with curiosity. At that point, Sunny the sunflower was humming a tune out of confidence.

The feeling was mutual. The shrub extended some tendrils to shake hands with the non-human students. "You taught them so well even though they are of a different species than you. You really are an exceptional educator. I'll be delighted to help you with your plans."

However, Baiyi was too embarrassed to tell him that the students were very different from the courteous appearance they currently had on. On the contrary, he almost gaslit the fox into becoming a house dog.

However, since the great druid had already expressed its willingness to help, who was Baiyi to refuse? Even if he was unable to get his hands on the Caudillo Butterfly bow, in the end, he would still consider bringing someone back to teach archery a major harvest. However, that teacher had to be a female fairy!

Suddenly, the Fairy Walker steered the conversation in a direction that Baiyi had not been able to. "Tree Gramps, how did the news of the Caudillo Butterfly bow leak? Was someone from the village responsible?"

As the previous owner of the bow, the Fairy Walker had the right to ask this. Baiyi was also interested in the answer.

"The village would never betray the bow like that. Besides, even if the news was leaked by someone from the village, nobody would believe it," the great druid replied. "This was the work of someone who has a respectable and credible position. This is the only explanation for why so many have come seeking the bow."

"Has this disturbed the peace enjoyed by the villagers?" Baiyi asked, acting as concerned as a son-in-law would.

"The children are strong enough to protect themselves. Besides, the bear and the horses are always helping," the great druid replied in confidence.

The bear he spoke about was the same bear whose stash of food was stolen by the young Fairy Walker, and the horses here were the male horse, the female horse, and their ponies, all who were pranked constantly by the young Fairy Walker.

Unlike this great druid, the horses and bear were real beasts — or more correctly, mystical beasts — similar to the Zakum the fox and the Potter the owl. They were sentient like humans and possessed strong supernatural powers. They just chose not to take the young Fairy Walker seriously, else the bear would have long since had her for breakfast in winter.

These beings — the horses, bear, and Grandfather Tree — were the guardians of the woods and the village. Supported by the skilled Gale Snipers and the Zephyr with her Caudillo Butterfly bow, Eom Village was a force to be reckoned with. These guardians occupied a large place in the hearts of everyone in the Fairy Kingdom because they were powerful and defended the traditions of the fairies. No secular fairy was foolish enough to provoke them.

As soon as Eom village announced that it would not be receiving any more visitors, the woods were instantly cleared of treasure hunters. This alone was enough to convince anyone that Eom village had a large amount of influence in the Fairy Kingdom.

This was also the reason why everyone instantly believed the rumors that the divine Caudillo Butterfly bow was in the Eom village.

"Then, who could have leaked the news? If culprit was not someone from our village, then it could only be..." the Fairy Walker slowly murmured, with an expression of hesitation on her face as though she was unwilling to accept her deduction.

"Yes. Apart from those in our village, the only person who knew about it is the Fairy King," the druid said with a sad expression.

The Fairy King was the ruler of the Fairy Kingdom; he should have been called an Emperor, instead. The first king of the fairies died immediately after he had spent all his effort turning a small fairy state into a kingdom; that was why he was not crowned emperor.

The next king to inherit the throne was a modest and fair ruler. When someone asked him to become an emperor, the king refused, saying, "The founder of our empire, his highness the first king, never called himself an emperor, so who am I to so boldly claim the title when I am not deserving of it?"

The second king retained his title and brought the fairy kingdom to a higher level of prosperity.

Out of respect for the two great kings, other kings that came after them did not declare themselves the emperor. After generations had passed, the people of the Fairy Kingdom began to see every king as their emperor.

As the ruler of the Fairy Kingdom, it was not out of the ordinary that the current Fairy King would know all about the Caudillo Butterfly bow. That being the case, why would he leak the whereabouts of the kingdom's most prized asset? It was clear that he did not do it while talking in his sleep.

"The village penned a letter to the king, asking for an explanation, and the official reply stated that the Fairy King had accidentally spilled the news during a meeting; after that, the leak spread outward through the official vassals. The office of the king said that they were walking on resolving this matter," explained the great druid. "Of course, I have long since stayed away from the conflicts of the mundane world, so you may find more answers you seek from the elder in the village."

"And that is all. Now, please excuse us. I have something I would like to discuss with him in private," Grandfather Tree finished.

Baiyi was a little bemused. 'What could this guy possibly want to talk about now? Surely it would not be instructions on how to tame a stallion as wild as the Fairy Walker, right? Or does he plan to share some cringy details from her past which I could use to blackmail her?'

With these questions running rampant in his head, Baiyi asked the Fairy Walker and the students for some privacy, then he conjured a silencing barrier around him and Grandfather Tree. "Most respected Great Druid, what would you like to talk about?"

The great druid momentarily glanced at the barrier with interest before turning to face Baiyi. "My friend! Can you…feel my anxiety?"It could be any kind of card game, but I think he meant Hearthstone.Guys, I'm getting Future Diary flashbacks here! Can someone help me by playing an episode (EP8 would do) of Mob Psycho 100 to flush away those memories?As stated before, "green" means infidelity in Chinese neologism. "To be colored green" means your spouse had totally done the deed with someone else!

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356 Who Would Accept This Mission?

"My friend! Can you feel my anxiety?"

The great druid's question surprised Baiyi, and the expression on the soul armature's face turned to one of confusion.

'I'm not even your homie, man. How am I supposed to detect a sudden increase in your anxiety? Besides, aren't you a goddamned tree? How can trees be anxious? Even if Ultimate Infestation begins to disassemble the environment, you would still be alright, you know?"

As though sensing Baiyi's confusion, Grandfather Tree said, "Sense it. Use the Gnosis that you were taught to try and sense it…"

Baiyi was speechless. The vigor he originally had to engage the great druid in a private conversation had now disappeared. What he had heard so far made him think that he and Grandfather Tree operated on different levels of cognitive reasoning.

Out of options, Baiyi could only truthfully admit to Grandfather Tree that he had yet to reach a tangible level of understanding on the Gnosis of Nature, so he could not practice it. "So, please, be more specific with your meaning."

The shrub shook its shoot as though it was shaking its head in regret. "I see. So, the Gnosis truly is something that cannot be gifted…" It murmured.

As the great druid mulled over this discovery, he switched bodies from the shrub to a gigantic toadstool growing at the foot of a tree. The toadstool suddenly leaped into the air and landed on the shrub that had just been vacated.

'What was the point of doing that?' Baiyi's wondered. 'Do all druids have similar transfiguration hobbies? Seriously, we should be grateful that they can only transform into animals or plants, for if they ever become able to transform into beautiful waifus…'

The toadstool began to explain why it was in a state of distress. However, its explanation was riddled with mumbo jumbo and sequiturs that defied logic; this was probably caused by the lengthy period of time the great druid had spent living as plants. It caused Baiyi a lot of effort to understand what Grandfather Tree was saying.

This thick, large woodland, which made out of the largest percentage of forest within the kingdom, was known as the Eternal Ocean of Trees. Now, it was under duress.

The Eternal Tree Ocean was so vast, Baiyi's current location was nothing but a small dot within a great green circle. The Eternal Tree Ocean had always been blissfully silent, and as it was where the fairy civilization was started, the fairies considered the land their mother. For some reason, the fluttering of the leaves in the woods now sounded like cries of agony. It was as though something terrifying had come to threaten its existence.

The druid's understanding of the Gnosis had allowed him to perceive a trace of fear in every tree residing in Eternal Tree Ocean, and their almost-silent pleas for help were now almost deafening to him.

Baiyi was sure that Grandfather Tree had left out some important details, but it seemed that the druid had said all it could. Whatever those hidden details were, the overview of the situation was still clear: something really bad was about to happen.

"Er… I have a question. Do you guys have any festivals coming up?" Baiyi slowly said.

The toadstool shook sideways at the question.

Baiyi let out a breath of relief. "Okay; this can't be happening because of Sylvia's return, right?"

The toadstool shook sideways again. "The omen appeared a long time ago. It is not recent."

Baiyi became convinced the great druid had chosen to inhabit a toadstool because it made shaking sideways easier.

"Then, what? Has any more information pertaining to this omen been discovered?" Baiyi pressed on.

The toadstool druid shook sideways again. "Nature… is not humanlike. Sometimes it is perceptive, and other times it is blunt. I have spent a lot of time and tried my best to trace the origin of the omen, but my search was fruitless. Could this result be another premonition?"

'Using premonitions as an excuse? Damn, this druid has the potential to be a scam psychic,' Baiyi snickered in his mind, but outwardly, he said, "I don't understand. Why tell me about this? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes. I need you to help me find out the reason for this unrest, which has become a source of fear to the entire Eternal Tree Ocean," the great druid replied. "For the sake of our great mother forest, and for the sake of your wife's home…"

Baiyi froze, unsure of what to say. 'I came here for the Caudillo Butterfly bow, okay? I also want to recruit two fairy archers into my academy. Now you're telling me, a Voidwalker, to save your Eternal Tree Ocean? Shouldn't there be more qualified people out there who could do this?'

The toadstool seemed to have read through his mind. "You possess the Gnosis of Nature, and you are perceptive. You are the best candidate for this task. Forgive the sudden request, really, but there simply is no better than you. This is your duty."

"With all due respect," Baiyi started, with a sideways shake of his head, "As I mentioned earlier, I have not realized the Gnosis to the extent you have. It's not that I'm shirking my duty; it's just that I simply am not the man for the job. I don't even understand the forest nor do I recognize it. Perhaps, you should ask other druids or those powerful archers to help."

To Baiyi, this sudden mission was nothing more than a drag, which could not hold his interest. Moreover, the request did not have any rewards attached to it. If Grandfather Tree had said that the Caudillo Butterfly bow was the reward, Baiyi would have accepted the mission straight away. However, all the great druid could offer for now were speeches of morality, responsibility, and other holier-than-thou reasons, so Baiyi did not give in to the demands.

He was busy and had no time for the environment. If something big really was going to happen here, he could just return to Isythre and remove archery from the curriculum.

With that in mind, nothing the great druid said moved him. The Fifth Walker shook his head sideways and said, "Please forgive me, but I must decline."

After that, he turned to leave.

The great druid did not try to stop him. He merely watched Baiyi leave before quietly muttering, "You'll return. The Gnosis in you does not fool me. It has not been tarnished…"

At that moment, Baiyi could see the great druid as nothing more than a scam artist. With a sideways shake of his head, the soul armature walked away from the toadstool.

He soon met up with his students and the Fairy Walker, and he saw them having a pleasant conversation. The students seemed to have gotten fond of her.

'Great; she's already acting like the team mom,' Baiyi sighed and walked towards them.

The Fairy Walker's eyes lit up when she saw Baiyi. "You're done? Oh, what did Tree Gramps say to you?"

"Um, nothing really. Just some weird stuff." Baiyi shrugged. "Maybe we should walk why we talk about it. You know, to the village."

As they walked to Eom village, Baiyi told the Fairy Walker about the strange mission the great druid had tasked him with, and he told her he rejected the request.

The Fairy Walker quietly listened, and when Baiyi finished, she said, "There is one thing I'm sure that Tree Gramps was right about."

"What's that?"

"You'll return to him," the Fairy Walker said.Hearthstone again. Gosh! It's either jade golem or this!Humans — including waifus — are animals, too. Technically, it is possible. Depends on how your harem game's going, though! Hee hee.Who? Hippies?

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357 The Homecoming Vagabond

The Fairy Walker's words stunned Baiyi. He had not, for once, imagined that his cheap wife would be a scam psychic, too!

However, before Baiyi could ask her for the reason why she had made that statement, she continued, "I'm not sure if Tree Gramps had some other angles he had to factor in, but I am sure that something perilous enough to shake the entire Eternal Tree Ocean would be a catastrophe of massive proportions. If you deliberately turn away from it, you'll be permitting the loss of many innocent lives. I'm pretty sure that is something my precious darling would be unable to bear, right?"

Baiyi went quiet for a while before saying, "That serious?"

"Oh, look at you! You did not challenge my claims; instead, you became concerned about the severity of this unknown threat. I really do know my darling like the back of my hand!" The Fairy Walker cheered.

Baiyi did not deny any of that because she was right. If this catastrophe was one which was as disastrous as those that happened in Gouve, then, yes, he would be unable to sit still as people died. The Fairy Walker did know Baiyi well; this was helped by the fact that they had exchanged memories, so she knew more than others would expect.

"But, really, darling, you do not need to jump into that business so quickly; for the time being, we'll just follow your plan," The Fairy Walked cooed as she gently grabbed his arm. "Didn't Tree Gramps say that your Gnosis of Nature is not tarnished, so… just go with the flow and see how things naturally turn out."

"Um, I don't think those two are the same kind of nature," Baiyi replied, stifling a chuckle.

"Hey, I may not be an expert in the knowledge of druids, but I know what the Gnosis of Nature is. It's more than just the flowers, groves, and woodlands of nature," the Fairy Walker replied with surprising confidence. "If we can't even go with the flow of Nature, then how could you ever understand the Gnosis?"

'Gah! My cheap wife has turned into a scamming psychic,' Baiyi lamented quietly.

However, he could not forget her words, and now it made him even more anxious of the mystery Gnosis of Nature he had yet to wrap his head around. In the end, he gave in to his curiosity and began to poke the Eight Walker in the Void, and on the outside, the group continued on their journey to Eom Village.

In a bit of consciousness, Baiyi summarized the issue at hand, using clear and precise terms, before listing a series of questions which he wanted answers for. After that, he waited patiently for the Eight Walker to read it and ponder before sharing its wisdom with him.

By the time they reached Eom Village, the Eighth Walker finally gave a very short reply: "?"

'Did he even listen to what I said, at all?' Baiyi fumed, wishing he could just end the conversation right there and then, but he could not; hence, he chose to re-create the first message and send it to the Eight Walker. It was at that time that the group noticed a crowd of fairies ahead, waiting at the gate of the village.

As the poster village for traditionalist fairies, the architecture in Eom Village was archaic, designed to reflect their rich culture of old. Not a single human-like building could be found; instead, there were a few sycamore trees with extensive branches and large twigs, on which all kinds of treehouses were atop of. This way, the natural habitat was not damaged in the slightest. If one were to look from a distance, they might not even know that there was a village here.

Standing at the forefront of the crowd of fairies was an old male fairy, who had something similar to the frail physique of a dehydrated twig. He also had a beard that had grown so long, it was as though his chin was playing host to a white waterfall. As fairies could live past a million years, similar to members of the dragonkin, fairies who looked old was sure to have seen much in their lifetime.

This old fairy stood out not because of his age, but because of the long wooden walking stick that he used. He was the Elder of Eom Village — a position akin to the chief of a human village.

When the Fairy Walker spotted this old fairy, especially his face which resembled a wrinkled tree bark, she dashed to his side in excitement and grabbed ahold of his arm, and in a voice filled with shock, she cried, "Frances? You're still alive?!"

"B-boss? Boss! It really is you!" The Elder, who had been wearing a solemn expression only moments ago, suddenly brightened up and exclaimed.

Baiyi remained standing in place, watching the scene of a reunion ensue before his eyes.

It turned out that this Elder was none other that one of the young hooligans who followed the Fairy Walker to wreak havoc in the village, in her younger days. In fact, he was the youngest of the hooligan group, and back then, the Fairy Walker made sure she exploited him to the max, ordering him to run errands and blaming him for the pranks that went awry. She had done all that because she was the boss, of the young hooligan group that is.

Neither had imagined that they would ever be reunited, especially in such an extraordinary way!

This was all thanks to the long lifespan that fairies were naturally blessed with.

The Elder respectfully invited Baiyi and his gang into the village, and at that moment, the two Gale Snipers who the group had met earlier could be spotted supervising the crowd outside Eom Village. As the two archers carried out their patrols, some fairies would whisper into their ears questions like "Was that the Zephyr of the great, great ancestral generation?", while others whispered remarks like "That'll explain why you two think her archery skill is unparalleled. But, why does she look like that?"

"I think this is called a Soul Armature, something humans summon. I have heard from some humans, who visited our village in the past, that only the mightiest of heroes could return as Soul Armatures! She is the greatest Zephyr we ever had, right? Maybe that's why she was able to be summoned like that..."

"Oh, but my grandpa would, sometimes, talk about her, but I don't understand. From his stories, she did not seem like someone who was popular and well-loved. In fact, he only mentioned her when he thought I was acting like a spoiled brat again, after which he gives me a lengthy lecture. Whenever I ask him for details about her, he would suspiciously avoid the question, with a rueful expression on his face."

"I heard from Mr. Bear that this Zephyr used to love stealing the food he stored for upcoming winters, and as a result of that, he would go hungry every time he woke up from hibernation. I don't get it; If she was the Zephyr, why was she so unruly?"

"This reminds me of something! When I told the mystical beasts of her return, they began to act weird; they became skittish, as though they were scared. I have never ever seen them lose their composure before!"

All these were enough for an outside to tell that the younger generation of fairies knew nothing of the legends of their greatest Zephyr, and that lack of knowledge, in turn, now fueled their curiosity.

Unfortunately for them, however, the Fairy Walker did not have the time to host a meeting with them. Following the Elder, she dragged Baiyi's arm, pulling him along with her into the Elder's house, which was situated at the top of a sycamore tree. The students had to wait outside, though.

The fairies inside the village were just as curious as the ones waiting outside the village gate, and the students were soon surrounded by curious fairies, who bombarded them with all manner of questions. Their vigor almost terrified Little Mia.

Furthermore, the surrounding fairies, both male and female, were very beautiful, causing the students to stare blankly.

When one thought the situation could not get any worse, a single glance was all they needed to tell that the fairies were speaking in a language the students did not understand. Mia and the others could only speak the common language. Despite applying immense brainpower, the fairies' words only sounded gibberish to the students. Hence, both parties were left with no other choice but to settle for the old art of Sign Language.

Soon, an excited Mia could be seen waving her arms around wildly, in a bid to introduce herself to the beautiful fairies as best as she could. Her actions looked awkward, but the lass was elated.

Meanwhile, as soon as Baiyi entered the Elder's home, he felt deeply embarrassed. This was because the fairy, who looked old enough to be everyone's grandfather, had prostrated himself on the ground before him and the Fairy Walker, begging for forgiveness!

"Honestly, we regretted our actions the very moment you left." The Elder sighed, with a pain-filled voice. "We were too selfish, to the point that we banished our own kin! After that, when we heard that you had vanished, we grieved even harder. We have always promised ourselves to aid each other no matter what happens, but with you, we betrayed that promise!"

"Many of us never forgave ourselves. I never did, neither did my father or my grandfather, so it is quite fortunate that you have returned to us! I can finally… say what I've always wanted to say."

The Elder's words were filled with so much sincerity, Baiyi felt his own chest get heavier.

"Oh, it's alright!" The Fairy Walker replied dismissively, and gently pulled the old fairy up. "I got to see the outside world after that, and lemme tell ya, there were so many wonders out there! It was really a blessing, you know. I've never hated any of you."

Upon hearing that, the Elder burst into tears. He really wished that her body was not an ordinary militia armor, because she was capable of ending a thousand-year-old grudge with her gentle smile.

After that, the two proceeded to catch up on all that had happened to each other after their separation. Baiyi was left alone, forgotten.

Not that the Fifth Walker minded, though. He just allowed them to make up for the lost time.

After a while, the Elder turned to face Baiyi — who was not so sure if the old fairy had forgiven himself — and said, "Looks like you found yourself an exceptionally reliable partner, boss. Congratulations!"

"Oh, yes~! He is the best man one could ever find in this world! He is strong; he is gentle, and he accepts every part of me! The moment he first gazed at me and promised to shoulder my troubles and my fate, I decided that he is the man of my dreams!" The Fairy replied, feeling contented and in love. This made Baiyi feel even more embarrassed.

Frankly, had he know just what kind of life the Fairy Walker had had before he met her, he would have never said something like that.

"If I must pick a bone from this otherwise flawless man, it would be the fact that he has surrounded himself with too many women! Oh, and how he dithers in making a choice!" The Fairy Walker grumbled.

The Elder's gaze became a glare, making Baiyi feel like intense heat beams were boring into his face. He cleared his throat and spoke with the tone of a wise old man. "Young man! Dithering will only make life close the door of happiness to you. Listen to your elders; a woman like our boss has always been the dream fairy of many of us!"

Baiyi was speechless. He wished he could tell the Elder that if they decided to be technical, Baiyi would be his elder, instead.

However, Baiyi chose to pull the Fairy Walker over and whisper in her ears for a few seconds, reminding her about the Caudillo Butterfly bow and Grandfather Tree's business.

The Fairy nodded and set the topic of conversation back on course, beginning with the Caudillo Butterfly bow.

As soon as the Elder heard her question, he became livid and bellowed, "That vile Fairy King! H—he broke our sacred oath, thereby betraying us!"These two concepts of nature possess different natures! Naturally.

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358 There Will Be Riots

Watching the old fairy's wrinkled face contort with rage, Baiyi realized that the truth behind this matter was far more damning than Grandfather Tree had let on. This was probably because he had long since abstained from the affairs of the world. However, if an old fairy like the Elder before them could be so livid, it was evident that the Fairy King had done something completely unacceptable.

At this point, the Elder began to elucidate the crux of this matter, supplying Baiyi with even more information about the current Fairy King than he already knew. The Fairy King had ascended the throne three hundred years ago, and he was now only five hundred years old. To a human, that would be the age of a very old man close to death, but to the fairies, this was the age at which at which one was said to be a youth at the prime of their lives.

When the Fairy King was younger, he traveled to Isythre and studied in human institutions for a long period of time. When his studies were over, he remained in the societies of humans for about ten years, learning about their strengths. When he returned to the Fairy Kingdom, with his competence, he easily bested the other competitors for the throne, becoming the current Fairy King.

It did not take long before this young king was coined 'The Wise Mad King'. His skills at governing and other personal activities were top notch, so it did not take long for the Fairy Kingdom to usher in a new era of prosperity under his rule. The Fairy King commandeered the kingdom to victory in wars against dwarves and goblins. This allowed him to expand the Fairy Kingdom's land until it encompassed the entire Entire Tree Ocean. The king also involved himself in the affairs of the human government in Mars, and this allowed him to help a government — which he had control over — into power.

Hence, the twin realms, Mars and Marle, were completely under his control; an impressive feat, indeed.

However, he was not without his problems. For one, he was infamous for displaying a severe lack of ethics, his egregious ego, and his hubris. He had even made known his desire to assume the title 'Emperor', which was a way of stating that his achievements were more profound than the kings that came before him. This was a move only a pariah would make.

Despite his many achievements and skills, this move was enough to make the modest and reticent fairies look down on him, and that was why they had come up with that nickname for him.

Also, in the time he spent in the human territory, he picked up some vices that vile men were known for. For example, he was known for being extensively lustful, for he had a harem consisting of many beautiful female fairies of all ages. He was known for boasting and valued grandiose facades. Additionally, he enjoyed engaging in under-the-table deals, despicable schemes, and the vile politicking that humans were known for.

At this point, he was more of a human than he was a fairy. One would find it hard to find in him the good characteristics that fairies possessed. This made the traditionalist and secular fairies disgusted with him. Although the Wise Mad King had made contributions almost as great as their previous kings, the fairies did not think that he could match the previous kings at anything.

After listening to the Elder say all this, Baiyi could only mutter that all these made the Fairy King seem exactly like a protagonist. To him, the only form of reasoning the Wise Mad King lacked were some profoundly Earth-like ideologies, as well as possessing a cognitive semblance to someone from earth. If the Fairy King had all these, Baiyi would have thought him to be the poster child of a dimension-traveling MC from Earth!

Soon, the Wise Mad King began to nurse ideas about the traditionalist fairies, perhaps because he wanted to gain power over them. He planned to round up representatives of all the traditionalist fairy communities and order them to abandon their customs, join the community of secular fairies, and hand over all the power they wielded to the kingdom.

Furthermore, when the Fairy King heard that the current Zephyr was beautiful and young, he sought to add her to his unimaginably large harem.

There was an ancient pact made between the traditionalist fairies and the first Fairy King, which stipulated that both sides had to respect each other and work towards the common goal of making the kingdom prosper. The traditionalist fairies were allowed to not take part in the kingdom's wars for conquest, but should the kingdom ever be attacked, they were to fight alongside their secular brethren.

Both sides had respected the pact for generations. The secular government never once tried to exert control over the traditionalist fairies, and the latter always joined the kingdom to defend its sovereignty.

Because of this, both sides had lived in harmony — until the Wise Mad King ascended the throne.

Regardless of his intentions — whether it be lust for beautiful fairies or desire to acquire the military power of the traditionalist fairies — the Wise Mad King's behavior was considered unacceptable. In their last meeting, the temperamental Elder of Eom Village had overturned the meeting table, in a fit of rage, causing quite a scene. The representatives of other traditionalist fairy settlements also refused to lend their support to the Wise Mad King, and because of this, the Fairy Kingdom was now more divided.

The Mad King's decision to spread the news about the Caudillo Butterfly bow, in a bid to disrupt the peace Eom Village enjoyed was nothing more than a warning, This was the danger and unpredictability posed by a mad tyrant, who held no regard for rules and common decency. He would do anything to achieve his goals, and what he would do next was anyone's guess.

The Elder's anger was not without reason.

"May I ask who the current Zephyr is?" Baiyi asked.

"Her name is Nydore Sidhe; she is the grandniece of my Boss Sylvia here. That's right; she is also your grandniece-in-law now. This year, she celebrated her birthday, marking 500 years of age. She's still a child! That contemptible Fairy King! Harboring filthy ideas about a mere child!" The Elder roared in fury.

"Looks like thing got personal after he attempted to touch a child from our clan. Don't you agree, darling?" the Fairy Walker said, nudging Baiyi with her elbow.

'Grandniece-in-law? It's probably too late to separate myself from all this, isn't it?' Baiyi thought quietly. All this made him queasy because he was unsure of the nature of the relationship he had with the Fairy Walker.

"Yea, I got it! Regardless of the schism between your people and the secular fairies, we shall not let our grandniece be given to that mad tyrant!" Baiyi said, echoing the Fairy Walker's sentiment.

The Elder smiled and nodded. "My thoughts exactly! The skirmish between us and the secular fairies belong to us alone, and we could solve it amongst ourselves; no problem! But, we can never drag children into the mix! Furthermore, we have to guard the legacy handed down to us from our ancestors. The Caudillo Butterfly bow must be kept away from their filthy hands!"

Baiyi nodded. From an objective and historical viewpoint, the Wise Mad King was, perhaps, correct, because it was better to centralize the powers of the traditionalist fairies, which will complement his own competence in governance. This would take the Fairy Kingdom to new and greater heights. The problem was, of course, his mean streak and his lack of patience.

Most of the people on earth know that heretics were worse than pagans. If a ruler wanted traditionalists to succumb to his rule, he would seek better ways to convince them. Because of this, Baiyi was sure that he could rule out the possibility of the Wise Mad King being a dimension-traveler; after all, there were more than enough case studies on how to handle divides between different classes of humans, so no one from Earth would have opted for the crude method used by the Wise Mad King.

"I must warn you, though; the Wise Mad King is very powerful. He has many capable fighters by his side. If you two want to help, I urge you to be cautious," the Elder warned.

"Heehee! This is one thing you should not worry about," the Fairy Walker confidently replied. "Whoever they throw at us would end up a bag of bones after my sweetie is done with them."

'Stop; you're embarrassing me,' Baiyi thought, with a quiet sigh. Then, a thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "Say, is there a massive diabolical cult here called Godsfall? The number of followers they have is massive, and their area of influence is vast."

He had just remembered that the Church's investigation report stated that Marle was where the cult had originated from.

"You know of Godsfall?" The Elder was surprised. "It's a religious movement that started very recently — about ten years ago. It thrived in the territory of the goblins, and it soon became their main religion. The movement is as powerful as that human religion —'God's Grace', I think — and it is popular with the secularist fairies. The Wise Mad King seems to be an avid follower as well, and he once wished to make it the national religion of the Fairy Kingdom. However, we, traditionalists, are not impressed by them, at all."

'I knew it.' Baiyi sighed. The reason why Godsfall continued to linger was not because of the Church's incompetence, but because of their inability. In places where the Church had very little influence, the cult thrived. Contrary to common belief, Godsfall was not just a group of small-time heretics; it was a massive religious ideology.

'And now, from the looks of it, the Wise Mad King and Godsfall are deeply connected. If I join the fray now, we are bound to engage each other, which would render our truce… Hohoho'

Just as Baiyi was thinking about the cult, they were thinking about him, too. Somewhere unknown, within the Basilica, the three mysterious figures had convened once again.

The First Reverend turned to the Second Reverend and said, "Looks like Hope ran off to your place to play. Are you planning to sit out on an unbelievable stroke of fortune?"

The Second Reverend was silent for a while before he replied in his hoarse, mechanical voice, saying, "Making an appearance when the time is nigh... I doubt his intention is anything but one of hostility. Our call for a truce did not deceive him one bit."

"Please, not even a three-year-old would believe in that sort of truce. Do you think a true messenger of a god would have fallen for that? He has gone there only because of the will of the War God. What a powerful enemy…" The Third Reverend added.

"There are very little gray areas in the War God's response. He is against us! Very well..." The Second Reverend's tone was absolutely chilly. "It was only a matter of time before we faced off against each other anyway, so allow me to get rid of the War God's best weapon."

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359 I, The Proud Fairy King!

The Second High Reverend of Godsfall cult felt very confident, as though Baiyi's life was already in his hands.

Even his counterparts, the First and Third High Reverends, were surprised at the amount of optimism he had. However, the Third High Reverend soon became skeptical. "You are saying that destruction is the only fate that awaits him as though you have forgotten that he is the messenger of the ever-so-cryptic War God! He enjoys all the War God's privileges, remember? This same Hope forcefully pilfered a very powerful object that is rumored to be the legendary Book of Servitude. Against a foe like him, numbers are meaningless; regardless of how capable your fairies are, they are still leaps and bounds beneath the best the Church and the Northern Lands has to offer."

"But, right here and right now, he is in MY domain. I may be arrogant, but I am no fool. I don't know of anything that will hinder my success in this venture. So, if you hear me speak like this, know that I already have everything under control," the Second High Reverend replied.

"And as for the effectiveness of our attacks, my offensive capabilities are known to you both. Despite the rumors of Hope wielding tremendous power, he has continued to live like a mouse, till this day; why is that? Why does he still seek power? I do not, for one second, believe that someone as strong as he is purported to be... exist. His power must be confined by some sort of imposed rules. Could they be limitations placed by the War God? Or, could it be from one of the little girls accompanying him? Whatever the case may be, he can not be as difficult an opponent as the both of you make him out to be."

"Furthermore, I have one last trick up my sleeve. What is a mere messenger to a real god? By the time I make my move, not even his daddy War God will be able to save him," the Second High Reverend finished.

"I see. How can we not be moved by such a display of confidence? We await your good news, then. Removing a hindrance like him will be a great addition to the work we are trying to do," the First Reverend muttered. "I only hope that the Higher Power on our side can quickly sort the War God out…"

"Those are matters of their level. It is none of our concern; we should focus on what falls under our jurisdiction," the Third High Reverend replied, and his raven-black figure began to dissipate into nothing, leaving behind the suffocating air confined within the walls of the Basilica. The two vague figures followed suit and dissipated into nothing.

Meanwhile, far away in Marle, in the quaint and grandiose Capital City 0f the Fairy Kingdom — which is known for epithets like 'The Millennium City' and 'The Capital of Breaking Dawn'— stood a grand palace. Every arch, angle, vertex, and wall of this palace was made with the ingenuity of an artistic fusion between the elegance of fairies and the opulence of humans. Even the flowers and greenery at the side of the palace had been grown with the passion of their artisans.

The palace was so beautiful, it could pass off as an abode for gods! Those who had visited it could only exclaim in awe and wonder; esteemed individuals like the Emperor of Walthart Empire, who once visited for a friendly diplomatic mission, was blown away by the building's magnificence. "Only a place like this is worthy enough to be called an emperor's home."

The only small stain on this nearly perfect palace was the depth of its radiance. It lacked a radiance that had been baptized by history and time. The reason behind this was straight forward: the Fairy King built this palace only a few years back.

The owner of the palace — who was also the center of the most recent contentions, the Eighteenth Fairy King — stood alone in his private study, wearing a royal robe made only for the ruler of the Fairy Kingdom.

King Phineas Aeon-Star Dawn the Eighteenth, otherwise known as The Wise Mad King, was toying around with a delicately made jade thumb ring. His gaze was fixed on the life-like beasts and birds carved on the smooth surface of the ring. It almost looked like they were moving; this was a testament to the skill of the one who made it.

This jade ring was the Fairy King's most treasured war bounty, plundered from a Dwarf tribe he had conquered in the past. The best jade artisans in the world were said to be from amongst the Dwarves. This war lasted for many days, and victory was uncertain through most of it. Militia, resources, and energy were spent in droves for a chance at victory. Back then, the Wise Mad King pleaded with the aged representatives of the traditionalist fairies to lend him their Gale Snipers and Druids, all for the purpose of ending the war as soon as possible. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears because of the ancient pact the traditionalist fairies made with First Fairy King millennia ago.

This was the straw that broke the Fairy King's back — the act that fueled the hate he had for the old codgers.

However, fortune smiled on the fairies, and they — no, HE won the war. The victory was recorded as one of his greatest achievements. The spoils he earned from that war were a lot: a fertile steppe most suitable for farming; a mine containing unused, precious ores; a massive compensation from the losers — the Dwarf Kingdom; massively one-sided trade deals with the Dwarves, thereby maximizing profit for the fairy kingdom; the little jade thumb ring, and a group of highly skilled dwarf artisans. These all belonged to him. The spoils of war were much greater than the losses.

The Wise Mad King was standing in front of a large mirror, which was gilded in pure gold, adorned with intricate flowers. In the mirror, there was nothing but a swirling black fog, which did not reflect the image of anything in the room, including the king, who was standing directly in front of it.

He paused and furrowed his eyebrows. The black fog swirling in the mirror instantly disappeared, leaving behind the reflection of a gallant, young face, which had eyes brimming with ambition.

The Wise Mad King returned to his modest-looking desk and closed his eyes, as though lost in his thoughts. After a while, he reached out his hand and knocked on a bronze bell sitting atop his desk.

The door of his study opened, and a silent belle came in and bowed a little in greeting.

"Summon the Principle Advisor for me," the Wise Mad King ordered in a rare calm tone, which was completely different from the boisterous countenance he usually had.

Very soon, a man wearing a large, loose black robe walked into the king's study. The hood of his robe was draped over his head, hiding his face from view. The man's appearance would make anyone think he was a street thug, but the Wise Mad King thought differently and gave the man a position as sensitive as the Royal Principle Advisor.

"Your Majesty, you called?" The Royal Advisor asked softly as he bowed.

The Wise Mad King did not answer; instead, he snapped his fingers, and a Silence Barrier immediately loomed over them.

Suddenly, the Royal Principle Advisor fell to his knees and assumed a kowtowing position, then he exclaimed, "The Most Eminent High Reverend! Is there anything you would have me do?"

From the drastic change in greeting and behavior, it was clear that the title of Fairy King could not hold a candle to the title of High Reverend of Godsfall!

"Grand Butler, sit," the Wise Mad King said in a relatively calm tone of voice, then he grabbed a secret report he had received the day before from the Fairy Kingdom's border security. In it was news of the sighting of a man with a hideous appearance, who was closely followed by a group of angel-like girls and some strange beings. Only that bastard Hope fit such a description. The name he had given at the custom office, which was now on his identification card, was 'Peho'— but the pumpkin-like head on his shoulders, the bandit-like veil covering his face, and the group of beautiful little girls following behind him made it easy for anyone who already knew him to identify him, rendering his attempt at hiding his identity pointless.

"So, what happened to this Hope after he passed the border?" The Wise Mad King asked, tossing the report aside for the time being.

"He raced to Eom Village," the Royal Principle Advisor answered.

"To meet up with those old codgers? How predictable," the Wise Mad smiled, and an expression of confidence appeared on his face. "With the number of men we have now, what are our chances of successfully assassinating him?"

The Royal Principle Advisor's next words did not contain the answer the Wise Mad King sought. "Before I answer, might I ask... why did he come here at this time? Is the intention behind it his own, or is it the will of his mysterious patron?"

The Mad King retorted, "What do you think? He came here at such a critical moment, has been out in the open, and only made a very lazy attempt at disguising his identity."

"Understood," the Royal Principle Advisor replied and nodded. "It looks like our plan to detain did not work out, at all. I just wish we knew what his mysterious patron is thinking—"

At this point, the Wise Mad King angrily snapped, cutting the advisor's speech off. "You ask too much! Someone else will deal with these matters. You have only one job, and I suggest you focus on that if you could be so kind."

"F-forgive me!" The Royal Principle Advisor lowered his head back to the ground with a loud bang before stuttering in reply. "With the manpower we currently have — and without having to use our Demigod powers or take people away from our main projects — we only have a 20% chance of winning."

"Twenty?" The Wise Mad King smiled. "You're telling me that after all the years of the hard work and dedication I put into training my people, we would have only a 20% chance of defeating just one man? Haha… Hahaha."

"Just why?! Are you idiots so afraid of him?! Where are your balls? Did they shrink when you saw him?" The King bellowed, shocking the Royal Principle Advisor into complete silence.

Fortunately for the Advisor, the Wise Mad King did not stay mad for too long; after a few bated breaths, he regained his calm demeanor. "What if Gru is with us?"

"Our chances… will not increase by much," the Royal Principle Advisor replied honestly. "It is vital that Gru's people remain in key areas of our fortification, hence the number of people from there we can mobilize is, frankly, limited. However, we may not need so many people if we just change our target to his students?"

"How naive." the Wise Mad King replied with disdain. "Do you think we have not tried that before? He cares about those girls more than an old sow cares for its piglets. Taking out his girls in front of him? Haha. Moreover, he has now allied himself with those druids. Those old codgers sure know how to pick a shield to hide behind…"

"Looks like we have no choice but to face him head-on. Without using our trump card, we should still be able to overwhelm him using the Caudillo Butterfly."

"I know that very well!" The Mad King replied impatiently. "The problem is… Where are the Caudillo Butterfly and the Zephyr?"That is so New Age level name, man. I would think the dude hugs tree and doesn't wear clothes in the woods.

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360 Are All Of Your Creatures Like This?

Not that the Fairy King was the only one asking this question.

Back in Eom Village, Baiyi, the Fairy, and the Elder himself were all pondering on the same question: Where is little Miss Nydore? She didn't even leave a number…

"It can't be helped! That dastard Mad King was too overboard! Two months ago, every day a large horse carriage would have come overloaded with bright red roses, flanked with bards from different species as they took turns singing those annoying love songs and slamming poetries! It was so… Offensive to our eyes! We could only ask her to leave the village," the Elder ranted, ratting out the reason why he let the girl out.

Then, as if he remembered the Fairy's bad experience, he explained again, "Um… It was only temporary? She didn't venture out alone! There were some other archers, and Mr. Bear and Grandfather Tree and the Horse couple taking care of her. She's gonna be fine! Completely, absolutely fine."

'You gotta admit though, that's some generous waste of money… Good thing she went off already, or else my cheap granddaughter was probably long won over, right?' Baiyi thought while outwardly he said, "Then?"

"Then! We minced those flowers and turned them into fertilizers! And we catapult those bards out of the woods. And then we stopped people from visiting us, and the Mad King stopped his antics."

"Um, I meant… Any news from Nydore?" Baiyi made his probe more specific.

"We did tell her to frequently contact us every once in a while, so she could return to the village when the coast is cleared. She did send some letters with pigeons a few whiles back to tell us she's safe, but lately, her mails had stopped coming. We aren't sure where is she, or if she is in danger!" The Elder answered, his anxiety becoming more and more palpable.

Baiyi turned to Fairy for confirmation. Fortunately, she shook her head and said, "The Caudillo Butterfly's state is steady. That means it hasn't been used in a battle for a while now, or at least, she hasn't been in a fight when she needs to use the Caudillo Butterfly."

"If she hadn't used the agreed communication method to talk to you, perhaps she founds something else more important to attend to? Maybe she was tagged? Maybe she needed to keep the location of herself and this village secret?" Baiyi's threw out some of his own conjectures.

"Very plausible!" The Elder replied gravely. "That Mad King would have never stopped his antics if it wasn't for this possibility!"

"Got it. Since that my grandniece's life is on the line, I supposed I shall have to do something about this too. We'll take a break for the rest of today, and then we'll start looking for her the first thing the morning tomorrow," Baiyi said. "With Sylvia, it should be easy to determine her general coordination."

"This is the best!" The Elder's face relaxed into a smile. "Whoa, who would have known that Boss had changed so much since she left! Now she brings good luck to the village— oommph!"

He didn't mean anything harsh with his remark, but he did realize that it wasn't the best thing to have said in front of the Fairy either. Very hurriedly, he shut his mouth and shook his head, as if millennia had not passed and he was again the little brat tailing behind the Fairy's back.

But he was right: the Fairy had changed. She was no longer angered by what she now deemed as trivial. So instead, she stood up calmly and wrapped her fingers around Baiyi's arm, saying, "Come on. Lemme show you around our village."

Baiyi nodded, though compared to this village that didn't seem to have made many changes of the woods it was situated in— Baiyi was more curious about Mr. Bear and the Horse Couples.

When they had exited the Elder's house and passed through a few gigantic trees back to the clearing where they left their students, they found the girls already surrounded by the fairies as they, too, were happy being shown around the village. Quite jarringly, the two parties never managed to talk to each other through a comm0n language, and instead still relied on their smiles, eyes and body language, making the whole scene looked a bit like a party between the muted and deaf…

Most of the fairies surrounding the girls were female, who were all so beautiful no one would be able to pick a flaw out of. The more important thing was that, as spring was starting and the climate was gradually shifting to warm, the female fairies had just the same ideas as human females in keeping themselves cool by making every part of their beautiful clothes shorter. Maybe their lean arms were barren, or maybe their slim, alluring waists were out in the open, but most importantly, their skirts were so short that two lanky, fair, supple legs sprang out from underneath. With so many of them spotting the same features, it was almost blinding.

They looked very inviting, very welcoming, very triggering, very arousing— but wasn't this type of fashion sense too much? It obviously adapted from the humans, because in the Fairy's memory, they were slightly more conservative than this. Could it be that off all the things the traditionalists could accept from seculiraization— the women's fashion sense was the one that enticed them the most?

Meanwhile, the fairy-men seemed to only be interested in the Fox and the Owl, in which they freely lavished praises upon using hand gestures, such as "good fur" and "you look mighty" and "you look like a boss!" The Fox, in turn, was very greatly pleased by the flattery.

"H-holy… This must be heaven! My comrades! I.. I feel rejoiced! Rejoice!" The Engineer started shouting from the Void, his entire sense of self-control gone.

"Oh! Most perfect face! Most perfect body! Most importantly! They don't give a damn about concealing their beauty, and instead generously and confidently show it off to all of us! This is the part that truly moves me!" The Paladin echoed the Engineer's sentiments.

The Cleric was even more direct. "Words no longer accurately describe my state. Sir Hope, allow me to Descend into the Hammerhead Shark Plushie and let me enjoy what paradise offers. I promise you that after your compassion, I'll do anything for you!"

Baiyi said nothing. By this point, his response was quite obviously routined as he automatically targetted the usual perpetrators and suspects to be muted, including the Bard, who hadn't even started describing his feelings. The Walker bellowed boldly, "You prude piece of puritan! Even these conservative fairies are more open-minded than you! You crappy moderator! I don't care if I'm about to be mute, I'll sing it at the top my v— ooomph!"

When the Void finally quieted down, Baiyi noticed that a gorgeous, demure female fairy had brought along her pet sabercat. Contrary to the name, this creature was large a cat that could be used as a mount or as a hunting animal for the fairies, being one of their most trusted furry companion and battle comrades.

This particular sabercat was obviously one of their finest, too. It was tall and intimidating, but more noticeably, they were covered in a mighty coat of black fur, their fangs reflecting off chilly lights. It was a beautiful yet kingly creature.

But Mia and the girls didn't even stare at it for too long before their eyes drifted to the small furballs following this adult sabercat.

They were cubs— and this sabercat had only become a mother very recently.

The cubs had heads slightly too large for themselves, while their limbs and bodies were slightly too small for that head. Their fur was much thinner than their mother's— obviously, they were newborns that hadn't even been walking for a while as they sometimes slipped in their walk, looking like a furball trying worming ahead. They even gave out a very soft string of yelps.

As expected from girls like Mia, they couldn't resist trying to cup the adorable things in their own hand, with Little Mia leading the charge, screaming, "Aaah! So cute," and then dashing to the cubs, dismissing the mother completely.

She picked up one of the cubs and mumbled, "Cute kitty!" She rubbed it soft fur with her own cheeks, taking in the softness of its fur.

The cub seemed to be enjoying Mia's company— maybe it had detected her friendliness and love. It returned her favor by nudging her itself and even combed her hand with its small little tongue and lastly, it gently patted Mia's cheeks with its soft paws.

Mia chuckled at the cub's antics, loving the little creature even more by the seconds.

Other girls were the same, while their own cubs reacted similarly too. One might even wonder if being hugged by a humanoid had long be turned into a routine as the cubs displayed all kinds of adorable actions, winning the hearts of the girls soon.

Meanwhile, their regal-looking mother watched them, not even snatching her cubs back, as if she was beaming in pride for how much people loved her kids.

'Little Mia's treating your kid like a kitty, though,' Baiyi thought. He moved towards one of the cubs, trying to see if he could pick one up too.

But that cub seemed to have realized that this walking set of clanking metal wouldn't be able to give it the warmth and comfort it seeks, and so it sprinted off right when Baiyi was closing in and jumped into the embrace of a nearby fairy…

'You little rascal… By what age did you learn to be so calculative?' Baiyi thought, deadpanned.

"Hee hee! They have always lived with us, and so they got our smarts really early on," the Fairy smiled as she explained. She ignored Mia and the girls as they played with the cubs and instead pulled Baiyi into a walk.

The population in Eom Village was not too few, as they were about 600 people in the village. However, their architecture seemed to emphasize space-conservation, hence it didn't take too long a time before finishing the village tour.

Baiyi suggested that they could see the legendary Mr. Bear and the Mystical Horse Couples. The Fairy agreed, feeling curious about her own childhood playmates too.

They walked over a distance and approached a complex of low, small caves.

Strangely, as Baiyi approached them, he started feeling an unknown but familiar aura from it— it wasn't any kind of energy pulses, but it felt endearing… Weird.

He didn't get to dwell on the details before a silhouette crept out from one of the caves and pranced towards them. The Fifth Walker fixed his eyes onto it— and his face turned into an expression of (0.0).

The creature was none other than Mr. Bear, who came out when it had felt two extra presences in its home ground. Yet, it didn't look anything like the bear Baiyi had imagined it to be— large and imposing, the King of the Woods kind— and instead, it looked short and stout, about the height of Little Mia, standing on two legs like a bipedal primate rather than crawling on all fours...

Even its fur was soft and tender, unlike the hides of wild animals with their skin full of bristles. Its head, torso, paws, and eyes were just so round, Baiyi realized he was in the audience of an animated teddy bear…

'Nope. This Mr. Bear is definitely not the quite the mystical beast I had in mind. It's basically a plushie!' Baiyi thought. 'No wonder the Fairy had dared to mess with it since she was just a small brat.'

'... Is it gonna greet me with terribly lewd comments?' Baiyi thought, a little worriedly as he stood closer to the Fairy.

"Sylvia! You really have returned to us!" Mr. Bear spoke in standard fairy language, somehow recognizing the Fairy beyond her Soul Armature appearance. It trudged forward, but because it was so stout, its steps looked like it was walking while being a little drunk.

"Mr. Bear, I came back to see you," she replied in a very polite, demure way— leaps and bounds different from her boorish bratty personality of old. She, too, moved closer to the bear and very tenderly pulled it into an embrace.

The bear was shorter than the Soul Armature, however, and so the Fairy had to bent her back to hug it— turning an emotional, moving reunion scene to be adorned with light jocularity.

"I really shouldn't have chased you out… I shouldn't have, I shouldn't… I regretted it the instant I did," Mr. Bear said dejectedly, "I don't care if you were going to eat my nuts behind my back! I just knew right then that… I'll regret this my whole life… Yet, you have returned to us, and that's… That's all that matters, isn't it? I just don't understand— why do you look like this?"

"A lot happened after that, you see. I've got a long story to tell you," The Fairy released her grip and returned to Baiyi's side. "This is my husband! We're very happy together."

"Oh? This child? Yes, there an endearing aura radiating from him—he must be a good boy. Come, come in!" Mr. Bear muttered as it waved its round paw in the air. Then, suddenly, from somewhere in the forest, some nuts of unknown plants just flew through the air and landed into their hands.

Baiyi was stunted— he felt nothing! He had felt not a single wisp of mana or even other kinds of energy pulses when the bear had performed this, meaning it wasn't magic. It was as if the food had sprouted wings on their own and flew over.

Even the First Walker, his teacher in magic, exclaimed, "How is this possible? It can't be… the power of Territory, right?"

"Employing the perilous powers of a Territory to summon mere nuts? I'm skeptical that even the gods would partake in such daring practice," the Scholar said, disagreeing. "More plausibly, this could be one of the heretofore unidentified, clandestine powers that even our peers had yet to investigate, yes?"

Mr. Bear may look like a soft toy, but it was the first thing, since Baiyi's Descent, to make him feel like it was something else entirely— an unknown presence…

"You look pretty stunted," Mr. Bear noticed Baiyi's expression as he pulled himself away from chatting with the Fairy. "Are you… Wondering about this?"

The nut in Baiyi's hand started flitting on its own again, flying in the air like a bumblebee doing its dance, before obediently returning to Baiyi's hand again.

Yet, even when Mr. Bear had performed that strange technique again in such close proximity, Baiyi still didn't feel a single energy pulse!

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361 A Mission Without Rewards Is Still Worth A Try

Mr. Bear acted more human-like than the other great druid, Grandfather Tree. Although they were both Guardians of the same patch of woods and adept at druid magic, they behaved differently. One started out acting really human-like, but eventually lost that personality as time went by; as for the other, it had the appearance of an animal, but it began to act more human-like as time went by. Such polar opposites were, perhaps, worthy of reflection.

However, despite being a mysterious and dangerous being, Mr. Bear was not as vulgar as its counterpart on earth, Ted, even though they could pass off as twins. When it saw Baiyi's complexion sour, the bear kindly explained, "This is just the Force of Nature."

"Do you mean this is a different way of using a Territory?" Baiyi asked curiously. The only explanation he had for something like this, which Mr. Bear had done without using external power, was… Territories. Only a Territory could bypass limitation that powers like magic could not.

When Mr. Bear head Baiyi's question, its round eyes widened momentarily, then it narrowed, studying Baiyi more carefully. It was, no doubt, surprised because the Soul Armature in front of it had not emitted any energy signatures mighty enough to suggest that he could use Territories. Hence, Baiyi's question had come as a shock.

The bear went quiet and began to ponder on the best answer to give. "If we follow the theoretical system used by you humans, then yes; your guess would be largely correct."

"But…" Baiyi faltered as he studied the bear again. He had no doubt that Mr. Bear was powerful; it was just that he could not feel any energy pulses from it. A random person could mistake Mr. Bear for a nondescript teddy bear if it did not use its abilities. That begs the question: how did it reach the level of being able to use Territories?

"Child, it's best not to forcefully view my powers through the lens and confines of your human power scale. I have already told you that this is merely the Force of Nature, and it is very different from the powers that you humans have grown accustomed to," Mr. Bear explained patiently.

After that, it raised its round paws, and the nuts took to the air once again, steered by an unseen force. "If the trees want to survive, they must learn to spread their seeds," Mr. Bear said, causing the nuts to zoom around in midair. "These seeds fall onto the earth, sprout, and grow into other trees. While I, in a bid to sate my hunger, harvest their nuts and fruits.

"This is what happens naturally; this is what nature is. Another example I can use is our current situation. A friend who I thought I had lost has returned, so I share my nuts with everyone. This is also a very natural thing to do," Mr. Bear said as it placed the nuts back into Baiyi's hand. "This is the Order of Nature, and it is this very same power of nature that I'm using."

Baiyi was completely perplexed. 'The knowledge which druids possess is too contrived and complicated!' Baiyi had always believed that he had a high innate talent for learning quickly, but metaphysics concepts like these left him completely dumbfounded; he did not even know what angle to begin looking at the concept from. He was still at a loss for what to make of the Gnosis which the Eight Walker had so generously gifted him.

However, after meeting the two great druids, he seemed to have gotten an idea on how to approach the complex concept. Baiyi stood still, struggling to piece together his thoughts, and after a few moments, he asked, "If Territories are changes imposed on the Natural Laws, then the way you used it… Is it a special method of utilizing Territories? From here, it looked like you had bent the Laws to your will, but it also looked like you did not. I mean, if you have been freely bending the Laws all this time, then should you not already be…"

At this point, Baiyi was just thinking out loud. A string of pure mana flowed out from his palm and encased the nuts, causing them to soar into the air. As the nuts individually spun on their axis, Baiyi studied them intently; it was as though they were the fruits of knowledge.

Mr. Bear remained silent, giving him some time to sort out his thoughts. When Baiyi finally retracted his mana, letting the nuts plop right down to the ground, Mr. Bear smiled. "You were thinking that if your hypothesis is right, then I should have already been rendered non-existent, right? Tell me, what's a Law?"

"The foundation behind the creation of all matter, which also dictates the evolution and behavior of all matter. Not all of them present today are natural because a few formed by nature have been rewritten by those who have 'touched' the Laws… But, whenever we ourselves touch them..." Baiyi answered, recalling the information he had obtained from the Law Fragment in Gouve.

"If the Laws are the foundation behind matter creation, then you and I are also part of the Laws. We are them, yet we are not like them. We are made of Laws, while simultaneously, the Laws are composed of us," Mr. Bear said, then it placed its round paw on Baiyi's nuts, which he had let fall to the ground, and patted them lightly. Suddenly, the nuts sank into the earth, and a single sapling sprouted out from the same patch of ground the nuts had disappeared into.

"Do you think I changed it?" Mr. Bear said, and a faint smile graced its lips.

Baiyi nodded in an unsure manner; however, he believed he had gotten a little inspiration this time. Then, he asked, "So what you mean is, if the change is not too drastic..."

However, he stopped himself there. There was just no way everything could be that simple.

Mr. Bear did not say anything, but there was a very human-like grin on its face. "The remaining questions have already been answered; answers that you now hold."

"The Gnosis of Nature?" Baiyi hurriedly asked.

Mr. Bear nodded. "You already have the answer to that question. The only thing you need to do now is to figure out the next step by yourself. Mr. Tree has already revealed it to you. You can start from there."

When Baiyi heard that, his heart skipped a beat. He did not recall the other great druid making any sort of revelation to him. That blessing — which came in an egregious choice of color — was just visual effects with no substantive effect. However, what if the blessing was not the revelation? What if the revelation was the problem that Grandfather Tree had told him about?

Baiyi stood still, lost in his thoughts. Mr. Bear's display of power had captivated his attention completely, and this was not because he thought that it could be used to attack. Nevertheless, this encounter was probably the key he needed to further his understanding of the Laws, and from what he had gathered so far, the answers he sought lay in the cryptic concept that was the Gnosis of Nature.

If Mr. Bear had not been deceiving him, then by following the great druid's thought process, not only would he be able to put an end to the unrest in the Eternal Forest Ocean, but he would also finally be able to comprehend the Gnosis. Although Baiyi was not sure if the two were connected, he now believed that Grandfather Tree's request was more important than he had originally thought, despite its lack of rewards.

When he turned to ask Mr. Bear of its opinion regarding Eternal Tree Ocean's crisis, he noticed that it was done with the conversation and had begun acting like a nosy uncle, who was all-too curious about the life of a newlywed. It kept asking questions like "How is life after marriage? Do you two have enough sexy time with each other? Do you two have kids? Who cooks and who controls the money? What do you two actually do to earn money?"

The Fairy Walker answered most of the questions with half-truths, but she spoke more about the life she had after departing the village in the past. Mr. Bear did not seem to mind the veracity of her answers. The bear kept nodding vigorously and stuffing her hands with more nuts from its stash inside its cave.

"Dig in, and don't worry," Mr. Bear insisted kindly. "You used to steal so many of them from me when you were small!"

When Baiyi saw this, he decided not to ask any more questions. Instead, he sniggered in his mind. 'How did you expect her to eat them?'

He figured that if he asked the bear for its opinion, it would surely ask him to help out; hence, Baiyi decided to let it be. He would cross that bridge when he got to it.

The three chatted for a little while longer before the Fairy Walker dragged Baiyi out of there, using the excuse that they had to visit the Guardian Horse couple. Even after they had left, the Fairy Walker was still holding a handful of nuts. Although she could not eat them, she did not have the heart to reject Mr. Bear's kind gesture, so she took the nuts and gave them to the students.

As Baiyi and the Fairy Walker trod down the woodland trail, headed for the Guardian Horse couple's abode, Baiyi felt a stir in the Void.

It was the Eighth Walker, who now wanted to talk to Baiyi.

The Fifth Walker finally remembered that he did, in fact, ask the Eight Walker a couple of questions, but he never expected the Eighth Walker to take such a long time to read them. Were the questions really that hard to begin with?

Contrary to his expectations, the Eighth Walker did not answer any of his questions; instead, all it said was "Let me out."

'Er…that's odd. I never knew you would want to get a taste of freedom.' Baiyi thought, bemused.

The Eighth Walker continued, speaking very slowly. "Like… her…"

Baiyi turned to the Fairy Walker and told her about its request.

A very short while later, the old militia armor had a new occupant; the Eight Walker had replaced the Fairy Walker. Its previous occupant was not the slightest bit worried about not being allowed to descend again, and that was because Baiyi still needed her to search for the Caudillo Butterfly bow; furthermore, her identity would be useful on certain occasions.

Hence, she returned to the Void in a joyful mood, intent on showing off her position as Baiyi's legitimate wife to the Puffing Piggies, the Assassin and Warrior Walkers, who she had long since defeated.

After the switch happened, the old militia armor stood still, as though lifeless. In fact, it almost seemed that the Pseudo Descent Spell had failed.

Right as Baiyi was also starting to wonder if the spell had failed, the armor mechanically raised its left hand, moving it towards at Baiyi.

"What's the matter?" Baiyi asked as he touched the armor, and then the Eight Walker gripped his hand hard.

Baiyi instantly felt that he had been hurled into another world.

His brain could not come up with appropriate words to describe what he was seeing. In fact, he had been blinded and deafened. All he could see was bright flashes of light, which were quickly consumed by rushing darkness, then he began to hear the sound of rustling.

Suddenly, his heart began to palpitate faster and harder, as though he was experiencing his worst nightmare. He was surrounded by darkness, seemingly waiting for his worst fear to emerge from the darkest reaches of his mind. Within this inescapable blanket of darkness were sharp cries that turned into needles only seconds after. Suddenly, he regained his sense of feeling, and the needles began to prick him repetitively.

Despite the seemingly innumerable amount of needles present, the pricking was over in an instant, and a bright flash of light flooded his field of view.

When the light disappeared, Baiyi found himself back at the forest. The Eight Walker had released his hand and was now standing motionlessly.

"T-this is the world you see? That's the world that can only be seen by those who have comprehended the Gnosis?" Baiyi struggled to keep his breathing steady.

The Eighth Walker nodded stiffly, but it said nothing.

"That felt like…" Baiyi tried to describe what he had seen, but to his surprise, he found his lexicon lacking.

Just as he wanted to try expressing himself again, soft sounds came from the bushes close by. Baiyi turned and saw that a strong, beautiful stallion had emerged from the bushes. Its fur was snow white, and its countenance was holy and regal. The creature stared at him with a curious expression.

There was a sharp cone on its forehead, which was glistening under the light of the sun. Was this not a unicorn, the elusive mystical beast?

The unicorn watched Baiyi for a while, then as though it had determined that Baiyi was no threat, it trotted over to and began to nudge him gently.

'Huh? Did it detect the lingering scent of the Fairy Walker on my armor?' Baiyi thought curiously.

Suddenly, the old militia armor crumpled to the floor; the Eighth Walker had somehow undone the Pseudo Descent Spell by itself. As soon as that happened, the glow in the unicorn's eyes dimmed, and an expression of sadness graced its face. It was as though it had just lost that which was most precious to it.

It was a pitiful sight. "It's alright. She's coming back," Baiyi said, then he cast the Pseudo Descent Spell one more time, and the Fairy Walker returned to the militia armor.

When the unicorn saw the militia armor stand back up, it became curious and drew closer before sniffing the armor.

Suddenly, it neighed in horror, and its front hooves struck the air. It had clearly been frightened, but instead of kicking the militia armor, its hooves returned to the ground. It was as though the unicorn was unsure of what to do next.

"Hee hee, why this silly horse! Excited that I'm back?" The Fairy Walker smirked, then she charged at the unicorn and wrapped her arms around its neck.

The unicorn's expression turned into one of helplessness mixed with misery; the same sort of look one would expect to see on a human facing the apocalypse. At this point, it was obvious that the friendliness and sadness it exhibited previously were not directed at the Fairy Walker at all.

Baiyi recalled some of the memories that the Fairy Walker had shared with him. On one of them, a young Fairy Walker and her excited young followers were running, and dozen sabercat cubs were trying to flank them. Right behind the sabercat cubs was a snow-white pony; it was doing its best to catch up to them.

"Ho ho! Long time, no see. You have grown up without me!" The Fairy Walker hugged the unicorn's neck even harder and rubbed her helm on its face. "Don't worry; I'm not gonna ask you to fish for us again, okay? After all, you're a full-fledged mystical beast now, aren't 'cha?"

As Baiyi watched them, he wondered if the unicorn had really wanted the Fairy Walker to return. From the looks of things, it was still traumatized by the actions of the young brat of old.In case you're confused, Google 'Ted (2012)'.

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362 As Bustling As A Festival

The unicorn couple was the weakest of the three guardians, and this was probably the reason why the young Fairy Walker bullied them more than the other two guardians, Mr. Bear, and Grandfather Tree. Furthermore, not only were they unable to speak, but they were also not as sentient as Mr. Bear. The only good thing about them was the fact that they were mythical beasts.

Although the unicorn did not seem to reciprocate the Fairy Walker's enthusiasm on their reunion, there were glints of relief and happiness in its eyes, which showed that it really was glad to see her back. Its species had always maintained an image of elegance and grace, so it was probably used to toning down its emotions.

When the Fairy Walker finally released the unicorn, it led the duo to see its children. The passage of time had now seen the bullied pony of before, become the mother of a small herd of ponies.

The little ponies were also snow-white in color, and none of them were tainted by odd color patches, such as aqua blue or purple. Their eyes were large and lively, not starry like cartoons, and more importantly, these ponies did not have any weird beliefs like "friendship is magic".

"Aww, look at them! They look just like you did back then." The Fairy Walker approached the little ponies and began to gently caress their manes. The ponies, who were probably already used to the scent of fairies, did not show any animosity towards the strangers; instead, they enjoyed the petting just as much as the Fairy Walker did, and this made them appear much cuter.

Baiyi was intrigued, but he was hesitant to try petting them, as he was discouraged by his earlier experience with the sabercat cubs. The ponies, however, proved to be more friendly than the felines. They approached him of their own volition and began to sniff his hands, being more amicable than the sabercat cubs.

'I knew it; ponies are better pets than kitties,' Baiyi thought.

Unlike the previous two guardians, who were both wise and insightful, the unicorn had very little advice to give. This was probably because it was still young, compared to its counterparts. By the time dusk arrived, the duo bid farewell to the unicorns and returned to Eom Village.

The village was in the middle of preparing a late feast for its guests from far away. Beautiful, slender fairies could be seen walking in and out of the huts, like butterflies diving in and out of a sea of leaves. They carried with them the best food they could prepare for the buffet.

Little Mia and the other students brought the sabercat cubs along with them as they helped with the preparations. They even managed to lift a very large cauldron, which normally required five people to carry, to the village square, using magic.

When that was done, Tisdale snapped her finger lightly, and the chopped wood underneath the cauldron was set ablaze.

Although these kinds of magic were simple ones to the students, the surrounding fairies still cheered. These fairies had seen magic before, but they did not know how magic spells were ranked, so they cheered whenever they saw flashy magic spells being performed.

Zakum the fox did not look as happy as the rest. This was because it could already tell the sort of meal these fairies would cook — vegan food — the sort of food a meat-lover like it would be unhappy about.

Eom Village was so lively at that point, it no longer seemed like they were having a dinner for the guests; it now seemed as though they were having a festival or some sorts.

Baiyi shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the comparisons, feeling a little too allergic to his "character settings".

When it was getting late in the night, the feast began. The food served was exactly what Zakum had feared it would be: nuts, berries, boiled mushrooms, baked vegetables, etc. The girls had no problem eating them, but Zakum had its gaze fixed on the juicy red meat served to the sabercat cubs. As it was one of the guests who was being celebrated, Zakum could not bring itself to snatch some of those cubs' meat.

After the meal, everyone began to dance around a large bonfire, similar to powwows hosted by certain tribes back on Earth. However, the fairies danced more gracefully and elegantly, and their beauty comprehended their dance moves so well that the visitors could not help but feel drawn to it. Soon, the girls joined in, and it was not long before loud bouts of laughter and cheers could be heard throughout the village square.

Baiyi's concentration was soon broken by the Fairy Walker, who had a little request of her own. "Darling, shall we dance?"

'Aren't you too old for this?' Baiyi thought, unamused. Then, he replied, "Dance by yourself. I have things to think about."

The Fairy's reply was a disappointed "Oh...", but she did not join the dance; instead, she shuffled close to Baiyi and leaned gently on his shoulder, watching the happy villagers dance around the bonfire.

Although Baiyi could have taken the opportunity to say or do something, he was engrossed in his thoughts, paying little attention to what was happening around him. This was not something he could help, though; after all, he had acquired so much more information on various topics than he originally expected.

'Where could the Caudillo Butterfly bow be? What do I plan to do it? What would the Wise Mad King do next? What was that power Mr. Bear showed me? I can still feel that anxiety bubbling at the dark reaches of my mind. Even those sharp stings from the needle-like sensation has not left me…'

Furthermore, all this had happened in the Fairy Kingdom — one of the territories belonging to the Godsfall Cult — making the entire situation more complicated. How could Baiyi be in the mood to enjoy the celebrations?

Just as he was deep in thought with the other Voidwalkers, he felt something soft make contact with him. He looked down and saw one of the sabercat cubs that had rejected his advances earlier. Now, however, the little furball seemed to be looking for someone to cuddle it after its dinner, and for some reason known only to it, it had come to Baiyi.

He watched the cub try its best to lift its large head and stout paws in order to clamber atop him, which was a clear indication that it was now comfortable with him. Something seemed to tick in Baiyi's head, and he picked the cub up, watching it gently snuggle against his chest and lick it. It even stretched its paws and scratched his chest plate.

"Eh? Not scared of you anymore?" the Fairy Walker muttered as she watched the cub.

"Maybe this one's genes mutated, or the cub itself evolved," Baiyi replied and poked the cub's tiny fangs, which made it playfully nibble on his fingers.

"That's preposterous. I also found it weird that the unicorn ponies approached you earlier," the Fairy Walker added, her incredulity increasing. "It's normal for an adult unicorn to be bolder, but inexperienced ponies are naturally bashful and meek. Anything that emits mana and energy would easily scare them away. Furthermore, before that, my horsey childhood playmate approached you on its own, didn't it? That's not what unicorns are known to do, you know. They don't get close to strangers easily."

"I thought it was because… well, because they picked up traces of your scent on me," Baiyi said, feeling a little embarassed.

The Fairy shook her head sideways. "That assumption seems even less likely when we consider the fact that these cubs have approached you. You see, their mother is more protective of them than other wild beasts protect their own. If you include the fact that these cubs grew up among female fairies, without letting male fairies touch them, it'll be even less likely for them to approach you — a male stranger."

She looked closer at Baiyi and said, "Something about you has changed. What happened when I went back to the Void to teach those two boyfriend-stealers a lesson?"

Baiyi told her what had happened after she left and the Eight Walker descended. The Fairy Walker listened intently, combing through the details in her head.

Finally, she asked, "Do you know the origin of the Eighth Walker?"

Baiyi shook his head sideways. Although he had exchanged memories with it, not many would expect there to be much in a tree's memories. Baiyi could not match his sentience with that of a plant, so the Eight Walker's memories seemed like a pot of glue to him; hence, it did not take long for him to remove them from his mind. Because of that, he could only remember bits and pieces of its origin. One thing he was sure about the Eight Walker was that it had lived its life as a tree. Perhaps, it may have been quite powerful, too.

"Mr. Bear once told me a legend about the Eternal Tree Ocean. In the beginning, it was just a modest patch of woods, empty and lonely. In the middle of the woods was a sacred tree that had come to be known as 'The Everlasting Tree'. This tree was said to have nurtured nature like a mother. It allowed the other trees to grow strong and healthy, which in turn made the woods become a safe haven for many other creatures to survive and proliferate, including us fairies."

"The history books of my kind also contains a record of this particular tree, describing it as the mother of the world, from who every living being was borne. The fairies had come to the world through her fruits, which made the tree sounded even greater than Mr. Bear had described.

"Many have tried to find this fabled tree, but no one was successful. In the end, the tales were said to be a myth, and modern people treat it as a fantasy of old," the Fairy Walker said.

As Baiyi looked at the dancing fairies, he replied, "You don't honestly believe that the Eighth Walker is, in fact, the Everlasting Tree, right? I don't see any resemblance between you fairies and it. Plus, there really isn't any evidence to prove that our fellow Voidwalker is the Everlasting Tree. It could just be a creature as mysterious as Mr. Bear," Baiyi concluded.

"You don't happen to believe that Mr. Bear is just an ordinary being, right?" The Fairy sourly asked.

"Of course not. After all, the Eighth Walker is one of us. No ordinary being could ever become a Voidwalker," Baiyi replied.Ouch.It's not my cup of tea, but many do like "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", right?Y'all remember that he is never quiet and happy about festivals?

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363 Ambush

Hence, the Eight Walker was easily one of the most enigmatic Voidwalkers. Baiyi and the other Voidwalkers had tried to interact with it, but they did not get much in the way of an actual reply. This was not unexpected because it was of a different species. It was not like this universe allowed people to have clothes-vanishing transformation sequences before piloting mechas, aka Gundam.

Descending to the real world just so that it could share what it felt with Baiyi was the most notable action the Eight Walker had ever undertaken since it became a Voidwalker. After doing that, the Eight Walker had quietly slipped back into the recesses of the Void. It probably thought that it had achieved its purpose, seeing as Baiyi was now more concerned about the problem the great druid, Grandfather Tree, had told him about.

"Huh, come to think of it, that… feeling it showed me back then was really indescribable. It is a bit similar to psychic sensing of sorcerers. However, unlike psychic sensing, this feeling was passive; it felt like I was receiving a torrent of information and knowledge. It was really, really remarkable," Baiyi said. During his recollection, he subconsciously unleashed his own psychic energy so that he could make the comparison.

However, a few moments after unleashing his psychic energy, he knew something was amiss. He quickly stood up, and a black book appeared atop his right hand. As soon as it appeared, the pages of the book began to flip on their own. A ring of formations suddenly appeared in front of him, and then each formation shot outward to occupy a corner of the immediate surrounding.

"Wh-what's the matter?" The Fairy Walker asked as she leaped to her feet.

Baiyi did not answer; he was already chanting the incantation for a mighty forbidden defense spell. Little Mia, who had just been dancing, suddenly crumpled to one knee as a wave of nausea hit her. This was because her Soul Armature had just drawn out a large amount of mana from their connection.

A kind fairy quickly rushed over to help her, and at that same moment, a dazzling ray of golden light flashed in the sky and began to form a golden dome around the village square.

This forbidden spell was none other than Svalinn — the same defense spell the Archmage had used to defend himself from the Lich Walker, during their simulated fight.

At that point in time, the fairies still did not know what was going on. They looked up and pointed at the golden barrier, which had appeared out of nowhere and encased them. Suddenly, a bright shooting star, whose end left a blazing trail in the air, tore through the pitch-black night sky, heading straight for the square.

The fairies did not have time to scream before the shooting star struck the golden barrier and exploded on impact, creating dangerous flames and causing the ground below to quake violently. The flames from the explosions reached the trees outside the golden tome, and they were instantly set alight, making the village square seem like it had been built in the midst of a sea of flames.

The shooting star was a very dangerous forbidden fire spell called 'Fire and Brimstones'! In moments, the spell had turned Eom Village into an infernal ruin. If it wasn't for Baiyi's timely rescue with Svalinn, the full impact of the spell would not just have decimated the village; it would have also destroyed 2,000 yards of forest close to the area of impact.

When the fairies finally recovered from their daze, they did not panic or run around screaming. They stood calmly still, but tears could be seen dripping down their faces as they quietly watched the flames, which no one had seen coming, destroy what was left of their homes.

The astounding composure the villagers displayed in the face of despair was a result of the mandatory Gale Sniper training they had once received.

"Is anybody hurt?" The fairy Elder's voice boomed. "Stay close, everyone. No one flees on their own. Adults, watch your own kids!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind Baiyi. "What happened?"

It was the ever-so-huggable Mr. Bear. Baiyi had no idea how it had suddenly arrived there all the way from its abode in the depth of the woods.

However, he did have the luxury of time to think about it. "I'll put the fire out," he said, and the black book began to flip its own pages again, preparing a forbidden water spell to douse the raging flames.

"Allow me," Mr. Bear said and raised its soft, round paw before taking a swipe at nothing in particular.

The flames instantly subsided. It was as though an invisible blanket had wrung out all the oxygen within it, snuffing the fire out in one fell swoop, leaving behind only charred wood and charcoal.

"Good. I'll go after the mastermind," Baiyi said in a steely voice, and he soared into the air. Suddenly, another familiar voice rang out from below him. "There's no need to, for they have already fled."

The voice had come from a blade of grass! It was obvious that this was the great druid, Grandfather Tree, who had just arrived. Unfortunately, only a few greens had survived the raging flames, so this blade of grass was the best the great druid could occupy.

Mr. Bear grabbed a lone mushroom that had survived the flames but was uprooted by the blast. It quickly planted the mushroom, giving Grandfather Tree a more presentable plant to occupy. "Those knaves fled the scene as soon as they released the forbidden spell. For them to escape through the air… means that they must have known of my existence. Once they were off the ground, I was powerless to do anything."

'What happened to the image of a wise, powerful being you showed us before? Did you really go from 100 to 0 the moment the enemies took to the air? Really, you're a lot less useful than the druids on Earth,' Baiyi lampooned the great druid in his mind.

"Their attack was nigh undetectable. It was as if they are privy to a method that can completely mask the energy vibrations of forbidden spells. If I did not happen to be examining my psychic energy at the time, I would have never been able to detect the bizarre magical undulations from their spell, and I would not have been able to cast the shield spell on time…"

Just who had been able to fire off such a cold, calculative strike like that, which almost escaped Baiyi's detection?

'It must have been them. The Godsfall cult.'

The reason why they chose to use Fire and Brimstones was obvious: the area of effect of this spell was quite large, making it the perfect spell to use against Eom Village; it was a much better choice than spells with more precision and a smaller area of effect. Hence, they had no need to use their psychic energy to keep the spell locked on to the village after they had cast it; instead, from afar, they just cast the spell in the general direction of the village.

A spell this flamboyant had a gaping weakness, though: it emitted too much mana undulations. Once it was cast, it would draw the attention of perceptive enemies, so it was not a good spell for an ambush. Furthermore, the spell required a lot of materials to be prepared before it could be cast, so it could not be considered overpowered. …

However, to an organization like Godsfall, these problems were nothing. They were able to construct barriers that are even powerful enough to mask the undulations emitted by something as strong as Void Energy. With this barrier, they had made up for Fire and Brimstones' biggest weakness. Moreover, with their supple amount of financial and material resources, the expensive preparation required to cast Fire and Brimstone was easily covered.

With that, Godsfall had managed to cull Fire and Brimstones' weaknesses, thereby turning the spell into one most suitable for an ambush. If Baiyi had not been present, the fate of everyone in the village would have been sealed.

"It's the Wise Mad King's people! T-that psychopath! H-he finally got sick of pretending and is now coming for our lives, isn't he?" The Fairy Elder, who had been comforting the people in the square earlier, bellowed. "It is a blessing that none of us here lost our lives, but I wish I could say the same for our village and our friends…"

His gaze shifted to the Sabercat carcasses, which were already burnt beyond recognition.

As Baiyi's Svalinn was not large enough to cover the entire village, the Sabercats, who had been resting a few inches outside the protective barrier, had been burnt to crisps. Only the Sabrecat cub in Baiyi's arms had survived, and the little ball of fur was trembling at the loss of its mother and siblings. It nestled even closer to Baiyi and let out feeble whimpers.

Baiyi passed the cub to the Fairy Walker, who not only had to comfort the little cub but also had to make sure that the Fifth Walker's students were alright. After that, Baiyi turned to face Mr. Bear and the fairy Elder. "This place isn't safe anymore. Another silent but deadly ambush like that can be cast at any time. The only way to save yourselves is to leave here, and seek asylum under Mr. Bear's protection."

The great druid nodded. "That poor soul… It has already lost his sanity, hasn't it? Tonight, everyone should be transferred to my cave. Ask the unicorns to help, and perhaps, we will be safe tonight."

"Protect the villagers… and my students," Baiyi added. "I'll take care of the rest."

Mr. Bear's eyes widened in surprise at how confident the Soul Armature had sounded. It shuffled closer to Baiyi and began sniffing him, and suddenly an expression of overwhelming joy appeared on its face. "Di—Did it summon you here? No wonder… That explains why I detected that familiar scent…"

Baiyi froze momentarily but he quickly understood. However, he had no time to explain, so he only nodded and said, "I'm its proxy."

"If that is the case, then I'm already relieved," Mr. Bear said, grinning.

The two had only just met each other, yet the bear now had complete confidence in him.

A thought briefly entered Baiyi's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it for the time being. He hurried to his students, and after making sure they were alright, he led them to Mr. Bear.

Mia was too scared to hug anything, no matter how cute they were, so Mr. Bear was speared from her usual curiosity and hugs. She could only stare blankly at the great druid, making it feel like it was some sort of strange toy.

"These are my students, all of whom I treasure. Please, take care of them for me," Baiyi said.

"Not to worry," Grandfather Tree, who was currently inhabiting a mushroom, replied somberly.

With that, Baiyi turned to his students and spoke clearly, saying, "Everyone, take care of yourself, alright? When in danger, remember the moves I taught you."

He proceeded to ruffle Mia's hair and said, "Don't be afraid. Where's Sharkie? Time for it to do its thing."

"Mr. Hope, are you risking your life for us again?" The girl brought out the hammerhead shark plushie from her storage pouch, hugged it tightly, and stared at him pitifully.

"Nah; I'm hardly risking anything. Not a lot of things in this world could pose a threat to me," he replied, pinching the girl's cheeks lightly.

Then, he sent one of the Voidwalkers in the Void into the plushie.

"Bwahahahaha! Finally, it is I! It is I was let out! Alas, I… finally get to possess the plushie! Mwahahahahaha!!!"

The Cleric's manic laughter echoed in the Void, even though his consciousness was already in the plushie. This made the skins of the other Voidwalkers tingle, but Baiyi had no choice.

Out of the many Voidwalkers, this theurgy-adept gentleman was the one most accomplished in defense.As I'm not a Gundam fan (not a mecha fan in general), I'm not sure what's hinted at this joke either. Do people, uh, gain a cross-species understanding of robots through nude transformation sequence?Reminds me of a certain blind earthbender

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364 The Noose Is Tightening

After designating a few tasks, Baiyi and the Fairy Walker took to the air and zoomed off. The Fairy Walker lead the way because she could pinpoint where the energy undulations let out by the Caudillo Butterfly Bow was coming from. If the Wise Mad King was crazy enough to destroy a village, there was no reason to think that he would hold anything back from killing Baiyi's cheap grandniece-in-law.

Hence, Baiyi had to act immediately. The night was long enough for many unsettling things to occur.

The poor Fairy Walker was in a somewhat unstable state. Baiyi had to call out to her multiple times before he could get her attention.

Unsure of how to comfort her, the Fifth Walker could only slow down and say, "Um… Everything will be fine. The village could still be rebuilt—"

"I was just thinking," the Fairy's said, with self-loathing, interrupting him, "That, perhaps, an unfortunate woman like myself should have never returned home. I have brought misfortune to the village, again."

"No, no!" Baiyi quickly rebutted. "It's not your fault at all. This is all on me. When a simple welcome dinner began to bustle as much as festivals did, I realized it, but I did nothing, even though we both know what festivals are like."

"You… you know you have always acted pig-headedly, but sometimes, you say things that make a girl smile," the Fairy Walker replied softly. Suddenly, she froze, and a look of panic appeared on her face as she yelled, "Little Nydore is in trouble! She's already using the Caudillo Butterfly Bow! It's just as you said; the enemy struck very quickly!'

"Then, there's no time to fly at this speed," Baiyi said before increasing his flight speed drastically, rushing in the direction the Fairy Walker was pointing at. Not only had he just dragged the Fairy Walker along, but he had also jacked the range of his psychic energy sensing to the maximum, hoping he would not miss any anomalies that occurred in the vicinity.

A second after he jacked his psychic energy, something unexpected happened. Baiyi detected a change in his psychic sensing. It made him remember what the Eight Walker had made him see, a while ago. His vision began to change as large swathes of lurid colors filled the area in front of him. It made Baiyi feel as though he was wearing night vision goggles.

With the change in his psychic sensing, Baiyi could now see a large, red area in the distance; it was in the same direction that the Fairy Walker was pointing at. Although the area was still very far away, the crimson color within it was bright and, for some reason, vulgar. It made his body hairs stand on end. Baiyi had felt this before, but back then, he had no idea what it meant.

Now, he understood. This was a sign that a heated battle was in full swing.

'There is something odd about this place as well.'

Baiyi's flight came to a sudden stop, and he looked downward. Moments later, he landed close to the buttress root of a large tree. He quickly crouched and began to rummage through the fallen, dried leaves underneath its canopy.

The Fairy Walker was a little puzzled, but Baiyi said nothing and continued to search. With the new vision that had come with his psychic energy, Baiyi found a single leaf that was different from the others.

On closer examination, one would see that it was not a leaf; it was actually a dragon scale that had a strange rune inscribed on it.

One could use dragon scales for many things, but inscribing magic runes on it for whatever purpose was very rare to witness. Although magic runes could remain for a very long time, most would not lose their enchanted items, especially in places like these. Hence, this enchanted dragon scale must have something to do with Godsfall, Baiyi believed.

"Analyze this for me, and find out what its purpose is," Baiyi said to the Voidwalkers as he showed them the dragon scale, and after that, he took to the air, with the Fairy Walker in tow, and sped off in the direction of the red area.

Baiyi's cheap grandniece-in-law was in trouble.

The girl was only five-hundred years old, and she had only just gotten her Zephyr title, but she was now facing her most grueling battle ever.

She only had eight men and eight sabercats at her side, while the enemies numbered over two hundred. The Zephyr's team were cornered in a rift valley within the woods. The enemies contained sorcerers, heavy knights, archers, and even assassins. They had many small team combinations they could pull off.

As if things could not get any worse, the enemies seemed to know how to perfectly counter Gale Snipers. They had erected a wide barrier around themselves, so arrows fired by Gale Snipers would do very little damage to them.

The dark night did not favor the fairies. This was a battle they saw no hope of winning. Only Nydore, the Zephyr, who was now using the Caudillo Butterly Bow, had managed to deal some damage, thereby reducing the enemies' numbers. The seven Gale Snipers with her were nothing more than deadweights to her now. If not for the complex geography and the fact that the enemies clearly wanted Nydore alive, the Zephyr's team would have been slain long ago.

"Father! Take Nydore with you and flee! We can still hold them off for a while!" Behind a broken boulder, a young, handsome male fairy was hurriedly speaking to an older male fairy, who had a goatee and a manly disposition that made him resemble a middle-aged bishonen.

"If anyone should flee, it would have to be you, youngsters!" The middle-aged fairy said before propelling himself above the boulder. He did a complete 360-degree spin in midair and fired off a straight arrow. At that same moment, he ducked, and an arrow whistled past his head. His arrow, on the other hand, pierced through a tree, which an enemy sorcerer had been hiding behind. The arrow struck the protective barrier in front of the sorcerer.

'Ding!' A piercing sound echoed through the already noisy forest as the barrier shattered. Alarmed, the sorcerer halted his chanting and ducked, all the while trying to repair the barrier.

The middle-aged fairy used that moment of reprieve to flee with his son. With his son in tow, he leaped over the border and streaked through the woods with a series of agile leaps and ducks, and soon, their silhouettes vanished into the darkness of the rift valley.

If the middle-aged fairy had not used that chance to escape, they would have been killed by a magical explosion or arrows fired by an enemy archer, whose attack the middle-aged fairy had to dodge only moments ago.

"This is not good. Without the help of a druid, we can't possibly persevere against the enemy's sorcerers. Damn it! Where is the druid who inhabits this part of the woods? Hasn't this fight made enough noise and caused enough damage to rouse it?" The middle-aged fairy groaned as he tried to catch his breath.

Two Gale Snipers suddenly leaped over the boulder which the father and son were hiding behind. One of them was grimacing in pain from an arrow that had pierced his butt.

"Bairn of the Grover clan, you good?" The middle-aged fairy asked.

"Sir of the Clearaquaen clan, I'm fine. It's only a scratch," The Gale Sniper replied, gritting his teeth as he pulled the arrow out. Fortunately for him, it did not pierce deep enough to damage any bone.

Nydore, too, had taken managed to retreat to the back of a huge tree, with the help of two other fairies. She reached over to her quiver and found nothing.

"I used the last of my arrows to kill a few more. Get me new arrows, now!"

The middle-aged fairy was not happy with that announcement. His gazed shifted to the bow in Nydore's hands, and he saw something silver at its side.

When the Zephyr received the bow from the Fairy Elder in Eom Village, it resembled a standard blackwood bow, and now, silver spots resembling butterfly wings had appeared on both sides of the bow.

The more the Caudillo Butterfly Bow is used, the more it changes. At first, it would resemble a normal bow, but as the number of times it is used increases, its power would grow exponentially, and it would begin to change. The little silver spots were only the beginning of its transformation. At full power, the bow would change into a large butterfly.

And when the box had reached its maximum power, its form would change into that of a butterfly, and the silver spots would leave the bow, becoming little butterfly-shaped motes of light. These motes of light will begin orbiting the bow, even when the user fires off arrows that could shatter the hardest materials in the world. Even if the user only flicked the bowstring lightly, the damage would still be as mental.

The price of such power? The worst of them all: the banishment of the wielder's existence.

The weaker the innate skill of a user was, the quicker the bow changed and the sooner they had to pay the ultimate price. The Caudillo Butterfly Bow was never intended to be an ultimate weapon of power, as Zephyrs weren't elected to use it in battle; they were elected to control it.

The middle-aged fairy stopped his son from giving Nydore his quiver of arrows. "Zephyr, you should not use its power any longer," he warned gravely.

"It's going to be alright, uncle," Nydore said with a forced smile. She looked down at the silver spots, and her expression darkened.

Naturally, she, too, knew the secret of the Caudillo Butterfly Bow; after all, she was the Zephyr of the current generation. What she had not expected, though, was for the bow to begin transforming as soon as she began using it.

Had she been this unskilled all along?

She remembered a discussion the adults in her family used to have amongst themselves in the past. It was about a troublemaking fairy girl from the Sidhe family. This fairy's grandmother once wielded the Caudillo Butterfly Bow, too. When this young fairy was handed the Caudillo Butterfly Bow, she used it to shoot pebbles she had placed on the heads of innocent mole rats. When the Elder of the village got wind of this, he almost burnt his beard in fright.

Despite how frivolously this young fairy, who she later realized was her grandaunt, had used it, the bow did not transform.

'Is that how far behind I am compared to her?'

Nydore shook her head sideways; now was not the time to think about these. What she had to focus on was how to get out of this, alive.

However, she did not know how she could escape without using the Caudillo Butterfly Bow. All she could feel was guilt. Had she not attacked the troop they encountered the day before — a choice she made on impulse — she would not have exposed her location, attracting many more enemies over.

The way she saw it, she had only two choices: she could either draw out as much power as she could from the Caudillo Butterfly Bow to force an opening, or she could venture to the back of the rift valley, hoping that there was a way out there. Failing to make a choice soon would cost her and her counterparts their lives, for the enemies were drawing even closer, sealing off the remaining paths they could escape from.

Luck was not on her side. One Gale Sniper, who was assigned to scout the area ahead, returned with bad news: there was no exit at the end of the rift valley. As if that was not enough bad news, they were informed that they were no more hiding places which would give them as much breathing room as their current location.

It seemed the enemies had known this all along, so they must have forced the fairies into this corner on purpose; it was checkmate.

The enemy had come prepared.

"I have no other choice, then." Nydore's grip on the Caudillo Butterfly Bow tightened as the remaining wisps of indecision left her. "Give me all of your arrows, and follow me. We'll force our way out of here!"I'm already seeing it… In turn-based tactical strategy game mode!

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365 A Dilemma

Nydore's expression was easier to read than she had thought; the Gale Snipers could tell what she had decided to do, despite being under the cover of the dark nightscape. They began to falter, unsure of whether or not they should hand their arrows over to her.

"No. I'll create a distraction while you flee with the bow! All you need do is to get close to our village, and Tree Gramps will surely emerge to protect you," The middle-aged Gale Sniper replied immediately.

"But, what about you? What about all of you?" She exclaimed. "Your youngest child was just borne! If I return without you, how will I ever forgive myself?"

It was no surprise that they could not come to an agreement; after all, Gale Snipers were strong guards tasked with protecting Eom Village, so they did not have as much battle experience as professional martial organizations and military units. Furthermore, these Gale Snipers did not have a commander amongst them who could make the best decisions after thinking clearly. Hence, they were faced with a dilemma; they could either buy time for the Zephyr to escape with the bow, or they could allow the Zephyr to buy them time to escape.

No one wanted to die.

However, indecision was a trait that always ushered in disaster. They had wasted too much time arguing amongst themselves, and their enemies had them completely surrounded. The enemy sorcerers began to chant simultaneously, so the fairies were forced to make a decision.

The middle-aged fairy cried out, "Fall back!"

The Gale Snipers maintained their formation and fired arrows at the encircling enemies, and as they did that, they slowly fell back, towards the deep end of the valley, even though they knew that there was no way out of there.

Amidst the chaos, a quiet silhouette snuck through the crowded woods, inching ever closer to Nydore's back. Suddenly, a silver arc flashed, rushing towards the Zephyr's swan-like neck, like a mantis going for its prey.

Nydore did not realize what was happening; her mind was already clouded by anxiety and a little bit of hopelessness. She only realized she was in danger when she felt the cold edge of a blade pressed against her neck. Before she could struggle, a deep voice resounded from behind her.

"Don't move if you value your lif—"

That last word did not leave the silhouette's mouth, and his dagger fell to the floor with a clanking sound.

The mantis may have gotten the prey, but a canary had been watching it — and now, the canary had struck.

Nydore instinctively spun around as soon as the threat was gone, but the calm that had just reached her heart was replaced with horror when she saw what was behind her. It was a peculiar looking Soul Armature, who bore an uncanny resemblance to a bandit from the wild, wild west. The Soul Armature's arm was raised, and in his grip was the assassin who had just threatened her. His head was now hanging to the side limply — proof that his neck had been snapped.

"Yo! Sorry for my tardiness; I got distracted by something shiny along the way," Baiyi greeted Nydore.

The Zephyr, who had yet to come to terms with what had just happened, quickly reached for her quiver, only to find it empty. Acting on instinct, she faced the Soul Armature and swung the Caudillo Butterly Bow at him, intent on striking his face.

However, Baiyi made no move to dodge. Instead, in the face of the approaching strike, he smirked. "Tsk tsk. That's some poor manners. You need better parenting."

In the blink of an eye, a strange cowskin gauntlet appeared and grabbed the incoming bow. The gauntlet tugged lightly, and the Caudillo Butterfly Bow instantly squeezed itself out of Nydore's grip. It was as though she had just gifted this new arrival the bow!

Nydore was stunned. This was the village's most precious treasure! The only hope for their survival! Despite that, this new person had wrested it from her so easily.

The Fairy Walker, who was now in possession of the Caudillo Butterfly Bow, also smirked. "Aww... Helpless without some arrows?"

She twirled the bow in her hand, and it perfectly lodged itself into her grip. "Watch, darling; this is how it should be used."

What occurred next made Nydore unable to believe her own eyes. The Caudillo Butterfly had blossomed like a moonflower under the moonlight, just as the legends described. The bow had now transformed into a colossal butterfly, and the spots that previously adorned its body were now orbiting the bow.

The Fairy Walker did not have any arrows with her. She just pulled the string back gently, and the silver spots of light— which, on closer examination, resembled little butterflies — gracefully landed on the bow's nocking point. As she pulled the string back, the spots coalesced into three arrows made of light.

The Fairy Walker raised the bow, aiming at the area above the enemies. She let out a gentle breath, and her fingers lightly released the string. The three arrows of light took off into the night sky, leaving a long trail of light behind, and soon vanished into the dark horizon.

Suddenly, there were three bright explosions in the sky, and the sparks generated turned into white arrows, which plummeted downward with insane speed, towards the hostile forces below.

The scene was reminiscent of the passing of a magnificent meteor shower.

However, to the enemies, who were on the receiving end of the attack, it was nothing more than a nightmare. The first wave of arrows shattered their barriers as though they were eggs, while the subsequent waves turned them into swiss cheese. The forest was soon filled with the sounds of flesh being pierced, closely followed by howls of pain.

The elite enemy team, which had numbered two hundred, were instantly destroyed by this glittering attack.

"Now that's how you use the Caudillo Butterfly! You're pretty bad at this, kid." The Fairy Walker tut-tutted. The bow suddenly reverted back to its original form, and its silver spots vanished.

"Catch!" The Fairy Walker said, tossing the bow back to Nydore.

"G-gah!" The girl cried as she shakily caught the bow. Her gaze, however, remained on the two odd looking Soul Armatures, who had just rescued her from a threat that had almost finished off her and her Gale Sniper companions. Still shocked, she mumbled, "Th-thanks? Tha-thanks for helping us? Um, uh… have we met before?"

"Looks like the coast is clear," said the middle-aged fairy, who had just returned to senses after watching the spectacular rescue. He instructed his son to scout for any survivors, theirs or the enemies', and he walked towards the Fairy Walker. "That… was the Shower of Arrows — an ultimate technique known only to the Sidhe clan! I heard that, other than the ancestor who invented the technique, only one person could perfectly use the skill."

"Huh?!" Nydore cried softly. As the Zephyr of the current generation, she also knew about the legends of her own clan. She gazed at the Fairy Walker in astonishment and exclaimed, "You can't… you can't possibly be my grandaunt, right?"

"And here I thought you would realize it the moment I arrived!" The Fairy replied a little sourly. She took a few steps forward and ruffled Nydore's hair. "You're not a very bright child, are you?"

"Alright; now's not the time for catching up. We barely had enough time, to begin with," Baiyi said, cutting into the conversation before a flashback scene would ensue. The situation was still dire; they had only solved a minor problem.

After all, it had only been four hours since Eom Village was destroyed by the enemies' forbidden fire spell!

It had been difficult for Nydore and her team to hold off the attacks for as long as they had. Baiyi and the Fairy Walker had taken a long time to arrive partially because the Zephyr was far away from Eom Village. The other reason they had arrived late was because they had met trouble along the way.

After Baiyi found the dragon scale, he and the Fairy Walker began rushing in Nydore's direction, but they were ambushed a few times by hidden enemies; however, after witnessing Baiyi's strength, the enemies turned tail and fled. Baiyi gave chase and made sure to erase them from existence.

Along the way, Baiyi was ambushed three times. Whenever the ambushing enemies had fired off enough attacks to warrant a response from Baiyi, they would suddenly stop suddenly and flee. It was as though they had been tasked with delaying him, but Baiyi gave chase regardless; he knew he could quickly finish them off.

After finishing off the last team of ambushers, the Scholar Walker finished deciphering the rune on the dragon scale. Although it seemed complex at first glance, it was nothing more than a rune for detection, which could cover a large range.

Baiyi suddenly had an ominous feeling. He quickly took out his communication slab and tried to contact his students, but the signal was heavily distorted. He put it away and tried to see through the eyes of the Hammerhead Shark plushie in Mia's possession, but he could not! He turned his attention to the Void and looked for the lingering consciousness of the Cleric Walker. When he found it, it was already in full battle mode!

It was at that moment that the Fairy Walker solemnly reminded him that the Caudillo Butterfly had begun transforming, meaning that Nydore was in big trouble.

Baiyi found himself between a rock and a hard place. One involved rescuing his cheap granddaughter-in-law, Nydore, and securing the Caudillo Butterfly Bow, which he had originally arrived in Marle to obtain. The other involved his precious students, who were now in danger.

He had almost no time to make a decision, and this caused him to feel really anxious.

However, when Baiyi took another look at the lingering consciousness of the Cleric Walker, he realized that the Voidwalker had not sent him an SOS, or even tried to contact him, meaning that whatever was happening over there was still under control. This was understandable because the enigmatic Mr. Bear and the great druid, Grandfather Tree, were also there to protect his students and the other fairy survivors.

He quickly calmed down and decided to continue pushing forward, hoping to reach Nydore in time.

Looking back, Baiyi believed he had made the right choice.

"Alright; now, clearly tell me what happened to you all, " Baiyi said to Nydore.

After listening to what she had to say, Baiyi came to a conclusion in his mind: the Wise Mad King was really a bastard."And you're lucky, cause I'm the very best daddy this universe has ever seen, and I think there's still a daughter position that you can fill…"— Holy Sh*t. … To the Musings, away!!!

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366 My Script Was Perfec

366. My Script Was Perfect

Nydore's tale was not too long, so she did not take too much to tell it.

Her group of eight had initially left the village to dissuade the Wise Mad King from sending more underlings to convey his "love". This was a traditional method of gently saying 'no' to a suitor.

For this group of 8, who were all fairies — a race that loved nature — this venture was a happy getaway. As they were traveling, they had to take shelter and sleep in the woods for long periods of time. One day, Nydore discovered a suspicious looking group moving through the woods.

It was a caravan containing fairies, humans, dwarves, and even goblins — a race always hidden in catacombs. This combination was enough to make anyone suspicious. Fairies had a lot of ego and pride, so they would never be caught in the same vicinity as dwarves and goblins, who they considered low and unruly.

Nydore's group began to stalk this suspicious caravan. Fueling their suspicion, even more, was the fact that this caravan moved to random areas of the woods, as though it had no set destination. Whenever the caravan stopped at a certain area, its passengers would clear away the trees and grass there, and after that, they would draw strange patterns that Nydore and her group did not recognize. Once done, the passengers would cover their drawings up with fallen leaves before the caravan moved on to another area.

No matter how one saw it, the inhabitants of the caravan did not seem to be up to any good. Nydore wanted to stop them right then and there, but the middle-aged, handsome fairy had stopped her in time. Instead, they sent details of their discovery back to Eom Village via carrier pigeon, but the village never replied.

They had no further contact with the village after that. This was not surprising, however, because of the method with which they used to communicate; carrier pigeons were not difficult to intercept.

A few days later, Nydore's team spotted even more caravans similar to the first. This increased the scale of their bizarre activities, and soon, large swathes of the forest had been destroyed and burned. Atop their ashes were the same strange drawings and some bizarre-looking alters.

Nydore could no longer turn a blind eye to their destruction. Although she still had no idea what they were up to, she was sure that whatever it was would not be good news for the woods. Hence, yesterday, she shot an arrow at one of the caravans.

Although there were only eight Gale Snipers in Nydore's group, the archery prowess of a single Gale Sniper was no joke; it took them very little effort to finish off the inhabitants of the caravan that they attacked. After the massacre, the Gale Snipers went over to see what they could salvage from the corpses, but before they could begin their search, the enemies' corpses burst into flames. There was no clue to be found from the ashes that were left behind.

The events that ensued after that was what Baiyi had witnessed. A guerilla troop of enemies found the group from Eom Village and began to attack them. They fought for hours until Nydore's group had backed themselves into a corner, and that was when Baiyi had swooped in to save the day.

Suddenly, the Cleric Walker sent Baiyi a message in the Void, informing him that the battle in Eom Village was over.

A great amount of relief washed over Baiyi.

After listening to Nydore, Baiyi had a general idea of what had happened. Everything had been the doing of the Godsfall cult. It was obvious that his old friends were planning something big and sinister.

"I'm curious; are you gonna celebrating any festivals anytime soon?" Baiyi asked.

"Huh? That's a random question. Well, the next festival is to be held next month," Nydore answered, bemused.

At this point, Baiyi glanced at the Fairy Walker, and she returned an innocent look. No one else caught this, though, because she was, after all, currently a Soul Armature.

After pondering about everything that had happened so far, Baiyi felt he had deduced the Wise Mad King plans. He believed that the Wise Mad King had originally intended to attract the ire of the traditionalist fairies, but before he could enact his plans, he learned that the Divine Guardian Weapon of the traditionalist fairies was the Caudillo Butterfly Bow; furthermore, it was in the hands of the current Zephyr. Hence, the Wise Mad King decided to focus on the current Zephyr. What others thought was him professing his love to her, was actually him attempting to get her to leave the village, removing herself from the protection of Mr. Bear and the great druid, Grandfather Tree.

In the meantime, the Wise Mad King leaked news of the Caudillo Butterfly Bow to the public, causing a spike in the number of visitors that Eom Village received. He used this chance to sneak some of his underlings, who were disguised as visitors, into the woods, where they set up a number of spells, including the massive shield which blocked energy undulations.

As for the dragon scale that Baiyi had found, the amount of mana within the scale allowed Baiyi to estimate when the rune was inscribed on it, which was about a month before. This tied in with the details the fairies at Eom Village had provided him. Baiyi also deduced that the enemies had used dragon scales so that the draconic aura within the scales could scare off other beasts, preventing their plans from being disturbed.

After all that, the Wise Mad King waited for the elusive beauty, Nydore, to fall into his trap. He had also ordered an attack on Eom Village so that he could deal with its inhabitants on the same night he believed he would acquire the Caudillo Butterfly Bow.

When Baiyi showed up in Marle, the Wise Mad King did not worry; he just adjusted his plans to ensure Baiyi was faced with a dilemma — the same dilemma he had now overcome. If Baiyi had not left the Cleric Walker behind, the chances of the Wise Mad King successfully eliminating Little Mia would have been much higher. If she was killed, her Soul Armature would lose the only connection he had to the world, causing him to dissipate into nothing. When that happened, the three biggest obstacles the Wise Mad King faced — Baiyi, the traditionalist fairies, and the Caudillo Butterfly Bow — would have disappeared in one night; it was indeed an exceptional plan!

This was why Baiyi found this enemy difficult to handle. Instead of facing in one-on-one, they employed schemes that made Baiyi's lack of manpower work for them.

The Wise Mad King almost succeeded, too. He had prepared resources and manpower. The members of the team he sent to attack the village's survivors were all veteran fighters with near-automatic and accurate reflexes. This showed how intricate the Wise Mad King had been in his plans to eliminate the traditionalist fairies.

When Baiyi and the Fairy Walker arrived at the rift valley, they did not immediately join the fray; instead, Baiyi stealthily killed the enemies' most skilled sorcerers. This was why Nydore and her team had so much time to themselves before being surrounded by the enemies. Baiyi had seen the enemies hold back a lot, so he deduced that they were given a directive to do just that.

At that point, one question still lingered in his head: why had the enemies not attacked a bit more forcefully? They could have captured Nydore alone, so there was no need to hold back against the others. Where they afraid of the powers of the Caudillo Butterfly Bow? Or, had they believed that Baiyi would come to her aid, thereby leaving the survivors of Eom Village at their mercy?

Baiyi asked Nydore to pass him the bow for a closer inspection. She was reluctant at first, but when she saw how much her grandaunt clung to him, she realized that refusal would be akin to stoking her grandaunt's wrath. Moreover, Baiyi was older than her, and he had a frightening aura about him. Hence, in the end, she handed the bow over to him, albeit reluctantly.

As soon as Baiyi touched the bow, he understood why the enemy troop was not heavy-handed in their attacks.

The Caudillo Butterfly Bow was not a bow at all! It was set a Laws, or, at least, something that possessed attributes similar to Laws. These Laws had been combined into a 'mechanism' that made the Caudillo Butterfly Bow what it was. If there was no 'mechanism', the bow in Baiyi's hand would only be a normal blackwood longbow.

This would explain why the Caudillo Butterfly Bow returned to Eom Village by itself after its previous wielder, the Fairy Walker, was banished to the Void. This led Baiyi to believe that Wise Mad King had tried to capture Nydore alive because he knew the truth about the Caudillo Butterfly Bow.

Baiyi suddenly felt really interested in conducting extensive research on this amazing Law.

Alas, he could not ignore the pleading look in his granddaughter-in-law's eyes. Besides, with the Fairy Walker watching him, Baiyi knew he would not be able to do anything too suggestive, so he returned the bow to Nydore, albeit reluctantly, after a brief inspection.

Baiyi consoled himself by reminding himself that he had to find out what had happened in Eom Village while he was away. Now that he knew that the Wise Mad King had been plotting his scheme for a long time, he realized that the team sent to attack Eom Village would consist of very skilled fighters. This was because the Wise Mad King would have taken the presence of the village's three guardians — the Unicorns, Mr. Bear, and Grandfather Tree — into account.

'So, how did this enemy team, which consisted of the Wise Mad King's best men, end up getting defeated?'

The same thought was plaguing the Wise Mad King, and he could not stop his face from contorting when he listened to the reports coming in!

The mission reports arrived in the early hours of the new day, and the Wise Mad King had forgone a lust-filled romp with his concubines to listen to the results. He had remained with the Royal Principle Advisor throughout the night, waiting for any news. When reports came in that Nydore's group were almost cornered and that Baiyi had left Eom Village, he smiled as though victory was already in his grasp.

According to his plans, if Hope went to rescue Nydore, the survivors of the Eom Village would be slain, including his darling little Soul Armature Practitioner, causing Baiyi to disappear forever. After that, he would dispatch reinforcements to help secure Nydore and the Caudillo Butterfly Bow. Even if Hope selfishly chose to stay back and protect his students, the Wise Mad King would still obtain the Zephyr and her divine bow. He planned to use the bow to destroy Hope at a later date. It was all coming together!

If Hope left to save Nydore and got delayed for too long by the ambushes, the Wise Mad King would be able to obtain the divine bow and kill Eom Village's survivors. Lost cost with high returns!

However, he had never expected Hope to arrive in time to save Nydore and eliminate his guerilla troop. Furthermore, the elite team he had sent to what remained of Eom Village was defeated, despite Hope being absent. The team had suffered so many losses, they had been forced to retreat!

"Impossible!" The Mad King bellowed in fury, as he ripped the reports to pieces. "I've been reserving every stratagem for this operation, organizing intensive and extensive drills, laying every chesspiece as per our plan—only to fail two objectives in one go. Haha! Hahahahaha…"

How exactly had Eom Village been able to defend itself against his elite team?And this is when an epic theme song of the good guys— like that Fairy tail theme or whatever— played in the background as the bad guy stomps his feet in frustration!!

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367 Traitor

The Royal Principle Advisor, who was just as perturbed as his boss, did not dare laugh alongside the Wise Mad King; he just remained calm and quiet, turning over their failed strategy in his head. He then asked, "Have we underestimated the powers of the three guardians? Or, did that traitor lie to us?"

These were the only explanations he could come up with for their unexpected failure.

In order to erase the traditionalist fairies, who the Wise Mad King considered royal pains in his behind, he had made preparations for months. He began by leading outsiders to flood the village and its surrounding woods, creating an opportunity for some of his people to infiltrate the woods, in order to lay traps for later. Whenever these traps got activated, they would form a huge barrier over the woods, which would serve to jam all forms of communication with those outside the barrier and prevent energy undulations from escaping the barrier. This way, the traditionalist fairies in Eom Village would be isolated, unable to seek help from other traditionalist fairies.

The plan also included striking Eom Village with a forbidden spell at a later date, and after that, they would invade whatever was left of the village with a large troop of elites. By then, Eom Village should still be recuperating from the first attack, thus making its survivors unable to handle the elite troop. Even if Eom Village were to somehow mitigate the forbidden spell, they would suffer a huge psychological blow, causing them to plunge to the pits of despair. In this state, they would be unable to do anything but surrender when the elite troops arrive.

Even if the residents of Eom Village still decided to fight, the Wise Mad King was confident that his elite troop, who were superior in number and amount of resources owned, would be able to clash with the villagers head-on. The Wise Mad King had only given a bit more thought to the presence of the three guardians.

However, those three were soon taken care of, for the traitor had provided intel on them. Thus, the Wise Mad King's elite troop, who now knew the strengths and weaknesses of the guardians, were able to prepare appropriate countermeasures, which would render the guardians as weak as possible, for as long as possible.

Hence, Eom Village was supposed to be in his hand already! However, the abrupt appearance of that f*cking Hope required him to tweak his plans. The new plans would ensure that Hope's attention got diverted from the village so that his elite troop could strike in his absence!

Everything was supposed to be taken care of! What had they missed? Why had their plan failed? There was only one reason he could up with for failed attack on the survivors of Eom Village: the guardians were not hindered by the countermeasures.

The Royal Principle Advisor shifted his gaze to the Wise Mad King. He did not get to read the report because the king had ripped it to shreds, hence the only way he could confirm his own conjecture was to wait for the Mad King to affirm his guess.

Surprisingly, the Mad King shook his head sideways after listening to his advisor's theory. "The countermeasures worked; those three aren't the reason why this invasion failed. The problem, this time, was Hope's students."

"Whaa—!!!" The Black Robe Advisor exclaimed in a high pitched voice. "B-b-but the intel we got from Isythre was that, out of his students, only that Church girl could do anything worthwhile; all she can do is use that long-lost defensive theurgical technique. As for the rest, they were supposed to be dolls only useful as decoration! Totally harmless and ineffective in fights! How did they become the dealbreakers?"

"Because whoever gathered the intel is an imbecile who couldn't even do the only job they bloody had!" The Wise Mad King roared. In his rage, he placed his fingers underneath his redwood table, intending to flip it over.

However, the table was heavier than he had thought. It refused to budge, despite how hard he tried. Out of breath, the Wise Mad King threw himself onto a chair and continued his rant, between pants. "We… underestimated his students' powers! I can't believe that our perfect plan was foiled by those brats!"

As a saying went, even Homer nods sometimes. Even Baiyi himself had no idea how his students had performed so well in battle, so what more could be said about outsiders?

When the Cleric Walker showed Baiyi what had occurred on the battlefield, from the plushie's point of view, Baiyi was in awe. It was a pleasant surprise to see his capable students mount attack after attack, turning the battle in their favor. Their victory had been more spectacular than his, even.

So, how did it all happen? The moment when the Cleric Walker was placed into the hammerhead shark plushie was a good place to start.

After watching Baiyi's vanish into the dark sky, Mia felt something push against her chest. She looked down and saw the hammerhead shark plushie rubbing itself hard against her chest.

"What's the matter, Sharkie?" Mia said, lifting the plushie up, with a look of concern. The plushie wriggled out of her grasp, however, and began to rub itself against her soft cheeks.

Then, like a mad dog without a leash, the plushie jumped from Mia and landed on Tisdale, after which it began to nudge itself against her bosom. From Tisdale, it jumped to Attie, then to Nota. Neither of the girls knew who was in the plushie, but they welcomed it warmly and rubbed their cheeks against it, instead of screaming and protecting themselves from the horny toy.

It was a miracle and a dream — one which the Cleric Walker never wanted to wake up from. Although the girls had been forced to ditch short skirts, which they wore almost all the time, for dowdy long pants, due to Baiyi's tyrannical order, it was a small tinge of regret in a large sea of satisfaction for the Cleric Walker.

When the Cleric Walker was about to bury himself in the paradise that was Vidomina's bosom, Laeticia, who the Voidwalker had skipped for some reason, yanked the plushie by the tail, pulling it away.

Keeping a firm hold on the plushie's tail, Laeticia turned to Mia. "Why is it acting so weird today?"

"I don't know, either," Mia replied. "Sharkie's now feels a lot more different to me."

"Really? I actually find it somewhat familiar," Laeticia mumbled curiously.

Suddenly, the Cleric Walker stopped squirming. Despite the tons of supple skin left to rub against — including many beautiful fairies donning really short mini skirts, exposing their supple thighs — seeing many fairies still weeping for the loss of their homes jolted him back to reality.

Unknown to him, that was the last chance he would have to that.

"Something's not right! The enemies have returned! Everyone, battle stations!" Grandfather Tree, who has now taken over a bristlegrass, declared in alarm. Although the fairies could not see the great druid, they recognized his voice and quickly began to search for weapons.

Most of the fairies had had their weapons destroyed along with their houses. The only fairies who still had their bows ready were the ever-alert Gale Snipers.

Without their bows, the fairies were as useful in battle as a flock of geese! Their enemies, on the other hand, were armed to the teeth. This group numbered over a thousand, with heavy knights at the front and sorcerers supported by archers at the back. Furthermore, they were all protected by a huge defense barrier!

There were only 600 villagers in the entire Eom Village, including senior citizens and children. Among them, those who could fight were less than three hundred, and some of them had lost their weapons to the forbidden spell from earlier.

Hence, the three guardians were faced with the largest responsibilities.

However, before the three could make any moves, the Guardian Unicorn suddenly neighed frantically before dashing into the woods; it was as though it had sensed something terrible. Mr. Bear looked in the direction which the unicorn had fled, and its usually calm face suddenly contorted.

"You—you monsters! You actually targetted her children!"

Grandfather Tree, who was now controlling a towering tree, prepared to unleash his fury, but suddenly, he began to scream in pain. "Arrrgghh! Th-they are burning…!!! Stop!!!!"

Barely moments after he began to holler, sinister flashes of fiery light could be seen in the horizon, where the woods were. Blazing flames were over there, burning everything in its path.

Furthermore, the runes and alters which the enemies had planted all over the woods beforehand were activated, and a huge barrier appeared, covering a large part of the woods, from which all communication was now severed. The great druid felt as though his veins had been severed from his body, and his power level began to drop rapidly.

"These knaves! They used some despicable means to completely obscure the woods! I… I must go and stop them!" Grandfather Tree bellowed furiously.

Even people as academically accomplished as Baiyi found Grandfather Tree mysterious and too powerful to defeat. However, the Wise Mad King was able to exploit the great druid's weakness by utilizing information he had acquired from the traitor.

The great druid's body was the entire woods in which Eom Village was situated. It was also the source of its powers. If one wanted to defeat the Grandfather Tree, all they need do was destroy as much of the forest as they could.

This was quite the weak point for a great druid who was so renowned for the power he wielded!

Hence, two guardians had already been taken out before the battle even begun. The only guardian that was left the face the enemy army was Mr. Bear. It was now leading a few hundred fairies, who had armed themselves with branches and pebbles. The village elder fairy, on the other hand, was evacuating the young and old from the remains of Eom Village.

However, Mr. Bear did not know that an old acquaintance was currently standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, with the enemies.

It was a human-shaped creature formed entirely of hard boulders, boasting at least ten feet in height. Its rocky body was littered with moss. This being stared at Mr. Bear as a gigantic golem would.

"O' Mountain Sage of the Mountainspring Village! I don't understand… why is it you?" Mr. Bear's face went pale when it spotted the stone creature. "Is this vendetta for the past?"

This rock creature was another great druid similar to Grandfather Tree, but unlike the latter, this creature chose to use the much studier rock elemental as its body, not plants.

As one of the most important members of the traditionalist fairy group, the Rock Druid knew other members very well, including their weaknesses. It was this knowledge that boosted the strength of the Wise Mad King's elite troop.

"With your heart as cold as stone, I should be the one surprised at how shocked you look right now," the Rock Druid replied coldly. "When I was in agony, you — my so-called friends — ignored my pleas. The only one who answered my desperate calls for help was His Majesty! Now is the time for me to repay his kindness, as well as to exact my revenge."

"So, the seed of hatred was sowed at that moment, huh..." Mr. Bear shook its head sideways slowly, pain filling its eyes. The bear sighed helplessly, but it did not try to refute the Rock Druid's words.

It was as though Mr. Bear had just admitted to committing a grave crime.Eep

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368 People Do Improve

After the chaos in the woods had passed, Baiyi did a little digging and learned more about the Rock Druid's background.

Its main body was an ore mountain lining situated at the border between the Fairy Kingdom and the dwarves' nation. After a while, some rare minerals were discovered on the mountain, leading to a mad scramble between dwarven powers to mine the precious and scarce minerals. The loss the Rock Druid had suffered during this time was no less than the loss Grandfather Tree had just suffered because of Godsfall.

The situation was too dire for one to think of honoring the age-old oath. The Rock Druid pleaded with the traditionalist fairies, who he considered his allies, for help, but all he received in reply was silence. The leaders of the traditionalist fairy settlements were too concerned about their positions and traditions to help.

In the end, it was the Wise Mad King's troops who came to the Rock Druid's rescue. The battle was hard fought, but the fairies still emerged victoriously; they ended up expanding the Kingdom's borders even further, into territory that used to belong to the dwarves.

After this, it was no surprise to anyone that the great druid would choose to side with those who had come to his rescue. The alliance with the Rock Druid must have been what stoked the Wise Mad King's desire to bring the traditionalist fairies over to his side. The Rock Druid had proved indispensable to the Wise Mad King, for the information he provided had improved the king's plan by leaps and bounds.

"That was when I realized the truth; his Majesty is the best hope for all fairies. As that is the case, I'm more than honored to fight by his side!" The Rock Druid declared with a monotonous tone of voice. "We've known each other for so long, so don't make me end you. Give up the surviving fairies and the human outsiders."

"If you honestly consider the Wise Mad King your priority, then honor the fact that protecting these fairies and humans are my priorities. Nevertheless, talk is cheap; let me show how far I am willing to go in order to protect those I prioritize above all!" Mr. Bear cried, activating his strange power.

Different forms of rocks suddenly broke off from the earth's crust and rushed upward till they were above ground, then they continued to rise into the sky. Soon, the sky was completely shrouded by a sea of floating rocks, making for a horrifying sight, and after a few moments, these rocks began to plummet at high speed, straight at the Wise Mad King's elite troops. It was as though the bear planned to stone its enemies to death!

"Rocks? Pathetic. Who do you think I am?" The Rock Druid laughed scornfully before waving its hand casually. The rocks instantly halted in midair, then they changed course, flying towards the surviving Eom villagers. Suddenly, a stone dome rose from the ground, encompassing the surviving villagers and the humans.

Mr. Bear pouted its lips and waved its paw again. The earth below the feet of the enemies melted in a quagmire and crumbled under the weight of the troop and their weapons. Screams reverberated through the area as some were swallowed whole by the mud.

"Enough with your foolish parlor tricks!" The Rock Druid roared and slammed its boulder-like fist onto the group. Huge boulders blasted out of the mire, bringing with them those who sunk into the mud moments before.

"You! Cannot! Win me this way!" The Rock Druid bellowed. It raised its boulder-like fist and charged at Mr. Bear.

Wild grass sprung out of the ground in front of the Rock Druid and weaved itself into a web big enough to trap the enormous, golem-like druid. Mr. Bear seized this opportunity to retreat backward.

"Hilarious!" The Rock Druid guffawed scornfully. "You have no idea how the new powers I have been bestowed work."

A strange olive-green flame surged from the Rock Druid's body and incinerated the wild grass that had it trapped.

Mr. Bear's face darkened. Its powers were mysterious enough to puzzle even Baiyi; however, they were not meant for battle. The bear was a pacifist who was adept in the Gnosis of Nature; it did not dabble in the art of killing. Its power could only support or frighten; that was all.

Furthermore, in the wilderness they were currently in, only rocks could be used as weapons. However, their enemy was a Rock Druid, who was capable of manipulating rocks more than they ever could, giving it an overwhelming advantage in this battle. Now, Mr.Bear also had to deal with the olive-green flames.

Those who wielded metaphysical powers had similar flaws. Although they revered nature, metaphysical powers had very little offensive capabilities, limiting what their users could do in battle. Although sorcerers were unable to use very strange techniques like metaphysical users, they excelled in battle, much more than the former. Hence, nature-loving druids were almost no match for sorcery.

These nature practitioners have always been more adept at psychological warfare, making them and their powers unpredictable. However, once the mystery that shrouded them was lifted, these druids become vulnerable. This was the reason why Mr. Bear was not at the mercy of the Rock Druid, who had gained a new power from Godsfall.

The Wise Mad King really had left no stone unturned in his bid for success. The three guardians of the village had been completely suppressed. All that was left was for his elite troop to march into the crowd of defenseless fairies.

When the Fairy Commander of the Wise Mad King's elite troop saw Mr. Bear being pressured by the Rock Druid, he knew it was time to lead the elite troop into battle. He led his team past the suppressed Mr. Bear, charging towards the survivors of the Eom Village attack.

"We're all fairies!" The charging elite team cried out. "Surrender! Do not fight us!"

The Wise Mad King had directed them to kill some of the survivors, then capture the others to be used as hostages; this way, if other traditionalist fairy settlements got wind of everything, they would be unable to step in. Furthermore, with hostages, they could pressure Nydore to surrender, as well. Hence, the elite team moved to capture some hostages before slaying the rest.

It was at this moment that Little Mia stepped forward, coming to stand in front of Eom Village's fairies. With the hammerhead shark plushie clutched tight, cold fury flooded her face as she yelled, "Don't touch my friends!"

The Fairy Commander of the enemy troop froze momentarily, then an expression of bemusement crossed his face. This girl was their target, after all, and she had just presented herself to them. In a fit of joy, he instantly ordered his archers to fire at her.

The sky darkened as arrows soared upwards, with every one of them seemingly aimed at the little girl's chest. Right when they were about to strike home, the hammerhead shark plushie wrigged out of Mia's arms and soared into the air.

An ancient and solemn voice echoed from its mouth. "The Lord sayeth: defend the weak out of compassion..."

Suddenly, as though at its behest, the soaring arrows began to drop to the ground, like hovering blades of wild grass succumbing to the laws of gravity.

The plushie flapped its stout fins and somersaulted twice in midair before saying, " The Lord sayeth: be courageous when faced with evil..."

Golden shimmers suddenly appeared deep within the bodies of the surviving fairies. It was a blessing, which made every fairy of Eom Village feel they could knock out a bull with a single punch. The sturdy stone wall in front of them, which was as indestructible as the Western Wall on Earth, crumbled from a random fairy's push!

"Isn't this… Word of God?" Laeticia stared blankly at the hammerhead shark plushie, which was now hovering above Mia's head, with disbelief.

The 'Word of God' was the highest ranked theurgical magic spell in existence. It was far more potent than other kinds of theurgical magic spells cast by regular priests. If theurgical magic spells were ranked with the metric of society, such that the weakest was grade one and the strongest was grade 7, Word of God would akin to an eighth-grade magic spell!

This was not something that could be performed by just about anyone from the Church. It was an ability that could only be used by the highest ranks of the Church; today, only the Bishop or a Saint could use it. Who would have thought that a hammerhead shark plushie would able to cast it, too?

Baiyi was just as shocked when he saw this. If the Saint Joel of old had been present on that battlefield, it would have been understandable that such high-level theurgical magic spells were cast. After all, in his time, the apostle had ventured into a demon-filled abyss alone. Only someone insanely powerful would be brave enough to undertake such a missionary task.

However, the Cleric Walker of today had long since abandoned the faith he had once held, becoming the pervert he now was. Hence, it was incredible he had been able to perform such high-level theurgical magic. In Baiyi's eyes, he was a Voidwalker who only specialized in perverted deeds.

'Wow; is their god oblivious to everything the Cleric Walker has been doing so far? If this god were to participate in a Starcraft tournament, he would probably end up in the Korean team, wouldn't he?'

However, the Cleric Walker seemed eager to refute his naysayers on this issue. "The only faith I abandoned were those which mortals adhere to! Those commandments written in the book are cleverly disguised man-made laws! I don't believe in those, and that has not changed the fact that I can cast theurgical spells just fine!"

'Alright. It's not like I buy that pile of bull, but…' Baiyi paused and continued watching the Cleric Walker's recollection.

With the Cleric's powerful spell on their side, the skirmish began to veer in favor of the fairies from Eom Village. Every long ranged attack deployed by the enemy elite troop, such as arrows and spells, were destroyed by the plushie, leaving close combat the only viable option the enemies could employ. However, against the fairies of Eom Village who had been blessed with strength boosts, the chances of a huge upset for the enemies increased!

Laeticia stepped forward to join Mia. She instantly activated the personal theurgical spell passed to her by the Cleric Walker, and suddenly, she turned into an angel with wings of light. The power that accompanied her transformation allowed her to provide her allies with defense boosts and frequent health restoration.

Tisdale, on the other hand, swung the magical staves Baiyi had gifted them. Then, her, Mia, Nota, and Vidomina began to chant, casting elemental spells at the enemy with precise accuracy!

Baiyi, who believed that skill was not always sufficient to win battles, made sure to equip his students with the best equipment and gears available. The students had always undergone high-level training from Baiyi and teamwork training from Aya, so they were far more powerful now than they were given credit for. Even Godsfall had underestimated them, thinking they were nothing more than mere decoration.

However, the girls had become a force to be reckoned with.Duh. You're asking tree-huggers to shoot some thugs. Unless they are badass pacifists by nature like some Shaolin monks, I  would expect very little of the tree-huggers!

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369 They Are More Than Just Moe

Although the Godsfall elite troop were taken aback by the Cleric Walker's Word of God — which had caused them to suffer some loses in the first clash — they soon recovered from their reveries, remembering that they still had the advantage in numbers. Furthermore, the fairies of Eom Village had been blessed with strength boosts, but they were not experts at combat. When the Wise Mad King's elite troop remembered that they also had superior equipment, gears, and skills, their confidence returned.

The apex fighters of the elite troop chose to reveal themselves at this time. Two fairy sorcerers walked to the forefront of the elite troop and raised their staffs. They had donned bizarre black, skin-tight leather suits. If their strange fashion sense was not because they were into kinky or emo activities, then one could guess that they had donned these outfits because it made their nighttime activities easier. These two sorcerers were the masterminds behind the forbidden spell that struck Eom Village!

These two were at the peak of Legendary-level; they could even be considered having taken half a step into the Immortal-level. With that level of skill, these two were capable of casting forbidden level spells if they worked together, as well as utilizing power equipment and runic complexes. They had been recovering their mana and psychic energy as quickly as they could, just so they could partake in this battle.

Their first target was Tisdale, who had done a lot of damage to their troop with her magical attacks. One of them began to chant the incantation for a fire spell, while the other chanted an incantation for an ice spell. A fireball as large as a human and a large icicle appeared in midair, after which they raced towards Tisdale, all the while negating the effects of the Cleric Walker's theurgy.

When Tisdale caught sight of the incoming attacks, her face paled. She almost wanted to curl into a fetal position and close her eyes. Suddenly, she remembered what her teacher had taught her, so she quickly reached into her clothes and pulled out the scroll of a defense spell.

However, someone on her team was faster than she was. The plushie flapped its fins in a laidback manner and announced, "Their magic shall be negated."

Suddenly, a bright white light engulfed Tisdale. When the two magical spells struck the light, they dissipated.

The light was a spell just a rank lower than Word of God; it was called 'The Lord's Shield'. It is a potent anti-magical barrier that could make its user immune to magic spells at seventh-grade and below.

"There's no need to worry about these heretics," the plushie encouraged. It cast another boost on Tisdale, to increase the damage of her magical attacks. This gave her the confidence she needed to continue fighting.

"I'll help you, Big Sister Dale!" Nota's soft, timid voice cried out. She transformed into her original fairy form and flew to Tisdale's side like a crystalline damselfly. This was the form she had assumed when she helped Baiyi in his highly acclaimed battle against Vice President Grant back then.

Both students soared into the air and began to face off against the two apex enemy sorcerers.

"Pssh! If you wanted to help, why did you have to turn into something so small? And the other one is wearing pants! I can't even see anything from here!" The hammerhead shark plushie grumbled. Although Nota did not wear any clothes in her original fairy form, the plushie could not see anything from where it was.

"Sharkie, what did you say?" Little Mia asked as she wiped beads of sweat from her forehead, which had been caused by her prompt use of an ice magic spell to save a random fairy.

Before the plushie could reply, Mia felt a chill at the nape of her neck. Before she could react, she was yanked away by someone, who she fell to the ground together with. As soon as Mia and her savior hit the ground, they rolled away from their positions, narrowly avoiding some combat chi sabers that appeared moments later, infinitely close to skewering them!

The attacker was a high-ranked Godsfall knight, who had taken advantage of the moment Mia had lost her focus to attack! However, the knight did not expect to miss a rare sitter like that!

"Aahh… Attie?!" Mia looked at her savior — a girl who had pulled her into an evasive roll right on time — in surprise. "Th-thank you."

"No need," Attie calmly replied, and both girls helped each other up. Attie then brought out a black, thick cylindrical object from her pocket before walking in front of Mia. As she faced the knight, she calmly said, "I'm going in, help me a bit."

"You bet! Here comes my boosting spell!" Mia replied and raised her staff, in a bid to cast a water spell. This was the element she was adept at using.

Attie shook her head sideways in disappointment, then she turned to face Mia. With an upset expression on her face, she said, "I was asking you to help me remove my hairband and keep it safe!"

This was the little cat-ear hairband that Mia had bought for Attie earlier on. Attie had probably donned it for the festival because it made her cuter. Had she really forgotten to take it off all this while?

'How was I to know that you were still concerned about how cute you are?' Mia thought, feeling a little wronged. However, she shook her head in affirmation and removed the cat-ear hairband from Attie's hair, after which she put it away.

When Attie saw this, she nodded in contentment.

Suddenly, her expression turned cold; it was though she was now reprising her role as King of the Steppe. She slowly raised the stout club-like object in her hand and pointed it at the enemy knight.

The enemy knight, on the other hand, was preoccupied with fending off attacks from Zakum the fox. When Zakum saw Attie drag Mia away from the knight's line of fire, it charged at the knight, with its teeth bared, in an attempt to clamp down on his throat. This new arrival diverted the knight's attention, giving the girls enough time to get to their feet and have their little exchange. Now, Attie was serious.

"What a loyal mutt!" The enemy knight remarked. This pissed Zakum off even more, causing it to attack more ferociously. The knight, however, displayed a praiseworthy amount of dexterity, calmly dodging the fox's bite attacks, leaving him with enough time to drop more backhanded comments. "What a pity that mutts are just brainless beasts, aren't they? All I need do is…"

The knight somersaulted backward — once again defying the laws of physics — perfectly dodging the fox's fangs and landing on its back. As soon as he landed on Zakum's back, his cold blade was swung right at its neck!

"Die! Huh?"

Instead of the feeling of cutting through flesh, the sensation that coursed through the enemy knight's blade surprised him. He shifted his gaze and spotted a very strange sunflower right in front of his blade. Furthermore, to his horror, the sunflower was smiling at him in a very human-like way, causing all his body hair to stand on end!

"What the f*ck?!" The enemy knight quickly moved his sword, in an attempt to slice off the flower's disc; however, another flower disc emerged from an exposed stalk, and the sunflower, which was still giving him a teasing smile, tilted to the side.

From the looks of it, every tendril and branch the sunflower had was capable of spawning another sunflower. Baiyi had never actually tried to calculate its limit, but with the Cleric Walker's unstoppable recovery boost in play, Suuny the sunflower could probably pull this off all day, or at least until Baiyi returned.

The Kitty-cat Maid, whose countenance had turned ice-cold, was not willing to let the enemy knight test the sunflower's limits. The black, stout cylindrical object she pulled out was the War God's sword, which Baiyi had given her before he left.

Ready to aid her was Potter the Owl. They were both ready to perform a team-up routine that Aya specifically designed for the two of them. Potter dissolved into a thick cloud of black fog, which proceeded to completely cover Attie.

It condensed into a jet-black armor that fit Attie snugly. This armor looked more aesthetic than Baiyi's; not only was it graceful and beautiful, but its design and adornments managed to accentuate Attie's skinny frame. It also added two protrusions on Attie's flat chest. There was an owl-shaped insignia on the armor.

A black mask also emerged to cover Attie's cute face. Now, a sleek black armor, which emitted a chilling countenance, with the War God's sword in its grip. The sword began to emit bichromatic red and yellow rays of light.

As soon as the sword was activated, the enemy knight's battle instincts, which he had spent years to hone, began to scream danger. The knight followed his instincts and leaped off the ground, trying to dodge the incoming attack, but he had reacted one second too late. A black lightning bolt fizzled past him, and a sudden intense feeling of pain made him realize that he had been gravely injured.

He landed on one knee, holding his sword for support. He gritted his teeth because of the terrible pain, then he raised his head to look at the black armor facing him.

The enemy knight had no idea when the black armor had moved past him. It had moved so fast, its movement almost seemed like teleportation. He had no idea how it had been able to move that fast. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, his head would have parted ways with his neck!

At that moment, he decided to do what he considered the smartest action to take. He turned to one of his comrades, who was beating up an Eom Villager, and yelled, "Help m—"

Before he could finish, Attie had already moved. His instincts screamed danger, so he was forced to evade dexterously once more. This time, however, his enemy was much faster than before. He learned of this after his arm was sliced off.

The comrade he had called out to was a knight in heavy armor, who was holding a heavy pavise in one hand, and a flail in the other. This heavy knight had already injured a dozen Eom Villagers; in fact, he would have killed them if not for the Cleric Walker's theurgical spell. When the heavy knight heard the cry for help, he quickly turned around to see his comrade rolling in the dirt, away from a chilling black armor. This left him confused.

"The bloody f*ck is this?" He mumbled. His armor was a gift from the Wise Mad King himself. Lifting his heavy pavise — which his comrades had nicknamed 'Battalion'— the heavy knight summoned combat chi, which he used to cover himself with. After that, he charged right at the black armor attacking his comrade.

However, there was no denying Attie. The girl swung the War God's sword upward, aiming at the charging heavy knight. Suddenly, the charging heavy knight was neatly cleaved in half. He was not the first idiot to face the War God's sword with only combat chi protection, hence his fate was an inescapable one.

Although Attie had been Kitty-cat maid for a while now, since she abdicated her position as the King of the Steppe, she had lost her skill with her own sword. She was even someone who had given Baiyi a pretty tough time, albeit in the past!

Attie approached the amputated knight. When she reached him, she hesitated, but ultimately spared the man from experiencing coup de grace. She remembered her Master's words clearly, telling her the importance of leaving some of their enemies alive.You see, this Fox must have been plagued by an existential crisis for a while now, for being referred to as a "doggo" all the time… Plus, it hadn't been able to eat some nice, juicy meat, has it…?Oohhh! Now this is the type of cuteness I dig!

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370 And... He Was More Than Just A Gentleman

In another part of the battlefield, the Tisdale and Nota pair were doing surprisingly well! Although their enemies were of a higher rank, the gap was non-existent for Tisdale, who was getting buffs from the hammerhead shark plushie and Laeticia. She had excellent equipment on her, and she was getting support from Nota. Hence, the battle was pretty much going in her favor.

Would this mean that enough stats buffs were all it took to steer a battle in one's favor? The Cleric Walker kept casting support spell after support spell on Tisdale, making her as invincible as a goddess of war. She currently had no openings for the enemies to take advantage of!

Mia — who was standing somewhere below, watching Tisdale's battle in the sky — was waiting for an opportunity to strike. Suddenly, she cast a spell, unleashing an icicle at one of the enemy sorcerers. This distracted the sorcerer, giving Tisdale enough time to cast an upgraded version of her Flame Pole — a spell called 'Doujou Temple Bell: One-Hundred Eight Fire Dragon Halberds'. It was created by the Archmage. The halberds pierced right through the sorcerer's shield, sending him hurtling to the ground, all the while being consumed by flames!

"Huh? When did she even learn this technique? I don't think I ever taught it to her!" Baiyi paused when he saw this.

"No you didn't; I did." The Archmage beamed proudly. "C'mon, with Dale's skills, she's more than qualified to learn these spells! Pretty sure you had noticed that, too, which begs the question: why didn't you teach her?"

"I wanted her to be firm with the basics, only after that would I be able to teach her these advanced spells. Besides, I really shouldn't show favoritism, right?" Baiyi clarified. Although the Fifth Walker doted on his eldest daughter a lot, he always believed in treating his students equally when it came to education. He could not be giving private classes only to certain individuals.

However, unlike Baiyi, the Archmage did not hide the fact that he heavily favored Tisdale, even more than Baiyi did. Back when the Archmage descended, he taught Tisdale some special spells, allowed her to choose where she wanted to visit or play, bought her whatever she fancied, caved in to her whims, and gave her more allowance than he gave the other students.

It was really a blessing in disguise that Tisdale was not raised by the old man, for Baiyi could certainly the type of woman she would have turned out to be if that really happened!

"Oh, don't you fret! I actually taught all of them some of my improved spells, alright? It's just that Dale has the best foundation; furthermore, she has a genuine talent in magic, so I sorta taught her a little bit more. Everyone else learned something, too; even that little dragon-child, Mordred," the Archmage explained.

The sort of teaching the Archmage did was different from Baiyi's. When teaching, Baiyi would make sure his students were paying attention to him, watching attentively as he slowly divulged the runes and glyphs of magical spells he wished to teach. He also made sure to teach them the correct mana changes to make during spell casting, as well as correct incantations and best real-world situations to use the spells. The Archmage, however, only taught the students spell incantations, formations, and the seemingly-copyrighted spell names. After that, he left them to their devices, allowing them to figure the rest out on their own.

Although this method of teaching was rather convenient, just how much the students learned was down to their intelligence and talent. That made this method of teaching pretty irresponsible.

Baiyi noticed something else from the Archmage's explanation, however, and he quickly followed it up. "Did you teach Mordred some spells, as well? I didn't know dragonkin could learn spells. What exactly did you teach her?"

"Of course; I thought her that spell! Ya do remember the one I named 'Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father', which is total — mmmffff!" The Archmage was abruptly muted by Baiyi, who went back to watch Cleric Walker's memory.

Only one of the enemy apex sorcerers remained, so Tisdale had it much easier. The surviving enemy sorcerer soon decided to beat a hasty retreat, and as soon as he turned around, Tisdale cast a spell that the Archmage had named 'Closing Rose That Fames Stars'. This spell swiftly struck the fleeing sorcerer, reducing him to cinders in a matter of seconds.

Having achieved victory, Tisdale grinned broadly and flashed a 'Victory' hand sign to her friends down below. She could not help mumbling to no one in particular, "Grandpa's magic spell may have the weirdest names ever, but I'll be lying if I say they aren't super awesome…"

Defeating two sorcerers way out of her league had brought her an immense surge of confidence. Bursting with confidence, Tisdale did not linger any longer and rushed to help the others, dropping members of the Wise Mad King's elite troop like flies.

Soon, the girls defeated two more Legendary-level enemies. After that, the only high-ranked enemies left was a Legendary-level sorcerer and the Rock Druid, who still had Mr. Bear suppressed.

The Legendary-level sorcerer had been tasked with providing his colleagues stat buffs, as well as controlling the potency of all magic within the area; these were tasks given to normal clerics on battlefields. This sorcerer was more of a strategist, whose primary role was to provide his team as many strategic advantages as possible, all the while imposing restrictions on the enemy. Furthermore, he was no good in actual combat.

He ended up being useless in the battle, however, even though all he was supposed to do was support. His ego was bruised by the fact that he had been bested by a hammerhead shark plushie. He was unable to counter the theurgical boosts the plushie provided its allies, but it was easily able to negate all the magic-repulsion and stat debuff spells he had cast.

Just how wide was the power gap between them? What exactly was in control of the damn plushie? Was the plushie an ancient Divine Regalia?

It annoyed him even more was that the plushie did not acknowledge his existence at any point in the battle, despite counteracting his buffs. It made him feel as though all the support he provided was unneeded and useless. The plushie was so good at what did that, not only did it provide stat buffs to its allies, but it also provided these buffs at the most useful of moments. Its perfectly-timed buffs had saved many of its fairy allies from losing their heads.

In other words, it was as though he had been dancing atop the plushie's plam all though the battle!

Furthermore, throughout the battle, the plushie had paid more attention to the beautiful female fairies of Eom Village battling their opponents; its gazed was specially fixed on the lush skin that was unveiled when skirts flew up. This did not mean that their snow-white, luscious thighs were missed by the plushie. At some point, the plushie stood rooted to a spot, as though in a daze. This only meant that it had been in control of the battle, right from the very start.

It was at this point that the Legendary-level sorcerer realized that they were fighting a losing battle, hence he instantly issued an order to retreat.

At this point, the hammerhead shark plushie shifted its gaze back to Laeticia, then it leaped up to the top of her head. After that, it began to urge her, saying, "The battle is won! We should go and exercise some of our joints and bones, too… Cia, let's go!"

"As you wish, Lord Joel," Laeticia murmured softly and slowly retracted her blessings — which she had cast on her allies for the battle — back into herself. This caused her wings of light to grow even larger. She raised her spear, which had been custom-made for Saintesses, preparing to dive into the fleeing enemies' ranks.

After hearing Laeticia call him by his name, the Cleric Walker became depressed. It was so dispirited that it did not pursue the Rock Druid, who was now fleeing the scene, having realized that the battle was not going his side's way. At this point, the demotivated Cleric Walker allowed his consciousness to depart the plushie, ascending back into the Void. That was the end of the memory it had passed Baiyi.

Now Baiyi understood why the Cleric had returned to the Void on his own — something that was out of character for him. Normally, he would have stayed to bask in the heaven that was accidental wardrobe malfunctions. So, this was why!

"I just… I just don't know how she figured it out..." The Cleric Walker mumbled dejectedly. It had indulged in the most carnal of actions during the battle, unaware that its every antic had been carefully observed by the village maiden. Although the Cleric Walker had not looked Laeticia's way throughout the battle, it was sure that the bad impression it left had been burned into the village girl's memory.

"Alas, the fearsome instincts of a woman." The Scholar Walker joked lightly, with a coy smile.

"At least you did exercise some restraint this time around, and you protected everyone from harm. Taking this into account, I supposed I should lighten your sentence," Baiyi concluded, choosing to mute the Cleric for an hour as a light punishment.

If Baiyi had to take into consideration all the antics that the Cleric Walker carried out after its Descent — including snugging into the bosoms of his girls, amongst others — the punishment would be way worse than muting. Baiyi would have retracted the protective barrier he had over the Cleric Walker's consciousness, exposing it to the real harsh condition of the Void. That would be traumatic for the Voidwalker, to say the least!

While Baiyi was watching the Cleric Walker's memories, the battle at Eom Village's remains had come to an end. Those who had lived through it, and were still of sound mind, had remained behind to clean up. Sitting on a large boulder, trying to catch its breath, was Mr. Bear, who now resembled a battered toy. Beside the bear was a small pea plant, which was being inhabited by a weakened Grandfather Tree, who had disappeared right before the battle started.

"Huh… I'm just… g-glad I'm still alive." Mr. Bear panted. As it watched Baiyi's students tend to the injured fairies, the bear's heart was filled with gratitude. "Thank… heavens for these kids."

"Bad luck almost always followed Sylvia, and it haw almost claimed the lives of her kinsmen, but she had brought with her a dependable man, who could shoulder her burden. That man, Hope… Even his students outdid themselves and gave us hope. There is nothing left for us to worry about, for the man had even rushed off to rescue Nydore. I'm so tired. I… need to rest." Grandfather Tree's words grew fainter, and soon, the little pea plant plopped down to the ground lifelessly.

Some of the villagers could not help gasping in surprise when they carried out a head-count, in order to know how many of them were still left. Only a dozen Eom Villagers had died. These dozen were killed before the Cleric Walker could begin casting his spell. After casting his theurgical spell, no one else had died. The worst they had suffered after the Cleric Walker's spell was a few grave injuries.

Thanks to the students, the enemy elite troop not only failed to capture the Eom Villagers and humans, but they had even left behind one of their own, who was now a prisoner of war!

This battle soon came to be known as the Miracle of Eom Village. This victory was recorded in the archive of the fairies, which was later known to generations after generations of descendants.

Saint Joel the Apostle was, indeed, a man of miracles.Oh, this spurred my musing! See: TL'S MUSINGS!Those in the FGO or F/A fandom probably saw that one coming, huh? For those who aren't into Fate Grand Order (or the anime, Fate/Apocrypha) though: 'Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father' is this big spell that Mordred (yes, it is the namesake of that dragon kid) uses to fight her own father, who's actually a woman. And not just any woman too… It's the poster child of Nasuverse— Artoria "Frownface" Pendragon! Yes, I call her Frownface. Oops? Hee hee.

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371 It’s Not Over Ye

By the time Baiyi finished watching the Cleric Walker's memory, the battle had long since ended. The dead villagers were buried, and the corpses of the enemies were burned. The woods around them had been reduced to cinders because of the enemies' flame attack. Even those who were not environmentalists would cringe when they saw the scorched remains of the once beautiful and tranquil forest.

There was a silver lining in all of this; most of the villagers had survived. That was all that mattered.

After helping with the cleanup, the students set up camp in a small clearing. The exhausting night had robbed them of all their strength. Nota and Attie were really sleepy at this point, and both of them leaned on both sides of Mia. It seemed as though their eyes would close at any time.

Mia, on the other hand, seemed to have some energy to spare. "Hee hee!" She snickered as she poked sleepy Attie's cheeks, as though the maid was a kitten. "Thank you for saving me back there, Attie."

The Kitty-cat Maid already had her cat-ear hairband back on at this point. The cold expression she donned during the battle had been replaced by her usual adorable blank look. She had barely heard Mia's words and was too tired to respond, so she settled for rubbing her cheeks against Mia's. Then, Attie stuck out her pink tongue and began to licked Mia's cheeks a little.

"H-hey! No licking!" Mia cried in embarrassment.

Tisdale sat close to both girls, and at that moment, she was trying to contact Baiyi with her communication slab. After the cultists retreated, the students realized that the long-distance communication disruption had ended. Hence, they had all contacted Baiyi to fill him in on what had happened.

Although Baiyi had already seen everything through the Cleric Walker's memories, as well as gotten information from the other students, he still calmly and patiently listened to Tisdale. When she finished, he praised her for her feats and her spirit. He also advised her to watch over the others.

"That's all. Now, get some rest; all of you. We'll talk again in the morning," Baiyi said.

"Right. You take care, too, sir," Tisdale replied, then the communication slab went black. She looked up and saw a few fairies walking towards her, and one of them was carrying the little sabercat cub Baiyi had saved earlier.

This fairy's eyes were wet with tears. "Thank you all so much… friends. Pl-please, accept our sincerest gratitude," she said, stammering, in the language of fairies. Although Tisdale did not understand her, she could more or less guess what the fairy had said.

Even the little sabercat cub seemed to understand just how much Mia and the others had done to save its home. It yelped and stuck out a paw at Mia, as though asking for a hug.

"Hee hee." The fairy giggled and passed the cub over to Mia. "Even the little thing is thanking you!"

Mia took the cub and rubbed her cheek against it. As she did this, a thought welled up in her heart. 'I'm finally strong enough to help everyone… This feels so great!'

Although the battle had ended, Baiyi's mind was not settled. He would not dare underestimate the Wise Mad Fairy King, who had proven himself to be a very formidable enemy.

What ground Baiyi's gears, however, was how different the Wise Mad King was, in reality, to what he was famous for. He was called 'Mad' and 'Bold' by everyone, but in reality, Baiyi had realized, from their first exchange, that the king was cunning and meticulous. He would not initiate any plans until he was sure that it was foolproof. To support this assertion was the fact that the king had spent months making plans for tonight — just one night.

Hence, it was not farfetched to think that the Wise Mad King had not dispatched his best troops or used many resources for this battle. He was mad, but he was not insane.

Baiyi wondered why someone of the king's caliber would so crave the subjugation of the traditionalist fairies. He was young, so he still had a lot of time to slowly worm his way into the good books of the traditionalist fairies. Why had he chosen this method, then? Even if the secular fairies do not get along with the traditionalist fairies, they need not be outright enemies. The stunt the king pulled with Eom Village was not only taxing on the Kingdom's resources, but it was also dangerous politically, for the consensus may become polarized, which would cost them to doubt the Kingdom's current administration.

Baiyi initially believed that it was all a ploy by the Wise Mad King, to force the traditionalists to submit to his rule, but now, contrary to his initial belief, the Wise Mad King had opted for genocide! But why? 'What would make a man like this take such extreme actions?'

When he remembered what Nydore had told him, about seeing different caravans carrying passengers of different species, Baiyi became certain that there was more to this than met the eye. Those alters they were building could not just have been for the night's battle; there could be a larger conspiracy at play!

Baiyi decided to get Nydore to take him to the areas where she had spotted the caravans stopping. He needed to take a look as soon as possible, after which he would be able to know the Wise Mad King's next step. There was just no way he had done all that just so he could defeat the traditionalist fairies.

However, the night had been as equally exhausting for Nydore and the others, so they were too fatigued to make another trip. When Baiyi noticed this, he decided to let them rest the night, while he kept watch over the camp.

As Baiyi was taking a breather, back in the royal palace, the Wise Mad King had locked himself up in a secret study. In front of his seat was a large, full-body mirror, which currently reflected a silhouette covered in thick, black mist.

The Wise Mad King spoke with grief and helplessness, saying, "I f*cked up a good opportunity and lost a substantive amount of men. And, I still have to face off against this monstrous pest in my own kingdom. My heart is still willing, but my flesh has been weakened."

This was not completely true. Certainly, Hope — who was now in possession of the Caudillo Butterfly Bow and the trust of the traditionalist fairies — was a huge pest to the Wise Mad King. Now, the only hope he had of success was if the raids on the other villages went well. If they do, Hope's influence would be contained.

It was also true that he had lost men. The number of troops he had lost to Eom Village was minuscule in comparison to the number of men he lost in the fight against Nydore. These men stood no chance against the Caudillo Butterfly Bow, whose arrows pierced their chests without discrimination.

When the Wise Mad King had read the battle reports, he had felt as though an arrow from that bow had pierced his heart, too; it was a feeling akin to a heart attack.

However, his claim that his flesh had been weakened was simply not true. He still had three cards left to play, and they were all Demigod-level fighters. He did not wish to deploy them until it was absolutely necessary.

The number of Demigod-level beings still living was just too few. Normal organizations did not even have a Demigod-level being amongst them. Even the richest and powerful only had very few Demigod-level beings under their control. Even the Fairy Kingdom, which was founded a millennia ago, only had three Demigod-level fighters. The Walhart Empire, on the other hand, were luckier; in the open, they had three Demigod-level beings, but in secret, they had four. The fourth had sworn loyalty to the imperial family. Unfortunately for the empire, this Demigod-level being was the Demigod Knight who Baiyi had captured. Hence, the Walhart Empire now had only three Demigod-level beings under their control, just like the Fairy Kingdom.

Demigods were powerful, and their Territories were even more so. However, the beings had a fatal flaw; they ran the risk of being annihilated by nature every time they used their Territories. Thus, powerful rulers considered Demigod-level beings trump cards that could only be used once. Many chose to use their Demigods to intimidate others because using them in a real fight increases the risk of their annihilation.

The Wise Mad King was also aware of what had occurred in the secret dimension, during the scramble for the Book of Servitude. Three major forces had led the scramble, and they had each deployed a Demigod-level being. However, these three Demigod-level beings had disappeared for some mysterious reason, and Hope had used that opportunity to reap the benefits in the dimension. This incident had served as a warning to the Wise Mad King, reminding him that even three Demigod-level beings were not enough to take Hope down.

If this was to happen to his own Demigod-level beings, the Fairy Kingdom would have lost a large part of the foundation it had spent a millennium to build.

That was the only reason why the Wise Mad King was forced to lower his head to ask the other two High Reverends for help. However, his success would also be to the glory of the cult, so the other two felt obliged to help him.

That did not stop them from expressing glee at his humility. " Whoa, look at him speaking in that humble tone! I can hardly recognize him!" One of them teased.

"Don't f*cking go there!" The Wise Mad King retorted hotly. "All I have sacrificed is for a common goal — our goal. I would not have sacrificed anything if I was just going to be treated like a clown by you two!!!"

"Calm down; it was just an attempt at humor," replied the Third High Reverend. "I understand your pain; I really do. The problem is that I am also not having the best of times. You already know that security and surveillance have been increased even more on my end, and I have also experienced a massive loss in manpower. It's hard enough to continue our operation, let alone spare some troops just to erase that bastard, Hope, from existence. We cannot even take him out with normal powers! This is really irritating."

"What about those Northerners?" The Wise Mad King asked.

"Those Northern folks lost too much in the secret dimension, and they were unable to locate the corpses of their fallen. Our relationship with them is at an end. I even suspect they may turncoat and join forces with the Church. Do you really think they will help us now?" The Third Reverend replied.

'You contemptible, old sunnavab*tch!' The Wise Mad King shrieked in his head, barely holding his anger.

It was obvious that the Third High Reverend still possessed an army of warriors! The Church may have dealt damage to his men, but most of those who had been sacrificed were lowlives and unimportant small fries. The a**hole's most powerful troops were doing just fine. He was just looking for excuses not to deploy them.

Although they were both High Reverends, they would not allow the other to step on them. All three High Reverends possessed secret stashes of manpower, in order to protect themselves and their interests. Hence, they had more things to take into consideration.

"Honestly, why do you panic? When our True Lord descends, Hope would perish quickly before him," The Third High Reverend added.

"Why must be so naive as to think that Hope would just let me complete my formation? Do you think he will not interfere? What do you think he came here for? To explore the wonders of nature?" The Wise Mad King snapped.

It was at the moment that the First High Reverend chose to speak. "Alright, alright. Enough. I have some men I can spare you. There is no need to thank me, either; just remember, before our Great Work, other things are insignificant."

"Now, a Demigod and three Holy-level fighters working together with your men should suffice, right?" The First High Reverend asked, displaying his generosity. "We must do whatever we can to ensure that our plans do not fail. These moments are key to our Great Work!"

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372 Will This Team-up Even Work?

Early the next morning, the greatest Demigod sorcerer in the Fairy Kingdom was summoned to the palace.

Roy Dryadspeak — more famously known as Morningstar Sage — hailed from an ancient family; this family co-founded the Kingdom alongside the First Fairy King. As such, the family's name commanded respect from all and sundry. This Demigod Sorcerer, however, had more to him than met the eye. He was the most capable enfant terrible the Dryadspeak bloodline had spawned in thousands of years. He mastered the sorcery of humans at a very young age and became a Demigod three hundred years ago. His existence had flipped the stereotype that fairies could not learn magic on its head.

For someone with this much prestige, even the Fairy King had to show some restraint and respect when addressing him. Therefore, Morningstar Sage was surprised when he was boorishly summoned by the ruler of the kingdom. Multiple summonses were sent, leaving Morningstar Sage no choice but to leave the luxurious breakfast banquet he was having at home, just to rush to the palace at top speed. He grimaced at the fact that he would have to make do with the King's royal breakfast.

Soon after he arrived, someone else did: Green Sword Saint. He was the renowned Demigod sword-knight, who was also known as Finnon Starlight. Were he living in human society, his moniker would have caused some raised eyebrows. However, it was understandable that, unlike humans, the fairies had no idea what the color 'green' implied.

These were two of the Fairy Kingdom's four Demigods, and they were rivals but best friends. They also occupied the same social class. When they caught sight of each other at the palace, they greeted each other briefly. They were unsure of the purpose for which they were summoned.

The Wise Mad King soon arrived, entering the hall alongside four people in black cloaks.

As soon as Green Sword Saint saw the cloaked figures, he pointed at them and asked, "Are these the Principle Advisor's relatives?"

"No. There are… friends I made while living with humans. They are talented, to say the least," the Wise Mad King replied, raising his chin a little.

Green Sword Saint and Morningstar Sage wore similar expressions of shock. A Demigod and three Holy-level fighters! Furthermore, these people had masked their auras so well, even fairy Demigods like themselves hardly realized it!

The King waved his arm, and the housemaids who were not a part of his inner circle quickly left the hall. Suddenly, a Sillence Barrier encased those who were left, and after that, the mysterious figures pulled down the hoods. Four shiny bald heads were unveiled, making them criminals who had just escaped a dungeon.

The Demigod mysterious figure smiled in a sinister manner before speaking in a dry voice, saying, "Nice to meet you."

However, the moment opened his mouth, Green Sword Saint and Morningstar Sage became alert. The latter frowned at the mysterious Demigod and murmured, "A demon?!"

"Please, the name's Xeron," said the mysterious Demigod as he casually dragged a chair to himself. After he sat down, he eyed the beautiful cupcakes on the king's table, then he took and bit into it. His face instantly lit up in pleasure. "My, my! I must have gotten used to humans' treats. I actually consider this is quite scrumptious!"

"If that's the case, then I can tell you, as a fact, that you're far from just 'gotten used to'. This is because no human would be able to enjoy this — the worst breakfast I've ever had in the Kingdom. I reckon a peasant's breakfast would taste better than this!" Morningstar Sage snapped, then his gaze shifted to the Wise Mad King. "Your Majesty, why bring these vile demons before us?"

"I'll suggest calling them 'faithful comrades' from now on, especially when they will be accompanying the two of you to fight a real demon," the Wise Mad King replied as he pulled over a chair for himself.

After that, he picked up a pancake of his own and bit into it. Suddenly, he grimaced before heaving a long sigh. "It is just as you said; this is terrible."

Although he seemed to be talking about the food, not many would understand the implication of his words. After all, the breakfast banquet was tailored specifically to his preferences, so how could he find its taste terrible?

"Phineas, you're playing with fire," Green Sword Saint said, in a voice filled with displeasure. He had been so displeased that he had dared to say the King's real name.

However, he and the king had some blood relations, were childhood playmates, and were once brothers-in-arms. This was the reason why he had dared do such a thing.

"My beloved Brother, I know what am I dealing with. Moreover, may I remind you that, in moments like this, you shall only refer to me as High Reverend," the Wise Mad King replied dismissively, tossing the unfinished pancake aside. "We're in a desperate situation. I suggest the two of you let go of those stigmas and cooperate, in the name of our Great Work."

"Heehehheheheh! I love it! I love the two of you! Oh, please, please, please; do come and visit me at my place next time." Xeron laughed maniacally. Unlike the fairy Demigods, the atmosphere excited him.

"I'll make this brief. Do you remember that plan I disclosed to the both of you? It failed, miserably. Our good, old mate, Hope, arrived and joined the party. I really do have to admit that it is a grueling task to defeat a real messenger of a god. This is why these friends have come in," the Wise Mad King said. After that, he informed them of what had transpired the night before.

"Hehehe! So creepy! It was he who slew Thaas, right? Uh-oh; the name 'Hope' is making me shiver already!" Xeron chuckled in an unsettling manner. He even went as far as to wrap his arms around himself and shiver heavily.

The Wise Mad King frowned at this. It was obvious that the demon was mocking him for his incompetence. The Wise Mad King may have been the Second High Reverend, but this demon was the First High Reverend's personal subject, who he has had to seek help from. Hence, at that moment, the King could only swallow his anger.

The two fairy Demigods, however, had complicated expressions on their faces. They were privy to the Mad King's plans, yes, and they were even more familiar with his personality. The King never fought battles he was unsure of!

How did his plan fail? Is this Hope really that powerful?

"There is no need to kill him. We just need to protect the key strategic points of our formations until the plan succeeds. After that is done, his death will be assured," the Wise Mad King finished.

"And, you think we cannot do this on our own?! Why must we work together with them? Phineas, I beseech you; think wisely. If this persists, our Kingdom would have nothing but destruction to face!" Green Sword Saint warned.

"I just told that you may only call me 'High Reverend'!" The Wise Mad King bellowed, and his expression turned cold. "Do you need me to remind you how you attained your Demi-godhood, Finnon?"

Green Sword Saint seemed unwilling, but he ended up slowly shaking his head sideways.

Morningstar Sage, on the other hand, was still persistent. He picked up where Green Sword Said left off. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, we agreed to join the Godsfall cult on the condition that our actions do not bring harm to our Kingdom and our families. I hope you remember that line."

"Yes, of course, I remember!" The Mad King snapped. "But, don't you see what's going on? The enemy of the Kingdom is tearing us apart! Isn't this the time for the two of you to stand up for your beloved homeland?"

After saying that, the Wise Mad King stood up. "Look; a lot of ministers are waiting for me because I still tons of business to attend to. You all should befriend each other and play nice. The Principal Advisor will soon arrive to brief you on a well-detailed plan in place."

After saying that, the Wise Mad King left the hall.

Fortunately, both groups did not resort to petulancy. They honored the Second High Reverend's request and kept the peace.

A while later, Xeron suddenly sat up. He waved a finger, and a small map appeared in midair. There was a small mote of light shivering faintly on the map.

"Would you lookie here. Our old friend's moving faster than we thought," Xeron mumbled. He pondered for a while before turning to a bald demon, another one of the black-cloaked figures, who was standing beside him. "N'loth, you slick, life-clinging pansy! You will go and check this out, won't you?"

"The most valorous of demons, N'loth, will come back with his head!" This bald demon exclaimed. Suddenly, its body dissolved into a dark fog before vanishing.

Xeron turned to face the fairy Demigods and smiled apologetically. "What can we do, huh? There's always a bloody twit within our ranks who is quite painful to look at."

The two fairy Demigods had serious expressions on their faces. 'Did this demon just send one of his own comrades to face Hope, alone? Even if that demon is a Holy-level fighter, it could not possibly stand a chance against Hope! This was nothing more than a suicide mission!'

Who would want to be in a team with someone who could casually others off to their deaths? Xeron even looked expectant; his face was without any signs of remorse or worry. As for the other demons, none of them had spoken up their comrade. They even seemed to be smiling in schadenfreude.

They were just like the previous Abyss Lord, who now the Thirteenth Voidwalker, had described. Demons were a species that only looked out for their own benefits. They were selfish, prone to betraying others, short-sighted, and dimwitted.

In another location, Baiyi was standing in front of an altar of some kind, inspecting the glyphs etched onto the ground with his psychic energy, in a bid to discern their purpose.

As soon as day broke, Baiyi woke Nydore up. She was now standing beside the Fairy Walker with half-opened eyes. Then, she asked, "What's Grandpa doing?"

"Thinking," the Fairy Walker replied casually.

Suddenly, the Fairy Walker jerked before snatching the Caudillo Butterfly Bow from Nydore's hands. The bow instantly transformed into a giant butterfly again, and then the Fairy Walker fired a single light arrow at an empty spot within the altar.

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373 That Is Exactly How Confident I Am!

The arrow missed, or one could say, it hit nothing. The arrow zipped past the altar and soared into a thicket, before bursting into sparks.

The sudden attack caused Nydore to jump like a skittish bunny, and the young Zephyr could help but blabber, "Granny! What was that for?"

The Fairy Walker did not answer her; instead, she pushed Nydore before screaming, "Get down!"

The Voidwalker ducked right after that, and a large claw suddenly swiped the air above their heads, missing them by inches. The attack generated a wave of stinging heat in the air above them.

"Huh?!" At this point, no one needed to tell Nydore that they were under attack. However, she did not understand why she had been unable to detect the enemy's arrival. As the Zephyr of the current generation, she was really confident with her sensitivity to danger; however, in that aspect, she had nothing on her grandaunt, the Fairy Walker. In comparison, she was just a child.

How had her grandaunt even detected that attack from nowhere?

"There's more to come! Watch out!" Baiyi, who was no longer focused on the altar, warned loudly. Waves of heat were still emanating from his body. The heat that Nydore had thought came from the sudden attack, had actually been caused by a fireball that Baiyi had fired at the unknown attacker.

Even before the Fairy Walker's mood changed, Baiyi had already retracted his psychic energy from the altar. Unlike Nydore, who was alarmed by the sudden attack, he was bemused. He did not believe that anyone could sneak up on him — someone who was already as skilled as a Master Assassin.

The enemy retaliated immediately. Baiyi could see a gigantic claw emerge from nowhere and reach towards the Fairy Walker and Nydore.

Right after yelling out the warning, Baiyi quickly pulled out his Saint Quartz Staff and spun it behind himself, deflecting several balls of green, bog-like fireballs that had been hurtling towards him.

'How is the enemy doing this? Are we dealing with more than one person? They were even able to conceal their auras and presence completely!'

"A Leaper!" The Devil Walker's voice suddenly boomed warily in the Void.

"Huh?" Baiyi was stunned. Leapers were one of the rarest and most dangerous breeds of demons. They had the ability to create alternate dimensions, just big enough for themselves, which they overlaid with the real world. This way, they could effortlessly slip in and out of both dimensions.

This ability made Leapers natural assassins, who were many times better than what humans could ever hope to achieve. Fortunately, Leapers were very rare, and the alternate dimensions they could create were very small. Most Leapers could not create alternate dimensions larger than a broom closet, which was barely sufficient for their frames. If not for this limitation, these demons would have long since massacred humans, leaving them at the brink of extinction.

Unfortunately for Baiyi and his group, the Leaper they were up against was one of the strongest in existence. Its alternate dimension was covered a large part of the area they were in, and the Leaper was very powerful. It was far more of a threat than their previous enemies. After both sides had gone a few rounds, Baiyi realized that the Leaper's reflexes were not as good as his, but it was still fast enough to dodge most of his attacks.

"Looks like this Leaper has lived a very long life," said the Devil Walker in the Void "Its hideout is probably of a considerably large size."

"Can you say something that's actually useful, like a solution?" Baiyi snapped. He quickly covered the earth beneath him in a thick layer of ice, suppressing a huge pair of claws that were just about to burst out from below him.

"Eh, there really is no special way to fight them, mate. The last time I battled a Leaper, I just did whatever until it ran out of stamina, leaving it really fatigued and unable to maintain its alternate dimension. Although their ability is outstanding, Leapers are actually lightweights. Once they are deprived of their alternate dimensions, they become pretty easy targets," the Devil Walker replied, drawing from his own experience. "So, don't fret; it's not like this Leaper's attacks have hurt you or troubled you in any way, right?"

"Yea, easy targets… if I have the luxury of time! Now, even demons have begun to make an appearnace. At this rate, something untoward might occur where Mia is! I cannot waste any more time here," Baiyi replied, casting spell after spell to repel the enemy's attacks. He tried to retaliate, but the slippery Leaper evaded his attacks. What if the demon decided to flee when it notices it was getting tired? If that happened, the demon would definitely come for him again once it had recovered its strength.

Hence, it was unwise to let the dangerous demon leave alive, and the Leaper knew this, too. Its mission was not to kill Baiyi; all it had to do was gather information on him, then scram when it felt it had gathered enough intel.

This was what the Leaper had originally intended to do, but when it saw how badly Baiyi was struggling with it, confidence filled its heart, and a new idea began to take form in its mind.

Was this Hope really the messenger of a god? Was he not supposed to be their archnemesis and the source of their migraines? Well, look at him now! He was unable to defeat it, so what was wrong with staying back a little longer in order to play with the messenger? This way, it may even deal Hope a heavy blow. After that, when it returned to its pack, the Leaper would be able to boast about the feat.

As the battle continued, the Fairy Walker was able to maneuver her way to Baiyi side after a series of impressive dodging. When she was close, she whispered, "Darling, do you have a plan to fight this lil' pest? I can sense its location, but I'm not fast enough."

"What plan could I possibly have? Urgh, if only you could share your senses with me! Speaking of which, how are you able to sense its location?" Baiyi exclaimed in disbelief. Was his cheap wife more satisfying than he had expected? Satisfying as a fighter, not as a partner!

"Well, every time it is about to strike, it emits an aura of murderous intent, which the wind easily picks up and informs me. This allows me to discern its location before it makes its move. Hold on. Aren't we husband and wife? Shouldn't we already be sharing some kind of intimate mental connection by now?" The Fairy Walker demanded.

'Murderous intent? Again with the metaphysical concept,' Baiyi thought to himself. Suddenly, he remembered how he had sensed the woods in a special state just the night before. He could also remember the nauseating, prickly sensation he had felt afterward. Were those mental prickly sensations not murderous intent?

The Fifth Walker quickly expanded his psychic energy to cover a much larger range. Just as he had expected, his vision was suddenly clouded with different colors, and a massive amount of information rushed into his mind. This sudden change brought back the uncomfortable stinging sensations, which he felt all over his back.

"Here?"

He spun and fired off a fireball at a seemingly random location. Suddenly, a pair of claws emerged out of the space in front of the fireball and fired off a sinister bolt of lightning.

The bolt collided with the fireball, and both attacks were violently neutralized. The claws hurriedly and fearfully vanished.

"Aww, my darling~! You managed to listen to my heart!" The Fairy Walker exclaimed in glee.

'This has nothing to do with your heart at all, Ma'am! I actually discerned its location by myself, okay? Plus, must you flirt at this hour?' Baiyi groaned. He had realized that his new sensing capabilities were not the godsend ability he had hoped for; after all, he could not sense the demon until it moved.

The sly Leaper did not fully emerge whenever it was attacking. Only its claws would emerge to dole out attacks, while the rest of its body remained in the safety of its alternate dimension. Even if Baiyi was able to strike it fast enough, the Leaper would only lose its claws. However, the regenerative properties of demons were naturally exceptional!

'There has to be a better way!' The Fifth Walker began to rack his brain.

It was at this moment that the Archmage suddenly poked Baiyi in the Void. "Here, try this. I made some changes to it just now. It is a small-scale forbidden Space Compression spell! It should be super effective. The same name to Palkia's (Pokemon) signature move, yep. The literal name from Japanese is even more on-the-nose: 'Subspace Tear'.I call it 'Special Rend'!"

He quickly passed the spell to Baiyi.

'Well, well, well! It looks like someone stole the name of another work. However, for being able to make alterations to a forbidden spell this quickly — and still have it work as intended — my teacher must really be a prodigy in magic.'

Baiyi had already considered using Space Compression on the Leaper, but he decided not to. It was risky because he was also a part of the space his own spell would be compressing, thus he would have ended up compressing himself alongside the demon!

One could only use forbidden spells at will when they had the Sage-Emperor of the Magi at their side.

Baiyi did not waste any time chanting the incantation for the new spell. When the Leaper sensed the magic pulses emanating from Baiyi's body, it began to hesitate. It was unsure of how it could counter the spell he was brewing, but it was not sensible enough to quickly flee the scene. The attack Baiyi was brewing was freaking it out. Had Hope discerned its weaknesses already?

In truth, Leapers had to deal with more than just small alternate dimensions. They were weak against space magic spells, and they were vulnerable to magical and theurgical interference. Were it not for these weaknesses, nothing would have stopped these demons from pushing humans to extinction.

However, as its alternate dimension covered a large portion of the area, this Leaper was confident and considered the battlefield its own turf. There was very little that could harm it when it moved, and it could dole out as many attacks as it wished. This was the reason why it was strong and hard to deal with.

It was this confidence that robbed it of the insight to flee. Before it could react, Baiyi was done chanting the incantation.

Suddenly, a stream of olive-green blood began to ooze out of mid-air; the unfortunate Leaper had already been compressed into processed meat by Baiyi's forbidden spell.TLDR? Kamui in Naruto. Or at least, very damn similar to that.The same name to Palkia's (Pokemon) signature move, yep. The literal name from Japanese is even more on-the-nose: 'Subspace Tear'.

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374 A Bad Case of Paranoia

The stinging sensation finally subsided, leaving Baiyi sure that the troublesome enemy was no more. He was about to heave a sigh of relief when the Devil Walker muttered, "Pfft, what a waste. That guy had some organs that are priceless materials for space magic…"

'You should have said that earlier!' Baiyi bellowed in his mind, aghast at the loss he had just realized he had suffered. However, he quickly shelved the thought and grabbed his communication slab, with the intention of contacting his students. Fortunately for him, they had not been attacked.

"Alright, then. We'll proceed as planned. We'll meet up soon," Baiyi said, bringing the conversation to an end.

The Fifth Walker had not expected the Wise Mad King to stoop so low that he would work with demons. What else was waiting to happen? Moreover, there were no Voidwalkers standing guard over Mia at the moment.

"We have to move now," Baiyi said to Nydore and the rest. After battling the slippery demon, the fairies were more than willing to leave the area.

Baiyi now had an idea as to what the altar was being used for, and he was currently running his deduction by the other Voidwalkers in the Void.

After putting some distance between themselves and the altar, a large black tome suddenly appeared in the air, above Baiyi's palm. As soon as the book appeared, its pages began to flip all on their own.

Suddenly, a blazing inferno swallowed the altar and the area around it. Regardless of the type of evil that lurked in the altar, the forbidden spell's flames devoured everything completely.

The inferno generated gales of hot air, which swept through the area, causing Nydore's silvery-white hair to flutter. This caused the Zephyr to stop and take a look behind her, and a stunned expression crossed her face.

"Keep walking. If you wish to see more of this, you would get a lot of chances in the future," Baiyi said without stopping as the stunned fairies had.

Meanwhile, back in the Wise Mad King's hall, Xeron, who had been waiting for news from N'loth, suddenly frowned and interrupted the Royal Principal Advisor, who was reading out a report.

With a low growl, Xeron said, "One of the altars has been destroyed! N'loth was slain!"

"N'loth was slain?!" The other two demons did not hide their surprise at the news.

Morningstar Sage and Green Sword Saint were both surprised at the demons' reactions. These bastards… Were they not happy to send their comrade on the suicide mission? Now that it had been killed, which was something anyone would expect, why are they acting surprised?!

The demons' expressions of surprise were not faked, though.

The two fairy Demigods did not know that N'loth was a Leaper. The other demons did not like N'loth — and they kept their distance from it — but they knew how powerful it was. Its natural ability to assassinate and spy had earned their respect. They knew that once N'loth activated its alternate dimension, no one would be able to touch it.

They had not believed that N'loth could deal any damage to Hope, but they knew that it could flee easily if it wanted to, even though it would look like an idiot while doing so. They did not know of any techniques that could perfectly counter N'loth's alternate dimensions. Furthermore, the Leaper had fought Hope close to an altar, which could be considered its home turf. With all these taken into account, there should have been no way for N'loth to get killed.

Although they had gleeful sent N'loth out to gather intel on Hope, they had expected it to return looking disheveled. They did not, however, expect it to meet its end there. After all, N'loth's ability had zero countermeasures, making it a pain for its opponents to deal with. None of the demons had really wanted an invaluable pawn like N'loth to die just like that.

Xeron seemed to be the most disturbed by the turn of events, and the demon could not stop frowning. After a short while, it looked up at the Royal Principal Advisor and growled, "Pass this news to Lord Second High Reverend, right this instant!"

"B-but, The High Reverend is having a meeting with the ministers — Urrrggh!"

An unseen force gripped the Advisor by the neck before he could finish, and it lifted him up into the air.

"I don't give a f*ck! You tell him about this, right now!" Xeron bellowed.

The Advisor was dropped unceremoniously. After that, he could only crawl out of the hall.

When the Advisor left, Morningstar Sage, who had been watching from the side, said, "It's just the death of one demon. Do you really need to be this rattled?"

Xeron was no longer in the good mood it had been in earlier, and no traces of laughter could be found on its face. It glared at Morningstar Sage in a chilling manner and growled, "You f*cking moron! Things are now worse than you can imagine!"

"Hmph!" Morningstar Sage snorted before sitting back down. Although the rude reply had enraged him, he was not bold enough to scream back at the demon.

In another part of the palace, the Wise Mad King was about to fly into a rage. The Royal Principal Advisor had just barged into the room, interrupting the meeting, and whispered hurriedly into the Wise Mad King's ear. What he had heard made him freeze for a few moments.

Reining in his anger, the Wise Mad King stood up suddenly, drawing perplexed looks from his ministers. "I apologize, but I'm suddenly not feeling well. As for the rest of our agenda, we'll have to do those tomorrow."

Then, without another word, the Wise Mad King stormed out of the conference room, leaving behind the whispering ministers.

Instead of returning to the hall, the Wise Mad King rushed into his study and slammed the door shut behind him. After that, he sat in front of his oblong mirror, and a silhouette shrouded in pitch black fog appeared on it. The Wise Mad King wiped his forehead unconsciously and was surprised to see cold sweat on his fingers.

He had been affected this much by the death of a mere Leaper.

"Summoning us in such a frenzy cannot mean anything good, especially for our plans." The voice of the First High Reverend boomed from the mirror.

"One of your men, N'loth… has been slain while gathering intel on Hope. The battle was short and could not have ended so quickly because the demon was exhausted," said the Wise Mad King, as clearly as possible.

"Impossible!!" The First High Reverend exclaimed in shock. "From what I know, there is no way to deal with a Leaper's spatial ability, not one! Unless…"

"Exactly what I thought, too: the Law of space was forcefully rewritten! There's no… There's just no other explanation as to why he could kill a Leaper that had lived for so many years!" The Wise Mad King finished.

"Are you suggesting…that the War God had…" The First High Reverend began.

"This is the only explanation," the Wise Mad King replied. "Only a god of space like him could easily slay a Leaper; after all, their abilities are child's play before a god. But, of course, there is also the possibility that the War God had given Hope some privileges."

"Blasphemy! No matter how much gods trust us, they would never bestow their privileges; not even a little. Else, we would not have had to go through this much trouble."

Messengers are mortals loved and favored by their gods. Many had pretended to be Messengers, but the number of real Messengers to have existed were very few. The truly favored Messengers were the angels from God's Grace. These remarkable creatures possess mighty powers and got to commune directly with their gods. This allowed them to attain much higher positions of authority than mortal Messengers. They also had access to more information than mortal Messengers.

No matter how much a god favored a mortal Messenger, they would never bestow the mortal the privilege of rewriting Laws! After all, this ability was what differentiated gods from mortals, allowing them to tower over other species. There was absolutely no reason to share such a thing with anyone!

"It doesn't matter how it was done. This is proof of the War God's stance. He is severing his ties with us," the First High Reverend mumbled, with a grave expression on his face. "Having to deal with such a setback this far into our plan… we…"

He understood something very clearly: once a real god joined the game, no Demigod in existence would be able to stop them. Demigods could only lightly alter the laws in their small Territories. They did not even possess the ability to rewrite the Laws in their Territories.

The disparity between a Demigod and a god was just too vast.

"How much longer before we can proceed to the last stage?" The Third High Reverend, who had been standing aside all this time, suddenly asked

"At least, five more days," the Wise Mad King replied.

"No! That is too long! Even if the War God does not destroy the altars himself, five days is more than enough time for Hope to destroy them. If we speed things up as much as possible, how long would it take?"The First High Reverend asked.

"Three days! Look, if we speed things up that much, the chances of success would reduce, contrary to what we had hoped…"

"Three days is still too long," the First High Reverend said, in a tone of voice filled with disappointment. "Is there really no other way?"

"Other setups are almost completed. It's just that, accumulating the maximum amount of power would require more time," explained the Wise Mad King.

"So, it's just the lack of power, huh? Why don't you just offer more sacrifices, then?" The Third High Reverend asked. "Didn't the First High Reverend just send you some men? If you add your own men, it should suffice, right?"

"Are you talking about live sacrifices?!" The Wise Mad King asked in shock. "You know what that would cause, right? We'd be creating a monster! A monster that would destroy everything in its path and everything it can see! I reject this suggestion!"

"Reject? So, you would rather see everything we have done so far wiped away in one second? Is that right?" The Third Reverend snarled. "Look, moving on with the plan is our priority. Everything else would have to come later! Don't tell me you are attached to what little you have left."

"I agree with the Third High Reverend," said the First High Reverend. "Even if we end up creating a monster, it was still instrumental to the success of a part of our plan. Even though this deviation will taint our perfect plan, causing us to suffer a lot more than we had expected, it would still lead us a step into success. This first step will make the rest of the journey a lot easier."

"It is the beginning of our Great Work! We will not fail now! Sir Second High Reverend, I beseech you to think wisely. Now, sacrifices must be made."

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375 A Sensible Analysis

'Sacrifice.'

A word which was better off involving others than it was of involving themselves.

Contrary to expectations, after the First High Reverend's passionate speech, the Wise Mad King's hesitation grew, and he replied, "I wish to speak with the Director about this."

It turned out that the three High Reverends answered to someone even higher in rank than they were. From the Wise Mad King's hesitation, it could be ascertained that speaking to this director was nowhere as easy as making a phone call.

The other two High Reverends fell silent. After a few moments had passed, the First Reverend broke the silence with a voice filled with grievance. "If that is what you — the architect of this plan — have decided, then I will respect your decision."

A few more moments passed in silence, then the Wise Mad King heard a voice echo in his mind.

'I saw what transpired. Proceed with your plan. Do not fail me.'

The reply only contained three short sentences, which had taken only two seconds to relay, but the Wise Mad King looked as though he was just doused with a large bucket of water. The beads of sweat dripping down his forehead had completely drenched his garments. It was as though he had just returned from a short trip to the Underworld.

"The Lord most gracious, the Lord most wrathful..." The Mad King uncontrollably muttered under his breath, his voice croaking. He was desperately trying to rid himself of the fear that was consuming his mind. He never liked "talking" to the Director, but the present situation, which was a desperate one, had called for it.

He took some time to stabilize his breathing and heartbeat, and only then did he finally speak to the other two High Reverends, saying, "The Director said we shall proceed as we'd planned."

"It looks like there is no other choice, huh... Three Demigods will be sacrificed. Damnit! I feel bad; believe me," exclaimed the Third Reverend. However, his tone of voice oozed schadenfreude.

"A small price to pay. As long as our plan succeeds, even Demigods will be nothing more than ornaments to the history we would write!" The First High Reverend passionately said.

"However, we still don't know how the Second High Reverend plans to convince those three Demigods to give up their lives," said the Third Reverend to the First High Reverend.

The Mad King coldly sneered, "You're speaking as though the Faustian Tattoos and Power Marks were not made for this purpose."

As Godsfall's High Reverends were hurriedly making changes to their plans, Baiyi was on his way to rendezvous with his students, completely oblivious to the fear and chaos his actions had wrought.

He was still in a discussion with the Voidwalkers, trying to discern the purpose for which the altars had been set up, and by extension, the next plan that the enemies sought to make.

"Hmm, that altar really gives me that flashback feels, man. In fact, it reminds me so much of this old friend of mine," the Devil Walker said. "The runes surrounding it, and the way with which altar was set up, makes it look like Molocchus's work. I have seen it a few times. Although some details on that altar were a little different — which may mean that its function would be different, as well — it still resembles his work.

"Molocchus is an Abyss Lord, who was famous — or rather, infamous — for being sly. Although he was physically weaker than Thaas, he is a harder opponent to defeat. Unlike other demons, Molocchus admires the culture of humans. In the past, he stole a large number of human books and abducted academic sorcerers. He had even gone on to place spies within human academic organizations, such as the Doors of Conundrum.

"Taking inspiration from humans' knowledge of formations, he once designed a set of sacrificial altars. The amount of power possessed by the offerings determined how much power the person who was making the sacrifice would gain. This was akin to a trade by barter. However, there was a catch: if the person who made the sacrifice did not make more sacrifices afterward, Molocchus would ruthlessly rob them off every ounce of strength they possessed, including their souls.

"Hence, after making a sacrifice, if one sought to live longer, they would have to commit vile acts in order to obtain strong offerings, which were good enough to satiate Malocchus's desires. It was akin to a loan scheme, which had exponential interest rates, and in the end, the creditor would end up claiming the debtor anyway," the Devil Walker finished.

"Which idiot would fall for that?" Baiyi scoffed.

"The more unassuming a trap is, the more people fall for it. Do you not remember Steam and other free-to-play mobile games back on Earth?" The Devil retorted. "Besides, there are humans so thirsty for power, they would do anything to gain it. And that is how we demons have managed to live off your humans. This is why our influence over you lot is so vast."

Baiyi was unable to refute the claim.

"Besides, do you want to know who first saw military potential in Leapers? It was Molocchus. He even trained a herd for himself. Leapers are stronger and more useful if trained; however, their physique remains so much weaker than other demon breeds. It is hard to whip them up to standard, I tell you. It is even harder to control them. No one has the patience to try," the Devil Walker explained. "For instance, that Leaper you battled earlier, it was strong enough to lead a herd of its own, yet it seemed to take orders from a superior. Thus, if I am not mistaken, that Leaper must have been trained since it was young, by its master. From that, we can deduce that Molochchus is one of the players in this."

"Another Abyss Lord? Well, I'll buy it. It does answer a question I have always had about Godsfall," Baiyi said, musing over the Devil Walker's information. "The cult's expansion into such a powerful organization, despite the Church's interference, would not be enough to draw in some humans. One would need to control an organization as powerful as a nation — a very powerful nation.

"Godsfall still does not have total influence over places like the Nothern Lands of Isythre or here, Marle. Hence, it would make sense if there are other forces backing them, and if one of the backers was a real Abyss Lord, not a lightweight like Thaas was, then it would make even more sense. After all, bewitching human with carnal delusions is what demons do best.

"So, does this mean that back then, during the demonic invasion, the reason why so many demons — including some of Thaas' former lapdogs — were able to infiltrate my academy was because of this Abyss Lord?" The Apprentice Walker suddenly asked.

He had never truly recovered from that event. Seeing the academy that was once his pride and had his name slowly deteriorate had stung and enraged him, and his tone of voice proved this.

"Pfft. What is loyalty to demons? It's nothing but a strange, insignificant concept. The only everlasting truth that we demons understand is 'rebellion'! So there's no such thing as 'former lapdogs'; there's only the subjugation of the servants of others, and that was what Molocchus must have done after Thaas' demise. Back then, they might have only mentioned Thaas' name to fool everyone," the Devil Walker said with a cruel chuckle.

"You said that that altar reminded you of Molocchus's handiwork, but to me, it resembles something I saw in the past. Do you remember the time I visited Mia's hometown?" Baiyi suddenly said, slowly immersing himself in a flashback.

"Back then, we saw a large complex of runic formations, and as it turned out, what we saw was just a small part of a super-massive Empire Complex. We told the Church about it, but nothing happened since then. Looking at how quietly it was resolved, I believe that their work had been destroyed by the Church. Now, though, It looks like they're at it again."

"Ohh ho ho ho! They are going to create a Nationwide Transmutation Circle! Trying to create the Philosopher's Stone, aren't we?!" The Alchemist Walker suddenly chimed in excitedly. The idea of "offerings" and "super-massive complex" had reminded him of something.

"Did you just picture the Wise Mad King as the Dwarf in the Flask or Father?" Baiyi muttered under his breath. "Why did you not go a step further and say that he was trying to use that Transmutation Circle to obtain the Truth, in order to become some sort of God?"

"Hey, those are some old references you just made. I don't think these newbies get it,though," the Archmage suddenly said. However, there was a chance that he also did not know where those terms came from.

Suddenly, another Voidwalker who almost never partook in discussion joined the fray.

"This thing right here is the symbol of the God of Power, Deilos!" The Bard Walker cried, sharing with everyone a picture of something he had seen before so that they could compare it with the symbol Baiyi had shared.

"Oh? Please, do continue." Baiyi quickly replied. He had to admit that he had never believed that the Bard Walker, who was a Master Gentleman, would be useful in a conversation like this.

"As we all know, other than the One True God of God's Grace, other gods do exist. One such example is the War God, who our crappy moderator, Hope, has established connections with. This God of Power, Deilos, is similar. Legends have it that he controls power; he is also rumored to be the benefactor who gifted humans mana and combat chi.

"He used to have his own followers and religion, but they died off after the rise of God's Grace. I learned about Deilos from the ancient books and records I collected. This is also how I know that this symbol represents him," the Bard Walker said, finishing his elucidation, thereby showing his usefulness, for the very first time.

"You actually collect books? I thought all you ever collected were women's undergarments," a random Voidwalker muttered.

The Bard Walker jumped when he heard this. "Would you pay me some goddamned respect? I'm a scholar, for crying out loud! My voyage into the world of women is just a hobby I nurse after hours. Besides, beautiful women are attracted to my devilishly handsome looks and immense knowledge. I'm not idiotic, but I am a cute male bimbo!"

"Besides, do you even know that creating songs, poems, and epic poetry require an incredible number of materials, including knowledge of heroic stories throughout the ages? I'm a bard who composes moving poetries, not some Webnovel writer. I'm not allowed to make sh*t up!"

As someone who had exchanged memories with the Bard Walker, Baiyi knew this to be true. It was true that the Bard Walker was actually very knowledgeable in historical and cultural subjects. If it were not for his lustful lifestyle, he could have been a great literary master.It's Fullmetal Alchemist. That something is FMA.Fullmetal Alchemist stuff!

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376 Something Wicked This Way Comes

Although Baiyi did not doubt the Bard Walker's literary accomplishments, he could not fathom the fact that a heretical altar, which had been designed with a style prominent to an Abyss Lord, would have a god's emblem on it.

"This God of Power… Is he an evil god?" Baiyi asked.

"No; oh, no. He's pretty benevolent. His religion and ties in God's grace both support this, so how could he be evil? He just has not bothered with granting miracles or making oracles of his followers. The number of followers he had was minuscule in comparison with God's Grace, so in the end, his cult died out," the Bard Walker replied in a serious tone of voice. "From the records I collected, his cult was pretty low-profile, and his followers were few and meek."

God's Grace was a surprisingly open-minded religion, and it never actively persecuted any heretics or pagans. As long as its followers kept themselves within the confines of the law, the Church did not pay them any mind. However, in terms of the theological missions and virtues, these smaller cults could not hold a candle to God's Grace; hence, in the end, these smaller cults slowly died out because their followers opted for something else.

However, if a cult began doing serious business, causing it to attract a lot of attention, God's Grace would immediately label it 'blasphemous', and that would be the end of the cult.

This information did not help their case, though. Why would Godsfall inscribe this god's insignia on their own altar? If it was an altar really intended for summoning, would Godsfall really summon a god — an act that was in line with their own philosophy?

"Looks like we're out of leads. Let us just meet up with the students, first, as soon as possible. Who knows, maybe Mr.Bear would have some insights to share," Baiyi said. He sped up, hurrying to the place he was to rendezvous with his students.

After speaking with Baiyi, the students and the other villagers began to head to the rendezvous point. Hence, it did not take long for Baiyi to reach them; he met them close to a beautiful creek.

After the events of the night before, as well as the hard work that had occurred after, the students and others were exhausted. Many dropped all pretense just to rest.

Little Mia was still a little excited from her last battle. Nota was also awake, but she was still in her little fairy form — a form in which she wore no clothes whatsoever. The Kitty-cat Maid sat with them, but she was moments away from falling asleep. However, when she saw Baiyi approach them, she jerked awake and threw herself at him, with wide open arms.

Baiyi caught the maid, only to discover that she had somehow fallen asleep in midair.

Tisdale was fast asleep, lying atop Zakum's fluffy back. She had fallen asleep before the group reached the rendezvous point.

Little Mia, who was holding the sabercat in her embrace, beamed proudly at Baiyi. "Mr. Hope! We saved so many people this time! Even this cat!"

'It resembles a leopard more than a cat, though.' Baiyi thought. Watching the little cub pat Mia's cheeks with its paws, he decided not to share his thoughts with the little girl.

However, he praised Mia for her effort. After tossing Attie onto his shoulder, he reached out to ruffle Mia's hair. He brought out a storage pouch, which was filled with clothes for the girls, and tossed it to Nota. The little fairy caught the pouch, which was almost as big as she currently was, then she raced to the woods to transform back and wear her clothes.

That was when Mr. Bear, who now looked like a chewed toy, emerged from the crowd. It looked pitiful, but as soon as it saw Nydore standing safely behind Baiyi, it grinned in relief. "Looks like you won your battle pretty nicely, too. It was difficult, but we prevailed."

After sparing a few seconds to think, Baiyi decided to not tell the bear about other battles they would have to fight. Instead, he looked at its wounds. "Are you alright? Do your injuries need some…sewing?" He asked in concern.

Mr. Bear looked embarrassed at the suggestion, but it shook its head sideways at the offer, nonetheless. It brought out a young sapling and said, in grief, "He's… He's hurt really badly. He would need to recover here."

The sapling, who was actually Grandfather Tree, slowly, and with clear signs of struggle, opened its eyes and looked at Baiyi. With a sigh, it said, "I'm now…only as strong… as a sapling." After that, the sapling said no more; the great druid had fallen into a deep sleep.

After gently putting the sapling away, Mr. Bear used its profound ability to construct large treehouses for the surviving fairies to rest in. Baiyi helped, too, by levitating the fairies with his mana and tossing them into the tree houses; he was like a workman working with burlap sacks. Different cries soon filled the woods. "Oww! Ouch! Aiieek!"

After every fairy had been tossed into their respective treehouse, Baiyi took out large sleeping bags from his storage pouch, along with blankets, covers, and bedsheets. Then, he began to prepare a room for the students.

"Whoa! Grandpa has had all these with him the entire time?" Nydore exclaimed in jealousy, silently hinting that he not leave her, his granddaughter-in-law, out.

He did not. He made a bed for Nydore as well. When he was done, he had the girls sleep in the best part of the treehouse that was constructed for them.

After that, he brought the Fairy Walker with him to look for Mr. Bear. They found it trying to heal its injuries with some mud. "Alright, now I can talk to you about something."

He informed the bear of everything that had transpired, including the clues he had gathered.

The bear's round, beady eyes narrowed as it patiently listened to him. When he finished, it shook its head sideways and sighed. "I knew things would not be that simple. Even if the Wise Mad King does not see eye to eye with us, he should not have gone to such extremes. Seeing as the druid who is in charge of the area where Nydore and the others were cornered did not show up, it can only mean that it has long since been killed. I guess this is not just petty revenge against Eom Village; it is a straightforward attempt to massacre us all!"

"Now, I need more intel, and I need your help," Baiyi said, then he described the strange hallucinatory-like trance that he felt after touching the Eight Walker. Baiyi obviously wished to enter that state again, in order to obtain more information. With what he would gather, he could effectively foil the Wise Mad King's plot.

Unfortunately, Mr. Bear's reply was a disappointing sideways shake of its head. "That's Nature's Eye — something I'm not so adept in. I could try to use it, but I won't be able to bring you with me."

"I see. That would have to do, then. Please, do remember to tell me what you see in that trance, especially the things that make you feel uncomfortable, or things you consider hostile," Baiyi said, resorting to his Plan B.

Mr. Bear nodded before closing its eyes. At that moment, it resembled a meditating old monk. Although the sight of a stuffed toy assuming a meditative pose was funny and insult-worthy, Baiyi was not in the mood for such things.

After entering the trance, Mr. Bear's expressions changed often; sometimes it looked agitated, and other times it looked relaxed. It gestured with its paws frequently as well, moving some rocks around. Soon, the rocks were stacked in a certain order.

When the bear finally opened its eyes, it pointed at one of the rocks with a certain shape and began to explain, saying, "These rocks signify the locations that made me feel uncomfortable. The larger the rock, the more uncomfortable the location made me feel—"

Before the bear could finish, it toppled over. Alarmed, the Fairy Walker rushed over to the fallen bear, only to see that it was fast asleep. Had it been that tired all along?

'But it had looked quite awake only moments before. Does Nature's Eye expend that much stamina?' Baiyi thought to himself. He left the Fairy Walker to care for Mr. Bear while he carefully studied the rock structure that the bear had arranged.

He was dazed. That Wise Mad King! He had actually set up this many evil altars in the Eternal Tree Ocean?! He had tampered with every inch of the place! The place was called an 'ocean', not a 'forest', because of its area; hence, one could only imagine how long it had taken the villain to set up all these. For how long had he planned this? What sort of monster would this formation spawn?!

Even though Mr. Bear was only able to sense the general locations of these altars, if one looked at the rocks it had arranged, the person would see that the rocks were linked by some lines, which, when looked at from up high, formed a large formation the shape of a large star within a larger circle. It was a pentagram. Not only did it mean 'the love of a father is as heavy as the mountain', but it was also the symbol of evil and sinister forces, as well as the dawn of the Apocalypse.

That Wise Mad King would not really be intent on constructing a Transnational Transmutation Circle, would he?

Even if the alchemy stuff was set aside, the formation had to be as large as the Empire Complex of the Ancient Rohserlian Empire. Baiyi was not yet sure what the formation was for, but one thing he did know was: if it were activated, it would spell only doom!

"So, this Wise Mad King really wants to summon a certain Abyss Lord to this realm, huh…" The Devil Walker said.

"If only that was it! All I would have to do is slay the Abyss Lord," Baiyi replied. "But, would one even need this much preparation for a measly Abyss Lord? What about that insignia belonging to the God of Power?"

"A formation as complex as this one should be enough to summon you," the Archmage suddenly said. "And, by you, I meant your essential body, with, at least, half of your real power."

"This large a formation can only summon half your true power?!" The Devil Walker exclaimed.

"Just an estimation; no need to get hung up over the details," the Archmage said, casually changing the subject. "We still need to see what exactly was being laid out like this, as well as the materials used… Regardless, the power that this formation will accumulate should be able to pierce through the barriers between realms. Thus, if they are really planning to summon anything, it can't be something as simple as a demon."

Baiyi's reply to that was surprisingly mirthful. "Oh. So, I guess I should be prepared to meet a god of evil, then."I have no idea how did this even come to be related to the pentagram. Honestly, I even tried investigating through the angle of lewdness and it still eluded me.

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377 A Fog of Mystery

When Baiyi deduced that he may be up against a god of evil, an electrifying discussion broke out in the Void. The Voidwalkers were most excited to see how the Fifth Walker, with his current constraints and abilities, would fare against a real god-level foe.

Only the Bard Walker was unsettled by this, and he tried his best to explain his reservations to the other Voidwalkers. "Guys! Hold up! Do you know that, theoretically, there is no such thing as a ' god of evil'? The only way to classify someone as a god is if the person has the unbridled power to Rewrite the Laws. Hence, if an evil god really existed, it would be against the Laws. If this was the case, it would have long since plunged our world deep into chaos!"

"Hence, I really believe that an evil god is either a concept deliberately made to fool the unlearned or a product of some belligerent cult, after the cult perverts the god's name in order to commit their atrocities. There is no such thing as a real evil god!"

"So, you're saying that whoever I may be going up against is not an evil god per se, but a real god? Following that train of thought, could it be this God of Power who we just talked about?" Baiyi asked. "Did you not say that the God of Power was largely beneficial? That is a trait I'm pretty sure I share with him; I protect the weak, save the innocent, and punish the evil. If the God of Power does get summoned, he should not be fighting me. Instead, he should punish the bastards in Godsfall!"

"Why are you all claiming that the formation is a summoning circle, which will be used to summon a twenty-foot whatever? Are you saying that this formation cannot be a Soul Sacrificing Circle, which is used to birth a powerful amalgamation of dead souls?!" The Lich Walker demanded.

"Of what use is a bloody dead soul?! It'll be pretty useless against Sir Hope, the Lord of the Void!" Another Voidwalker snapped at the Lich Walker.

"Ha! Your short-sightedness and ignorance are showing! If a mighty dead soul is combined with all of the bodies in the nation, it can create an empire-sized army of the undead!"

"Our enemy is called the Wise Mad King, not some goddamned Shaman King! In the first place, why would he even want his people to be turned into dead souls?"

The discussion had now turned into an argument. Disinterested in listening any further, Baiyi prepared to venture into the woods. From what Mr. Bear had sensed, there were two key locations of interest that were close to where the villagers had taken refuge. Even though these two locations did not emit as much evil aura as some other locations Mr. Bear had mapped out, Baiyi still wanted to check them out.

However, he did not expect to find much at these two locations. In such a supermassive formation, exploring the two weakest points was akin to looking through a peephole; he was bound to miss out on so much information. If Baiyi went to explore the larger and more important key locations, which Mr. Bear had used larger rocks to indicate, there was a higher chance of obtaining valuable information. However, such locations were very far away from where he was, and Baiyi was not keen on leaving the fairy villagers behind.

Even as Baiyi was leaving, Mia and Nydore were still awake, unlike the other girls. Baiyi had placed Nydore's sleeping bag close to Mia's, so seeing as the both of them had yet to fall asleep, apart from looking into each other's beautiful eyes in curiosity, they had nothing else to do. Between their sleeping bags was the sabercat cub. It was rolling around between them, in an attempt to look cute.

After watching each other for a while, Nydore finally broke the silence; she spoke in a hushed voice, but she used the fairy language, which she supplemented with hand gestures. Mia, who had no idea what was being said, tilted her head in confusion, then she mumbled to herself. "Maybe she's saying that I look adorable."

With that in mind, she politely replied, "Hey there. You look just as beautiful and adorable! I really love the color of your hair…"

With that, she reached out and caressed Nydore's unique, full, silvery-white hair.

Nydore's cheeks instantly turned bright red, but she responded by pinching Mia's soft cheeks.

Although both girls did not understand what the other was saying, they were still friendly with each other. This caused them to chuckle.

The Fairy Walker, who was standing outside, heard their laughter and walked into the treehouse. When she saw the two girls chuckling, she quietly asked, "Why aren't the two of you sleeping? What's so funny?"

"I greeted her, and she touched my hair, so I pinched her cheeks. It was fun," Nydore explained.

"Big Sister Mar-Mar, what did she say?" Little Mia asked.

"Nothing too important." The Fairy Walker shook her head. "She's Nydore, my granddaughter. In terms of family hierarchy, you are her aunt… Er, maybe we should just say, big sister."

After saying that in humans' common language, the Fairy Walker repeated it in fairy language for Nydore. The silvery-white haired girl became a little upset. "I'm 500 years old! She's smaller than me!"

"Even if you are 1000 years old, according to family hierarchy, you will still be her junior. You should be grateful that you're her little sister!" The Fairy jovially replied as she ruffled Nydore's hair.

"Huh? I'm a Big Sister now?" Mia was excited. Back in the Aegis Mansion, she was the youngest. Her tiny frame and childish attitude made her resemble… a child. This was why her fellow students treated her as the youngest sister. However, now, it turned out there was someone else even younger than she was, and that made her happy.

As the older sister, she would have to start acting like one by treating her younger sister, Nydore, properly. Mia took out her favorite toy, the hammerhead shark plushie, and handed it to Nydore in an act of goodwill.

"Aaahh? How adorable!!!" The Zephyr hurriedly received the plushie and embraced it tightly. It was at this point that the little sabercat got tired of acting cute. In jealousy, it watched the plushie being played with. After a while, it rested its head on a sleeping bag, without its prior vigor.

The hammerhead shark plushie, who had now scored the affection of another female, seemed to be eyeing the sabercat cub in contempt. Its mischevious eyes seemed to say, "Tsk, tsk. Why do the weak always think they stand a chance?"

Baiyi had no idea what had unfolded in the treehouse. It had not taken him long to check out the two points he had set out to explore.

There were no altars at these two locations, but he did find some simple runes, which had been set up in a mysterious manner. After observing them for a while, Baiyi realized that these runes were not a part of the supermassive formation that Mr. Bear had shown him.

The runes of the first location were set up for the purpose of emitting a terrible stench that would repel both humans and animals. The runes of the second location were set up to activate a low-grade Deimos spell, which would cause those that came near its area of effect to feel intense fear.

'This is all they do? Chasing away animals and people who have no business being here? Is this so that they don't mess up their work? Really now, anyone repelled by such weak stench and fear spells would not have the power required to destroy the huge formation in the first place! So why make such unnecessary effort?'

Baiyi walked further and observed other key locations that were close to the two points he had come to inspect. These locations also emitted weak evil auras, and when Baiyi reached them, all he found were simple runes set up to repel weak entities. These locations were also not part of the supermassive formation.

Baiyi began to wonder how many locations Mr. Bear found which actually contained altars. The locations he had visited so far only contained simple rune setups.

What was Godsfall trying to do? Were they just concerned with repelling weak critters and humans? Thinking back to Mr. Bear's rock formation, the locations with minor setups were extensive; hence, Baiyi had to wonder if Godsfall was just focused on forcing every critter out of the Tree Ocean.

Baiyi was annoyed to realize that these lesser setups may have badly clouded the accuracy of Mr. Bear's divination. This made the bear's rock formation less credible than he had thought, and it also voided the credibility of the Voidwalkers' deductions thus far.

'Okay, this is really a drag.'

Baiyi felt like he had returned to square one. He now wanted to explore the key locations that were much further away, which the bear had assigned large rocks. However, it was getting late in the night. He had spent the entire evening moving around just to discover nothing new.

After quickly looking around the area to make sure he did not miss anything, he returned to the temporary abode of Eom Village's displaced fairies.

After an evening's rest, the fairies regained their spirits. They raised their swollen heads, hips, and joints and began to decorate their new homes.

Mia greeted Baiyi in excitement by jumping into his arms and rubbing her head against him. Afterward, she glanced at the busy fairies and asked, "I thought they were all patched up. Why do they look like they were just injured?"

"Um... They didn't sleep very well?" Baiyi lied.

At that point, the sky had turned completely dark. Mia leaned on Baiyi like the child that she was, and then she looked at the sky and exclaimed, "Look at their night sky! It's just as pretty as ours!"

"Really?" At her behest, Baiyi looked up as well. Sure enough, the sky was pretty, but it was also fake. The people who knew nothing of the concept of galaxies and planetary objects would also not know that the sky was fake.

Suddenly, the Astrologer Walker, who only thought about licking girls and setting new lows, pipped in, "Sir Hope, please look at the sky again. I think I saw something strange up there!"

"And I care because? You did tell us that astrology in this universe is a con."

"Look, the con part is when someone claims to use astrology to predict the luck and fate of another person. Now those are utter shams. However, using astrology to predict the weather, climate, and breeding months of animals is possible," the Astrologer Walker explained.

"This month is the month of the plague. All crop and livestock productions are expected to halve?" Baiyi said, giving an example.

"Yes, something like that. However, the night sky above us is acting very differently. Their orbital movements are not regular, and some of its stars are blinking the wrong way!" The Astrologer Walker pointed out, a little too passionately. "You already know that the stars in our world are fake, and their movements and shimmers are based on preset Laws. If nothing changed those Laws, then they would not change as well.

"According to the Astrologists' Association's record, the stars in the sky have only displayed this anomaly once before. This instance was recorded six thousand years ago — back when the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire still existed — by Rohlserlian sorcerers. The reason why this anomaly had appeared back then was because a supermassive Empire Complex was activated. This complex generated an energy field strong enough to affect the sky above," the Astrologer Walker continued.

Baiyi quickly asked, "So you're saying that the Godsfall cult's formation has already been activated?"

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378 Destruction From The Sky

"You mean, Godfall's formation has been activated?" Baiyi hurriedly asked. He speedily spread out his psychic energy, but after a while, he retracted it. With an expression of bemusement, he said, "But I felt nothing. Not a single magical pulse."

"In Astrology, the stars change before whatever affects them changes. This is why they can be used to predict future events, and this is also why you have not felt anything just yet," the Astrologer Walker replied in the gravest tone of voice Baiyi had ever seen him use. "I don't know what has given stars these properties, and I have no theory to explain it. However, every record we have had — and every note we have made — throughout history has shown that this predictive property does, in fact, exist. The enemy's formation is about to be activated. Please, believe me on this one!"

"Don't worry. On this matter, I believe you." Baiyi's firmly replied.

The Astrologer Walker was adept at Astrology, yet he had often referred to the discipline as a 'sham'. The reason for this was more personal than he had let on. First, after exchanging memories with Baiyi, from which he learned about Earth's astronomy, he had realized that, in this world, the stars above were fake. Secondly, while Astrology could be used to accurately predict changes in nature, many astrologers, who are motivated by self-interest, use it to con people of their money. The dishonest astrologers make fake predictions about the fate of these individuals, for a fee.

Astrology was a useful subject. If this was not the case, it would have died out after the Ancient Rohlserlian period. Although the Astrologer Walker was now one of the biggest perverts amongst the Gentlemen of the Void, he was once an aspiring astrologer, who fervently memorized the position of every star in the sky. Eventually, he was able to tell what would happen just by watching changes in the sky above. He could be considered a living star chart.

With this prowess, he would have been able to fool some wealthy aristocrats, which, in turn, would have earned him the position of Royal Principal Astrologer. In this position, he could have lived a life of luxury and fame.

However, he never considered conning the masses with fake predictions. As an idealist, he was ostracized and oppressed by other astrologers, but this did little to change his ideals. Despite living as a destitute, whose abilities were unknown to most, he wrote countless papers in which he debunked the predictions of conmen posing as astrologers. He dedicated his life to this.

These 'crimes' should have warranted him a life sentence in prison at most, but he ended up paying a far worse price for his cheek: banishment to the Void. This was because the enemies he had made were powerful.

If one was a scholar who spent their entire life diligently striving to preserve an academic discipline, only to realize that what they had studied for ages was a comic hoax, how would they feel? What sort of impact would it have on them? It had taken a lot of willpower for the Astrologer Walker to accept the truth. The pleasures of being a perverted Gentleman of the Void had helped him numb his pain, preventing him from slipping into insanity.

If the Astrologer Walker was not obsessed with rubbing the breasts and licking the thighs of females, he would have garnered more respect from the other Voidwalkers.

Although Baiyi had immense faith in the Astrologer Walker's knowledge, he did not think that the Voidwaker's information meant much. All it affirmed was that Godsfall was planning something big.

"If that was all my knowledge could provide, would I not have remained quiet instead of attempting to be a try-hard?" The Astrologer walker said with a sigh. "Sir Hope, can you bring up a picture of the map that Mr. Bear made for you using rocks? I'll share a star chart here, too, and then place some markers on locations where the position and behavior of stars have changed. After that, you can compare my chart to the rock map."

Baiyi did as the Voidwalker had asked. Two pictures appeared in his mind: the rock map and the star chat. Baiyi began to adjust the star chat's ratio so that it would become the same size as the rock map. When he succeeded, he overlayed the latter with the former.

To his surprise and delight, both pictures matched in certain areas! The areas where Mr. Bear had placed large rocks correlated with the points of interest that the Astrologer Walker had marked on the star chart.

Next, Baiyi removed the small rocks which signified locations where stars had no anomalies, leaving behind only those that did. When he connected the rocks that were left over, they formed a formation!

"This is amazing," Baiyi whispered.

"'The stars can divine the fate and future of all things.' Every astrologer are told this when they first start learning Astrology. It is not completely true, but it is not a lie, either. Actions with larger effects would always be shown by the stars," the Astrologer Walker added.

"Using the changes in the stars, I can actually map out the locations on ground that are largely causing the changes above, much like how I can predict the weather and climate of a location. I think you know what that means," the Astrologer Walker finished.

"Of course," Baiyi replied. The Book of Servitude appeared above Baiyi's palm. "How much is the margin of error?"

"Two thousand to three thousand yards," the Astrologer Walker said, giving a conservative answer.

"Fine by me! I just need to spam my spells a few times to offset that," Baiyi said in excitement.

There were many things that could make a sorcerer giddy, but the ability to use a forbidden spell multiple times in order to hit a target from far away took the cake!

Earlier, Baiyi had already considered casting some long-range forbidden spells at the locations marked with large stones. He had a long list of forbidden spells to choose from — thanks to the Voidwalkers. As there was not much to do in the Void, the Voidwalkers spend a lot of time to improve many of the forbidden spells that Baiyi had in his repertoire. Many of the forbidden spells that were improved were long-ranged forbidden spells.

Even without the help of his psychic energy, which could be used to lock onto a target, Baiyi still knew the coordinates of the targets he wished to hit. The Empire Complex was too massive, while the rock map Mr. Bear made for him was too coarse that he could not use it to accurately pinpoint the locations he sought, as it only provided the direction of a site. Using only the rock map now was akin to trying his luck — an action that was bound to attract the attention of his enemies.

Now, thanks to Astrology, the margin of error was significantly reduced. The rest would be handled by the spells in the Book of Servitude; their blast range was large enough to make up for the little errors.

Soon, the Astrologer Walker finished drawing a map in which he had plotted the coordinates Baiyi required. After musing through the list of forbidden spells improved by the Voidwalkers, Baiyi settled on one, which he considered most suitable for the task ahead. He contacted Potter the Owl — who was back at the temporary sanctuary created for the displaced fairies of Eom Village — and instructed it to turn into armor for Mia. This was so that Mia and Potter could both share the burden that came whenever he drew a lot of mana through her.

The owl complied. Baiyi soon heard Mia's voice through his communication slab. "Hmm? Mr. Owl? How sudden… Is Mr. Hope up to something again? Aahh! Ooh… Hmm, this armor is very pretty, but the skirt is a bit too long…"

'You're still harping on about short skirts?' Baiyi thought in exasperation. Unfortunately, now was not the time for him to reeducate Mia on dressing etiquette.

Baiyi decided to use the same spell that Godsfall used to destroy Eom Village — Fire and Brimstone. As a courteous person who knew all about the custom of gift-giving, Baiyi decided to make Fire and Brimstone the first spell he would cast, thereby paying back his enemies in kind.

As Baiyi began to chant, parts of his armor — his helmet, chest plate, and backplate — were covered by a large oblong formation, which slowly began to turn crimson. Fire mana began to converge by his side. Baiyi's aura, along with the energy pulses he was emitting, increased so much, Mr. Bear, who was a fair distance away, awoke with a start. From where it was, it could see Baiyi chanting the final part of the spell's incantation. The horrifying waves of fire mana suddenly vanished, and the large oblong formation fired of beams of crimson light into the stratosphere.

A moment later, at a location far away, several arches of light cut through the dark fabric of the night, giving rise to a very mighty explosion. The explosion was so large, it left behind a gigantic, fiery mushroom cloud, which pierced the skies. Mr. Bear could feel the earth below it tremble slightly.

"Such a terrifying spell… But, my poor, poor forest…" Mr. Bear sighed.

'You're awake? Good. I'll need your help with Nature's Eye once again, please. If you notice any differences at the locations you marked with large rocks, do let me know" Baiyi said when he noticed the bear, all the way from where he was.

"You… are targetting those places that are far away, from here?" Mr. Bear's eyes widened, aghast at the implication of Baiyi's words. The bear soon recovered its composure and began to use Nature's Eye again, and while using it, it muttered to itself. "Is this the power of magic? No wonder the Wise Mad King abandoned the old ways in order to adopt this destructive form of power."

Just as that thought crossed through its mind, the bear realized that one of the locations marked by large rocks, which had made it feel nauseous, had disappeared. The bear faced the rock map it had made earlier and took the largest rock out.

Baiyi, who was watching from afar, quickly understood what this meant. He selected another location that the Astrologer Walker had marked on its star chart, then he began to ponder on what forbidden spell he would use this time.

A few moments later, a long-range forbidden mud spell was cast. This time, however, Mr. Bear, who was still using Nature's Eye, shook its head sideways. It grabbed a handful of mud from the ground, squeezed it into a lump, and placed it at the right side of a very large rock, implying that Baiyi's spell had missed, going too far right of the target.

With just one look, Baiyi knew how much adjustment he would have to make. The advantage of using this method was that Mr. Bear would use Nature's Eye to only focus on the location Baiyi was striking. As it did not have to use Nature's Eye to view the entire Eternal Tree Ocean, the bear did not have to worry about passing out from fatigue from using Nature's Eye.

While Baiyi and Mr. Bear were cooperating in the real world, the Archmage, the Scholar Walker, and the other Voidwalkers were working hard in the Void. They were hurriedly altering forbidden spells to decrease the power required to cast the spells, ensuring that it fell below Mia's maximum threshold, and also ensuring that the spells' ranges and blast areas increased.

With the Astrologer Walker's star chart, Mr. Bear's recalibration, and the Voidwalkers' cooperation, Baiyi was sure that he could remain there and, with his altered forbidden spells, dismantle the setups that Godsfall had spent a long time and much effort to build!So, it's kinda like a magician aiming to debunk those psychics, eh? Cool. Reminded me of one of my personal heroes — James Randi! Though that dude ain't too poor, and he's really made a name for himself.

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379 A Difficult Decision Was Made

Just as Baiyi was having a great time spamming forbidden spells, which made him feel a high that only the Sorcerer Class could provide, Godsfall's day was coming apart at the seams. If the Wise Mad King lived on earth, it was at this point he would be getting a consistent stream of beeps from an alarm system, saying, "Nuclear Launch Detected! Nuclear Launch Detected! Nuclear Launch Detected!".

However, he and Godsfall were quick to react. After Baiyi's first spell, they took action. Despite calibrating the coordinates of the second location three times, Baiyi still failed to hit the target. Godsfall quickly cast a large defensive barrier over that location.

For powerful beings, it was not very hard to defend against forbidden spells, especially long-ranged ones. A flaw of long ranged forbidden spells was the fact that they were formed from only one element; once an enemy makes a defense barrier out of another element that counteracts the element used to create the forbidden spell, the long-ranged forbidden spell would be nullified on contact. Furthermore, defense spells required less mana to cast than offensive spells.

In order to avoid pushing Mia too hard, Baiyi had had to reduce the might of the spells he used, which, in turn, reduced the burden it had on Mia.

Godsfall cultists were not novices; their period of panic was momentary, and their reaction was swift.

When Baiyi saw his forbidden spells get nullified time after time, he stopped the onslaught and turned to the Void for a solution. "Does anyone here know any forbidden spells that I can use at full power without pushing Mia to her limit? A forbidden spell composed of multiple elements would also suffice."

"Excuse you! Do you think that altering magical formulae is as easy as tapping on your keyboard once or twice?" The Archmage snapped. "Besides, what makes you think that forbidden spells composed of multiple elements would work against them? Remember, whenever our forbidden spells got nullified, we would instantly cast another forbidden spell with a different element, but this still failed to breach their defense. This shows that our enemies have tons of resources at their disposal, so they definitely will do everything to prevent your attacks from hitting home."

"The fastest workaround we could implement would be to significantly improve the piercing power of a forbidden spell. Do you possess any equipment that we could use to do this?" The Scholar Walker asked.

Baiyi was quiet.

The equipment he currently had were exemplary. His armor was the Santus, which was crafted with superb artisanship. His Book of Servitude was a Divine Regalia. If he liquidated his Saint Quartz Staff, the gold coins he would earn would be enough to drop a full grown man. He also had the War God's Sword, which had been crafted by a real god. When combined, the aforementioned equipment was enough to make one feel invincible.

However, he did not have gears that could improve his magical prowess, neither did he have gears that could improve the piercing power of a spell. Baiyi had never thought of equipping himself with defense equipment. The few he had made and obtained were given to his students.

When was the last time Baiyi needed such equipment? He definitely had not expected a day to come when such gears would be important to him.

He was starting to feel embarrassed when the Paladin Walker suddenly said, "Do you want to boost your spells? Look no further than me!"

The Cleric Walker's help was instrumental in turning the tide of the battle in Eom Village; the Bard Walker offered an important piece of advice that had helped Baiyi, and the Astrologer Walker had helped Baiyi in his first attempt at hitting key locations on the rock map. All these had spurred the Paladin Walker to want to contribute something to the cause — something other than voicing his desire to lick the thighs of young women.

"As a seasoned paladin, I may not have as much talent in theurgy as Sir Cleric, but that is an insignificant problem! I can support you with aiding auras, which will not only mitigate much of Mia's burden but will also improve the effectiveness of your spells," the Paladin Walker added.

This claim made sense, but it would have made more sense if it had come from the Cleric Walker, instead. However, that Voidwalker was still being muted, and he still had not yet recovered from the embarrassing situation with Laeticia. The Cleric Walker was not keen on descending to the real world anytime soon.

After pondering for a short while, Baiyi cast the Pseudo Descent Spell on the hammerhead shark plushie, and the Paladin Walker descended into it.

A few moments after this happened, from his communication slab, Baiyi heard Nydore cry out, "Ah~! Sharkie is suddenly moving on its own! S-Stop! Not there; you can't go there, either!"

Baiyi silently swore that if the Paladin Walker failed to meet his expectations, the Voidwalker would find himself stranded in the real Void, for a month, without any protection.

Fortunately for the Paladin Walker, after skipping past Mia, the plushie only rubbed itself on Nydore briefly before flying out of the treehouse, and in a few moments, it had landed on Baiyi's head. Afterward, the hammerhead shark plushie raised its fin and began to cast theurgical spells.

Compared to the Cleric Walker's theurgical spells, the Paladin Walker's was significantly inferior. He could not use high-level theurgical spells like Word of God; all he had in his arsenal were run-of-the-mill theurgical spells, which did little to improve things.

The hammerhead shark plushie coughed in embarrassment, as it knew the faith that awaited it should it fail in the task it volunteered to do. "C-Cough! H-How about... My auras! Right; we have the Judgement Aura! Effective at improving the effects of all spells and physical attacks made by the caster and their allies! It can also boost the piercing power of one's spell, which is just what you want. It can also decrease the defensive capabilities of enemy spells!"

Suddenly, the hammerhead shark plushie began to radiate bright green light, which formed a circle. Since the plushie was on Baiyi's head, one could mistake it for a green halo hovering above Baiyi. Mr. Bear looked amused at the sight.

It was not exactly sure why a holy aura would choose to glow with the color of infidelity, but Baiyi felt its effects immediately. He quickly cast another forbidden spell at the location he had been unable to take down despite trying three times. Mr. Bear used Nature's Eye once more, and moments later, it removed a large stone from the rock map, meaning that Baiyi's attack was successful.

The Paladin Walker beamed. Now that was more like it! He was the Holiest Grand Paladin to ever exist, and his talent in using aura magic was indeed unparalleled!

This was not good news for the cultists of Godsfall. They did not expect Baiyi, who should have given up, to return with more devastating spells. Now, despite their hard work, they had lost another key location!

When the news reached the Wise Mad King, his expression turned to one of insanity. He roared at the Royal Principal Advisor, who was the unfortunate bearer of the bad news. "I thought we erected f*cking defense barriers around those sites! Didn't they successfully withstand the spells he cast before? How is he suddenly able to destroy them?"

"None of us are holding back. It is the enemy who has found a way to boost his power. Could this be the work of theurgical spells? When our men attacked Eom Village, they encountered a hammerhead shark plushie that was incredibly adept at theurgy," the Advisor explained. "Lord Revered, should this persist, it would not do! The main sites, which are guarded by powerhouses, are still safe enough, but other sites are incapable of withstanding these attacks. We have to come up with something, quick!"

The Wise Mad King's face darkened, and he fell silent. He had begun to think about everything that had happened so far. The size of the formation was just too big, and there were many areas that required protection. He had tasked his elite followers to guard key locations close to Hope's position, but he had no idea how the man was able to move around without encountering his guards.

It was fortunate that he had Morningstar Sage and the demons around to help hold off the attacks. Many of the spells that Hope had cast were neutralized because his followers were able to reach there in time. However, Hope was no fool; whenever he failed to destroy a location in one or two attempts, he would quickly switch to another key location. He made it seem as though he had an unlimited amount of mana.

It was a good thing the Wise Mad King's underlings were just as capable. Although they were stretching themselves thin, the installation of transporter portal at every key location had helped them move through multiple sites with ease. This also gave them more than enough time to set up defense barriers whenever they arrived at one of the key locations. This was the reason why the damages incurred was still within their threshold.

Just as they thought that they had reached a stalemate, that bastard, Hope, had suddenly found a way to increase the power of his forbidden spells! They were already having to deal with his seemingly unlimited mana and diverse array of spells, and then his happened; he had found a way to increase the power of his spells. Even if he was a true messenger of a god, the advantage he had was just too unfair!

What confused the Wise Mad King was that Hope had managed to figure out the locations of his altars. From what he knew, long-ranged forbidden spells needed to be locked onto a fixed set of coordinates before they could be cast. Could Hope have sent out exceptional assassin's adept at stealth to get the coordinates of the altars for him?

No, that could not be possible. Hope had no such experts at his side. Besides, his own underlings were not so weak that they would not notice assassins sneaking around. He could only come up with one explanation for this conundrum: the War God! He must have descended into the world or done something to help his favored messenger. The War God was a god of space, so why would he be unable to do something as easy as pinpointing coordinates for his messenger?

Just as the Wise Mad King was fuming over the disturbing turn of events, the Royal Principal Advisor rushed in with more bad news: another key location had been damaged! The location was being guarded by the Green Sword Saint. When the Demigod saw a forbidden spell hurtling towards his location, he tried to block it with his combat chi shield, but the shield was not vast enough to cover the entire area. Thus, the altar there was damaged so much, nothing could be done at that location for now.

"We can't continue on like this! Even if we manage to defend against his reinforced spells, that shameless War God might appear and help him, keeping us at a disadvantage!" The Royal Principal Advisor panicked. "I suggest we activate it now! If we wait any longer, we won't get the chance to!"

The Wise Mad King was just as disturbed. Even if he sacrificed his Demigods now, the energy generated would be less than what was required. Furthermore, due to the damage done to some key locations, the formation may not even work. If they hurriedly activated the formation now, they may experience disastrous results!

However, if they did not, then Hope would easily destroy the remaining key locations, and everything would be gone; their plan would crumble to nothing!

After a very brief moment of hurried brainstorming, the Wise Mad King reluctantly made a hard choice.

"Initiate Operation: Marionette immediately!"Well, would you look at that?! How convenient.

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380 This Version Doesn’t Fit You

It was quite that the letdown that the plan which Godsfall had worked on for so long was called "Marionette". The name was so lackluster, its previous enigma had long since left the stage.

However, a few moments after the Wise Mad King approved the commencement of Operation: Marionette, the Eternal Tree Ocean began to tremble because of the sudden appearance of terrifying magical undulations; it was akin to those woods being ravaged by an EF5 tornado. Electrifying magical undulations swirled around like tsunamis, which were tall enough to pierce the sky, threatening to bury the whole world underneath it.

This whirlpool of magical pulses was much stronger than the pulses emitted by the Book of Servitude when it was re-awakened. Baiyi realized he had grossly underestimated his enemies. The whirlpool of magical pulses was so strong, it was no wonder the stars above had been affected.

Moments after the main formation was activated, the small formations, which Baiyi had deemed unimportant, were activated, as well, one after the other. At that point, the Eternal Tree Ocean was filled with a miasmic atmosphere of dread and discomfort, causing the animals that lived there to flee, as fast as they could. If one was watching from up high, they would see wild beasts of varying species fleeing the woods in a wild stampede, resembling a colony of ants fleeing their flooded anthill.

Mr. Bear, who had been closely observing the situation, suddenly turned crestfallen. It looked up at Baiyi, with an expression of anguish, and asked, "Has it begun?"

"Yes. It has begun," Baiyi replied. "This is insane. A power like this, I doubt any man can stop it."

However, he did detect a silver lining in the storm. There was a bit of disharmony within the swirling energy. It was like listening to a symphony being played by male sopranos, which seemed perfect on the surface but had some notes out of tune. This was probably the result of his earlier attacks. This meant that the cult had chosen to activate an incomplete formation.

Thus, there might a chance to turn the tides.

"They scared the beasts away. Why?" Mr. Bear asked when it noticed the forest animals fleeing in panic.

Baiyi shook his head sideways; he still had no idea why Godsfall chose to chase the forest animals away.

Suddenly, a soft whimper reached the bear's ears. It looked down and saw the sapling, the weakened Grandfather Tree, trembling feebly. "Th-they… They are…draining…the wood's lifeforce...completely. H-hel—"

Alarmed, Mr. Bear hurriedly grabbed the sapling and used its enigmatic powers to encase the sapling's last bit of consciousness. After that, the bear activated Nature's Eye.

Suddenly, it howled in pain and began to roll on the ground as though it had been stung by a hive of bees.

"The Tree Ocean! The Tree Ocean's life…" Mr. Bear screamed. It struggled to get ahold of itself, and when it momentarily could, it whispered, "They are sacrificing the Tree Ocean's life; all of it!"

Baiyi froze. He quickly spread out his psychic energy, and just like before, he instantly entered into a special state in which he could sense nature much better than usual. Tons of information and stimuli momentarily overwhelmed him. All he could hear were bloodcurdling screams, which soon faded into silence; akin to the screams humans made moments before death. These cries were from the trees in the Eternal Tree Ocean, which were dying in droves. Baiyi's special vision was no longer filled with multiple colors; all he could see was a dull shade of grey.

Unfortunately, none of the Voidwalkers knew what to do about the current situation.

Baiyi did not know what to do about the catastrophic event, as well. At that moment, the Wise Mad King left his study and walked to the balcony of his palace. The Royal Principal Advisor did not follow him. When the Wise Mad King reached the balcony, he found a fairy in human armor waiting for him. This fairy's face greatly resembled a human, without the beauty fairies are known for.

"Has it begun, your majesty?" The human-like fairy seemed to have been waiting a long time for this moment. However, he did not address the Wise Mad King as "High Reverend", which meant that he was not part of Godsfall.

"Yes, it has begun," the Wise Mad King replied, with a complicated expression on his face. Traces of sadness and pity flickered in his eyes, but they were quickly drowned by relief, determination, and surprisingly, optimism.

"I told you before that when our beloved kingdom reaches its zenith, I will create a legend like no other," the Wise Mad King said. "You chose to believe me — a leader of the cult you deemed heretical."

The human-like fell into deep thought.

"This question has been brought up so many times between us, hasn't it, Gru? Why is the Kingdom facing a bottleneck in development? Why did our progress slow to a complete halt?" the Mad King asked. " In the last debate we had, we were unable to convince each other. I told you that I'll show you the consequence of my choice, and the change it would herald. Here's me keeping my promise. This is the beginning of everything.

"I do pity the Tree Ocean, though. After all, not only did it beget our civilization, it has been a cradle for us fairies," Gru replied. He was in the control of the Fairy Kingdom's military, and he was a steadfast follower of the Wise Mad King. He fully supported the Wise Mad King's decisions, and he was a core secular fairy. Without his help, many of the Wise Mad King's plans would not have come to fruition.

"Yes, the Tree Ocean did incubate the first of our kind, but we have to grow up someday and discard the cot we were raised in. Now, this is us, taking to the skies for the first time," the Wise Mad King replied with pride.

At that same moment, while the Wise Mad King was beaming with pride, his two Demigod warriors, Morningstar Sage, and Green Sword Saint, were brimming with anger. Their hate was directed at the Wise Mad King, whose betrayal came as a shock to them. As soon as Operation: Marrionette commenced, they were drained of all their power — which they had spent countless years accumulating — by the Faustian Tattoos on their bodies. All they could do was watch the altars they had risked their lives to protect absorb their power rapidly.

Unfortunately for them, they realized too late that they were sacrifices, used to supplement the energy which the formation lacked.

Worse, they could not fight the power draining process. Not only were the Faustian Tattoos on the two Demigods rapidly sucking their powers, but they also set the Demigods ablaze, whilst denying them the ability to move.

The agony of being burnt alive made Morningstar Sage muster the last bit of power in his body to cast his final forbidden spell at the Wise Mad King's Palace, but the spell was completely mitigated by multiple barriers overlayed on each other, which had long since been set up to protect the palace.

The human-like fairy, Gru, noticed a slight change in the air and asked, "The Morningstar Sage?"

The Mad King nodded. "The plan required his power. He needed to be sacrificed."

"That's a very heavy price to pay, no?" Gru looked a little regretful.

"It doesn't matter. When the plan is completed, Demigods will lose their meaning. This is the only way they can prove their worth," the Wise Mad King replied steely.

Unlike the fairy Demigods, the demons were calm when they realized their fates were sealed. Xeron, the leader of the four demons, only smiled coldly and muttered, "Hee hee hee! Everything is working perfectly according to plan…"

Underneath its feet was a river of blood. Multiple corpses could be seen drifting on the red liquid. The demon had murdered every one guarding the altar!

"Now, allow me to pay my respects to you one last time, my most eminent High Reverend." The bald demon laughed cruelly. It plunged its finger into its chest and pulled out an organ. It was not its heart; it was an eyeball, which had arteries still attached to it. Its pupil was still darting about. A nauseating sight.

Xeron chucked the eyeball at the altar close to it, and sinister green flames burst out from where the eyeball had landed. The flames quickly spread around the area surrounding the altar.

The demon, who now had a gaping hole in its chest, was not yet dead. It burst into green flames and moved the join the other swirling flame it had started.

The Wise Mad King had no idea this had happened. He was still watching the green sea of trees wither, leaving behind only grey stumps, his heart filled with determination.

While he watched, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds; dawn had arrived. It illuminated the Eternal Tree Ocean, revealing a blackened land reeking of death.

Standing at the center of the Tree Ocean-wide formation, where most of the defense barriers had been set up, was a gigantic monster; it was sixty-five feet in height. It had a humanoid shape, but its body looked like it was made from the boughs of trees. It stood tall within the blackened land, like a king admiring his territory.

It was the result of Godsfall's plans — a being they called Marionette.

"Okay, so lemme get this straight. They did all that just to create a gigantic wooden mecha?! Seriously, isn't this just plagiarizing Gundam?" Baiyi, who had long since taken to the air, had easily spotted the monster the moment it emerged.

He had been unable to stop what had transpired the night before, but he had not lost much. The displaced fairies of Eom Village had been rudely awakened when their treehouses withered into nothing. When these fairies noticed that the Eternal Tree Ocean had suffered the same fate, they had burst into tears, wailing throughout the night. This had almost driven Baiyi nuts.

"Don't tell me my foe is that thingy!" Baiyi mumbled in contempt. "Urgh, fine. Time to give Godsfall some bad news; this type of mecha went out of date a long time ago!"EF stands for Enhanced Fujita scale. It's a rating system to classify tornadoes based on the level of damage one tornado could cause. EF5 is when the wind speed is >200 mph (>322 km/h), causing such incredible damage that it obliterates anything that stands above ground.

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381 This Monstrosity Is So Overpowered

The enormous monster in front of Baiyi, which he had decided to nickname 'Gundam', seemed a bit too tranquil. It stood quietly in the middle of the huge formation — a stark contrast to the whirlpool of energy that was formed when creating it. Terrifying energy undulations still emanated from the monster, but unlike before, it was contained.

A berserk enemy was troublesome to defeat, but a reserved and cunning creature was so much worse.

"Alright. First, let's test how resistant you are to magic," Baiyi muttered whilst hovering. The Book of Servitude appeared above his palm, and a forbidden fire spell, Magma's Core, plummeted towards the monster, in greeting.

A huge ball of magma came crashing down from the sky, right onto the monster. The spell was devastating; on collision with its target, it would burst into fiery magma encased by roaring flames. The monster did not move, however. It did not even make an effort to ward off the attack hurtling towards it.

However, before the spell could hit the monster, it vanished.

Suddenly, Baiyi frowned. He hurriedly cast a mana shield in front of himself, and at that same moment, an inexplicable yet terrifying force struck him. The power of this mysterious force was on par with Magma's Core — the forbidden fire spell he had cast only moments ago!

"How did Delta Ray Z even hit me?" Baiyi muttered after using all his might to hold the mana shield up against the energy attack that had suddenly come at him. All of a sudden, he began to fall; his Levitation spell had been deactivated!

He could no longer contain the force, and thus, he was pushed downward at high speed, like an old burlap sack. As soon as he hit the ground, he rolled for a while and stopped in a heap. When he raised his head, he found himself looking up at Mia and Tisdale.

Fortunately, both girls had listened to him and forsook short skirts, or else things would have taken a very embarrassing turn.

"Mr. Hope!"

"Sir!"

The two girls exclaimed when they saw him. They thought he had sustained heavy damage because he was currently a sight for sore eyes.

"Cough, cough! Er, I'm fine, thanks. I'm not someone that can be finished in one hit," Baiyi said with a chuckle, to lessen the stiff atmosphere caused by his embarrassing fall. He stood up and dusted himself, relieved to see his armor had only sustained a few small dents. Even with that, his Augustril armor was still in mint condition.

Peals of gleeful laughter rang out in the Void. Some Voidwalkers were delighted in seeing the Fifth Walker make a fool of himself. After all, it was not every day they got to witness that, especially when it happened in front of his two students.

"Shush! No laughing! Did you guys not notice that something was amiss?" Baiyi said after dusting himself. Mia and Tisdale, who both wore looks of worry, came forward to help him. Mia tried to use water magic on Baiyi, but no matter how many times she chanted the incantation, nothing happened.

"Has magic gone dark?" The Archmage suddenly stopped laughing and became worried.

"Not just magic… Even combat chi is gone!" Baiyi replied as he opened and closed his fist multiple times, but nothing happened; combat chi should have shot out from his hand already at that point. Baiyi just stood there, looking like he was cosplaying as 'Tousen Kaname' trying to snatch Jinkela Fertilizer.

"The power in me has not been lost. It's still there, but I just can't use it," Baiyi said. He looked up just in time to see the Gundam-like monster charging at him. Suddenly, Baiyi's expression changed, and he hollered, "It looks like the Laws regarding magic and combat chi have been Rewritten. That thing might be a real god! It could also be an avatar of a god, possessing the privilege to rewrite Laws. This may be that God of power that we talked about. Only the God of Power could Rewrite the Laws regarding power!"

Baiyi finally understood what Godsfall had been planning all along. They had sacrificed every tree in the Eternal Tree Ocean, turning its lush evergreen into a wasteland, all to create this large abominable body.

The massive formation complex that Baiyi had tried to destroy was a massive power generator used to power the descent of a real god. The Paladin Walker had remembered participating in a few rituals where angels descended to the real world. Those rituals also used up insane amounts of energy, both magical and holy. Hence, it only made sense that the summoning of a real god — or a being almost as powerful — would require a titanic cost.

It was at this point that Baiyi recalled that the Bard Walker had said that, in his ancient literature collection, the God of Power was characterized as a benevolent god. If that was the case, then the God of Power should dread being caught working with the likes of Godsfall cult. What then would have given Godsfall the gall to summon an avatar of the God of Power? Were they not worried about how the god would react when it found out? Was it possible that they had found a way to control the avatar?

If the latter was the case, then that would be most terrible. What would happen if the avatar of a god, who could Rewrite the Laws governing power, was under the cult's complete control? No one would be able to fend the avatar off, as they would be unable to use mana or combat chi. The ability to Rewrite the Laws of power was enough to best all organizations and beings in the world!

Things could only get worse if the avatar had enough privilege to make minute changes to the Law of Power, enabling only Godfall's cultists to use mana and combat chi. If anyone dared did battle with them, it would akin to ape-men fighting a military regiment equipped with assault rifles.

If Godsfall's control over the avatar was that much, then no one would be able to stop the cult from conquering the entire world. After all, the power of a being that could Rewrite Laws was much more broken than Baiyi's.

"This is not good. We have to get the little ones out of its way, now!" Baiyi shouted. He stretched out a finger and began to draw the formation for a teleportation spell in the air, but when nothing happened afterward, he remembered that he could no longer perform magic.

He watched Mr. Bear hurry over to him with large strides, then he asked it, "What about you? Can you still use your power?"

However, Mr. Bear did not reply. It waved its paws about wildly in an attempt to use sign language. Only low growls escaped its mouth.

'Oh. So, the bear could only speak because of the mysterious Force of Nature, huh…'

"This is looking very bad now," Baiyi said, watching the monster charge at him. Every step the beast took made the ground tremble — and made Baiyi's heart to pound.

"Flee! Take everyone else with you! I'll distract it!" Baiyi hollered. He tried to cast the secret Psuedo-descent spell on the hammerhead shark plushie, in order to send one of the Voidwalkers into it, but the plushie remained unmoving, just like a dead fish. It was obvious that the spell had also failed.

What else could they do at that point? In front of the charging monster, everyone there was as useful as a cute toy! Their only hope for survival was to escape. However, before Baiyi could flee the scene, a voice filled with scorn drifted into his ear from somewhere close by.

"Why are you leaving in the middle of the show? You're all witnesses to the start of my great work, don't you see?"

Suddenly, Baiyi froze; try as he might, he could not take another step. He had been struck by a Binding Spell. It was a simple spell — one he could have easily destroyed with a slight exhale — but he was now at its mercy. All he could do was watch a fairy slowly walk towards him in a condescending manner.

The fairy had donned a grand outfit, and he was handsome, as all male fairies were. His aura put him at the Master Level. It was a low rank, but, at the moment, the fairy was as impossible to scale as a mountain.

This fairy was none other than the Wise Mad King himself. As the mastermind behind recent events, the Wise Mad King would, of course, not miss the opportunity to gloat. At the moment, he could use magic, but Hope, who had foiled so many of the cult's plans, was unable to. Hence, to the Wise Mad King, this was the perfect opportunity for him to unwind.

"Oh, hohoho! Oh, Hope; I had no idea that even someone as ridiculously powerful as you would one day be apprehended in such a manner!" The Wise Mad King chuckled. "I've always imagined how our face-to-face meeting would be, you see. I also had to imagine how I would try to protect myself and fail. However, seeing you like this is beyond my wildest imagination!"

"This time, do not waste your time wishing that your War God would come to save you. In front of the God of Power's privileges, even theurgical magic will not work. As you can now see, the moment our plan succeeded, we had won."

"Now, I'll let you die in the most exhilarating way possible. Before that, however, I'll kill your cute little students, one by one. A sinner like you should consider this mercy," the Wise Mad King finished. He walked past Baiyi and stretched his hands towards the students standing closest to Baiyi: Mia and Tisdale.

Since Baiyi could not move an inch, he could not stop the Wise Mad King. Screams of pain rang out from behind him; the girls were being tortured.

This was all playing in the Wise Mad King's head, though. He had only taken a step towards Mia and Tisdale when Baiyi calmly said, "You can still use magic. Let me guess... You have complete control over that monster there, right?"

"Haha! That's not a bad guess. As long as we remain within its Holy Ground, we are invincible! Undefeatable!" The Wise Mad King answered, feeling victorious.

"Invincible? You sure about that?" Baiyi smirked. "Because from where I'm standing, there are a sh*t ton of flaws in your logic. For example, as a Soul Armature, in theory, my presence is enabled only by magic, right? So, why am I still here now?"I bet this is one of those joke references that everyone just used without even caring where it originated from anymore! This is from, uh, Mega Man Battle Network 5? But I think it got popularized due to the entire sentence (how did Delta Ray Z even hit me?) being a classic quote from some DoTA celebrity in China.Right. It's another one of China's memes stemmed from a ridiculous advertisement made by a Chinese fertilizer company named American SHENGDIYAGE (the phonetic translation of San Diego) to promote their fertilizer. There was an African in the ad whom everyone somehow nicknamed Tousen Kaname (of Bleach fame) whose "special technique is using his hands as swords."

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382 Understanding

Baiyi's question made the Wise Mad King's smile vanish. Suddenly, an expression of understanding appeared on the fairy's face. He quickly turned to a pile of rocks at his feet and bellowed, "Kill him! Kill him now!"

The rocks slowly rose into the air, and right in front of Baiyi, they coalesced onto a seven-foot rock golem — the very same rock druid Baiyi saw Mr. Bear fight. It seemed the druid had been allowed to keep his power, as it was loyal to the Wise Mad King and served as his bodyguard.

"This little brat did not think one Gundam was enough, so he brought a Transformer to play, huh…" Baiyi murmured in surprise.

The Wise Mad King really was cautious, it seemed. With the overwhelming advantage the fairy had, there was nothing wrong in coming alone, yet he had brought the rock druid along, just in case.

Was the rock druid strong enough to help the Wise Mad King deal with a cheat-like character like Baiyi?

The rock druid felt confident, though. As it watched the stiff Baiyi, it stretched out a hand, causing the surrounding rocks to fly over to its palm. These rocks merged with the outstretched hand to form an even bigger hand. It flipped the enormous hand over and assumed a weird stance, as though it was about to smack an annoying mosquito. Barely a moment after, the huge palm was swung towards Baiyi.

With contempt, the rock druid cried, "A weakling like you, with a weak body and soul, should die!"

This was the same technique the rock druid had used to beat up Mr. Bear. Now that Baiyi was bound and without his powers, his fate was uncertain.

The palm landed with a bang, causing dirt and dust to soar into the air. All that could be seen in the dust cloud was Baiyi's fluttering cape. Had he really been slapped into a metal sheet?

"Hmph! Crushed, just like an ant! I heard you were a powerful adversary — the messenger of a god. But, in the presence of a real god, you are pitiful," the rock druid said in jest.

Little Mia and Tisdale had been watching from a distance, and at that moment, they were stunned. The horror they felt was so intense, they had yet to cry out; they could only gape in disbelief. Moments later, they began to tear up, and grief and hopelessness welled in their hearts. Unable to think straight, they gripped their chests and began to sob.

It was then that they realized how much Mr. Hope had meant to them.

"Hmph. It looks like someone's all noise and no substance!" The Wise Mad King snorted, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief because Hope had been taken care of. He had been so worried earlier, his skittish behavior had embarrassed him.

His gaze shifted to Hope's fluttering cape, and he decided to grab it so that he could take it back to the palace. To him, the robe was more priceless than the beautiful ring on his thumb. That was because the cape used to belong to the messenger of a god.

"Eh?" Suddenly, the rock druid mumbled in surprise.

Its enormous palm, which had just slapped Hope to oblivion, began to tingle. Since it was made of rocks, not flesh, the druid's sense of touch was dull. However, it reflexively pulled the enormous pam backward, out of the dusty area.

However, when it did, all it saw was a stump at its wrist; there was no enormous hand anymore.

"This…" The rocky druid's expression quickly changed to alarm.

Suddenly, a strong gale blew by, taking all the dust in the air with it. Contrary to what the Wise Mad King had hoped for, there was no bloody meat paste where Baiyi had been standing. What he saw, however, was a spherical object encased in a thick cloud of black fog. The spherical object greatly resembled a meatball. Inside this meatball-like sphere, the Wise Mad King could barely make out the silhouette of a human, whose head had been adorned with a blue headband.

Unable to restrain himself, the Wise Mad King cried out a line that villains were known for: "Impossible!!!"

With a commanding tone of voice, the black meatball replied, "There are powers even gods cannot control."

Within the black meatball, the silhouette raised his right hand and, in a steady yet powerful voice, said, "Ants like you only belong in the dirt."

Suddenly, black flames appeared on the rock golem and began to consume it. The golem's body was supposed to be unbreakable, but to the black flames, it was no different from paper. In less than a moment, half of the golem's body was gone.

It was at this point the rock druid finally cried out in agony as pain devoured it. It quickly turned to face a nearby rock, intent on transferring its consciousness into it. If it could do that, it would be able to use the new rock as a core through which it would construct a new body to fight the black meatball.

However, Baiyi knew what the druid sought to do. As soon as it felt the druid's consciousness leave its burning body, he smirked, "Even souls bare themselves before me."

He closed his left hand, making a gripping gesture. After replacing Death Force with Void Energy, he cast a secret undead-spell — Soultrap. This allowed him to grasp the rock druid's consciousness with his outstretched hand.

"A weakling like you, with a weak body and soul, should die," Baiyi coldly said, repeating the druid's words. He balled his outstretched hand into a fist, and the soul of the rock druid — who did not even get a chance to scream — was crushed.

The proud rock druid had been insta-killed in almost no time at all. The Wise Mad King's face was completely drained out of color, and he could only stammer, "Wh-what is this power? Why c-can it still be used… within the P-P-Power God's Holy Ground?!"

"I am not obligated to tell you anything," Baiyi coldly replied.

However, he did not attack the Wise Mad King; instead, he continued, "Just you wait patiently for me in whatever sh*thole you live in. You forced me to assume this form in front of my students. You are going to pay for this with the more gruesome death possible — a generous courtesy from me!"

Baiyi was infuriated; this was evident from his cold tone of voice. He had yet to decide on the best time to tell his students about Void Energy. This was because he was worried about the possibility of repudiation, but now, however, he had been forced to show his hand, all because the Wise Mad King had forced him into a corner.

Baiyi swung his arm in fury, and the Wise Mad King's body turned into black fog. A moment later, the scattering black fog merged to form a crow.

It seemed that the Wise Mad King did more than bring a bodyguard with him to meet Baiyi. He had not even come in person. This technique was the same technique Vidomina's mother had used to visit Baiyi, and this was why Baiyi had been able to recognize it instantly.

That was why he had had to settle with giving his enemy a piece of his mind. There was no way to kill an illusion, after all.

"I have to finish off this gigantic leviathan first," Baiyi mumbled to himself before using Void Energy to remove the binding spells that had bound his students. He slowly turned around to see the expressions on his students' faces — an action that made him quite apprehensive.

He feared they would wear horrified expressions on their faces.

However, as soon as Mia's binding spell was lifted, she asked, "A-are you still… Mr. Hope?"

Her voice seemed to contain a trace of excitement. Could that be what she truly felt?

"Yes. It's still me, but I am using my other power. It's a power that is not under the jurisdiction of Laws," Baiyi calmly replied. He paused for a bit before asking, "Are you scared?"

He had yet to turn around fully, but from his peripheral vision, he could still Mia's ponytails rocking from side to side. It was something that could only happen when one was shaking their head sideways.

"Why would I be scared of you, Mr. Hope? My Mr. Hope is always the coolest and the best!" Mia exclaimed earnestly.

Even Tisdale had something to add. "Well, the black stuff stuck on you is kind of terrifying, but once I remember that I am looking at the same Sir as before, I don't get scared anymore."

The other students hurriedly jumped in to express themselves, as well.

"I know you as my Godfather, and no matter what you become, you will always be my Godfather!" Vidomina exclaimed.

"My faith tells me that your energy is sinister, Mr. Hope. But, for some reason, I also find it incredibly endearing..." the Village Maiden, Laeticia, added. Unlike the others, she had a complicated expression on her face. The clash between her faith's teachings and her instinct placed her in a dilemma.

The remaining students had only positive words for Baiyi.

To them, surviving the rock druid's attack was nothing short of a miracle, so why would they consider this strange power of his evil? Even if the power was evil, they would still be okay with it. They knew who their teacher was, and they remembered just how much he had taken care of them and guided them. Although Justice and Evil are vague concepts which conflicted each other, the feelings one had toward another was all too real.

Even Zakum the Fox, who Baiyi had dealt with for eating a farmer's herd of goats, did not oppose Baiyi's current form. It ran over to the black meatball and tried to rub itself against it to express its gratitude at having its life saved.

However, it was ill-advised for any living organism to touch the black flames, so Baiyi moved out of its way. However, he was touched by their acceptance. "I'll go and defeat that big guy over there. You guys stay here; don't wander, alright? We'll continue this discussion when I return…" Baiyi said, a little too passionately.

"Go get' em, Mr. Hope!" Mia shouted, punching the air hard.

With a heart filled with content, Baiyi soared into the air with Void Energy and streaked towards the approaching Gundam.

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383 You Can’t Possibly Be This Pathetic, Can You?

As Baiyi soared towards the Gundam-like monster at full speed, its features became clearer. On closer inspection, it looked even more surreal. Its body was made out of tree roots and tendrils wrapping around each other, forming what resembled arteries on its huge wooden arms. It resembled a man whose skin had been flayed. Its appearance really was a terrifying sight to behold.

It began to look more like a swamp monster than a Gundam, as Gundams were supposed to be tall, grand, and awesome, which was enough to make any fan smile.

If the monster he was to face was this ugly, then Baiyi decided not to pull his punches. As soon as he got into a range he found ideal, black flames appeared on his hand, forming two black spears. Without sparing a glance at the Void Spears, Baiyi hurled them at the monster. He had no need to aim because the monster was really large.

This time, the monster did not attempt to take Baiyi's attacks head-on. It stopped its charge and raised its hand, which was several times larger than a normal person's, and placed it before its chest. A white glow began to radiate from the raised hands.

Baiyi's Void Spears, which had been able to penetrate just about anything in the past, could not penetrate the white glow. Baiyi did not find this surprising, though. He found the white protective glow familiar because it had been constructed from Holy Power.

Baiyi's previous fight with the Divine Leather Suit had taught him that Holy Power was incredible; it was no weaker than Void Energy. The monster's main ability — which was to nullify every form of power — could do nothing to Void Energy because it was a power that existed outside the fabric of reality. This made the battle very tough; he would only win if he gave everything he had.

After deflecting Baiyi's Void Spears, the monster instantly replied with an attack of its own. It did not attempt to engage in physical combat since it knew it could not match Baiyi in terms of speed. It waved its large hands slowly around itself, creating pale-white orbs. As though they had a life of their own, the orbs streaked towards Baiyi.

"Mjolnir!" Baiyi murmured, and black bolts of lightning shot out of his palms. The bolts perfectly stuck the orbs streaking towards him. However, the orbs did not disappear after exploding. They shattered into smaller white orbs and continued flying towards Baiyi; only this time, they moved like a swarm of wasps.

"Uh…" Baiyi instantly took to the air and began to evade the swarm of light orbs. They were more difficult to shake off than guided torpedoes. No matter how spectacular Baiyi's maneuvers were, the orbs still chased after him.

"Okay, so why have we never thought of creating a technique like this?" Baiyi asked in the Void as he nimbly evaded the orbs. However, it did not take long for the orbs to form a circular perimeter around him; he was trapped. Baiyi did not look worried, though. He came to a sudden stop, then he brought his palms together.

"Return to the Void!"

Black flames surged out of him in all directions. When the flames covered the swarm of orbs, they did not shatter into even smaller pieces; instead, they were directly obliterated.

The short scuffle seemed to have ended in a tie.

The monster now seemed to realize that Baiyi was a very difficult opponent. It lowered its huge arms, then it turned to face the airborne Baiyi and asked, "Who are you? How is it that you possess such a power?"

Its voice was strong but calm and clear but piercing. It was as though it was directly speaking into the hearts of those that heard it. This voice could inspire fear in just about anyone. If commoners heard its voice, they would instantly drop to their knees.

However, it was facing off against a Voidwalker. The Voidwalkers were a group of special individuals who considered all gods their enemy.

"I'm one of the few who were abandoned and later banished. As for this power, consider it a compensation for the fate we suffered," Baiyi replied. A jet-black formation appeared quietly behind him. The monster did not seem to see it, however.

As the avatar of a god, the monster possessed a great amount of knowledge and understanding of the world, much more than mortals did. Hence, Baiyi's answer — which most would see as vague — actually piqued its interest; it seemed to understand what he had implied, so it replied, "Are there really living beings born in the depth of primordial disorder and chaos? In that place where no Laws exist to offer protection and shelter?"

Suddenly, a look of realization appeared on its face, and then it said, "We are not enemies. Our goals are one and the same. There is no need to continue this fight.

"I'm Krachlon, the God of Nature. Not only am I the master of all seasons, but I am behind every change in nature. Man from the Void! Submit to me, and I shall create the world you have always desired!" The monster calmly said, introducing itself.

Baiyi was quiet. 'Has this guy's brain been fried from the intense fever he had at a young age?'

The Bard Walker had already proven that the insignias on the altars erected by Godsfall represented the God of Power. The monster had also displayed the ability to influence the powers of others, which was something only the God of Power could do. Despite all that, it had just called itself the God of Nature. Was there something wrong with it?

Baiyi was curious about this, so he halted the construction of the formation hidden behind him. He gazed at the monster and said loudly, "You claim to be the god of nature, huh... If that is the case, why do you possess the Privilege to influence power?"

A sinister smile appeared on the monster's face — a face made of tree bark. Baiyi had only ever seen a smile this evil in novels. It was so unsettling, even Baiyi could not help but quiver.

"This is our plan. Our Great Work. If you want to know more, join us."

The manner in which the monster replied made it sound like someone from Godsfall. It sounded like the being who the High Reverends of the cult called 'Director'!

However, Baiyi did not know about this. He knew nothing of the hierarchy within the cult, neither did he know that the Mad King was the Second Reverend. Hence, he did not know that the High Reverends of Godsfall answered to a being superior to them.

Baiyi did not need to know that much, however. Since the enemy was already in front of him, all he needed to do was slay it.

The black formation hidden behind him fully formed in a matter of seconds. Baiyi suddenly stepped to the side, leaving the monster to face the black formation.

Baiyi's reply to the monster's invitation — a thick black beam — burst out from the formation.

This was a modified version of Voidbeam, invented by the Voidwalkers to attack non-agile enemies that attacked from a distance. The spell required a long time to build up and a stationary target, but its power was immense. Its piercing power was equally as insane, making it perfect for an opponent like the monster.

When the monster saw the thick black beam, it smiled with confidence before snorting. "Hmph. Foolish mortal." It raised its large arms across its chest, and the white light appeared once again to shield it.

However, Baiyi did not think that a simple attack like the Voidbeam would finish off the monster. As soon as the formation fired the black beam, Baiyi suddenly vanished. He appeared inches away from the monster's knee, and he hurled the six Void Spears in his hands at its kneecaps.

The monster did not expect this form of attack. After all, the being was still not used to the horrible body it was forced to inhabit. Hence, Baiyi's sudden attack was successful.

Although its power was able to shield it from Void Energy, its main body was made from the trees that had inhabited the Eternal Tree Ocean, and they could not survive Void Energy. The monster's knees exploded instantly, causing it to crash to the floor.

Despite possessing a cheat-like Privilege and an immense amount of Holy Power, the monster had poor control over its body. It had no idea how to fixed its injured knees. With much effort, it attempted to get back to its feet in ways that made it seem like a paralyzed human.

Baiyi did not give it a chance to catch its breath. He kept attacking different parts of its body, causing the monster, who had almost gotten to its feet, to crash back down to the ground.

It defended poorly against Baiyi's onslaught of attacks. It was much slower than Baiyi, and its ability to control Holy Power turned out to be quite pitiful. The energy pulses it emanated were horrifying, and it was filled with Holy Power, but it seemed to be struggling against some sort of binding.

Since it was at an immense disadvantage, the monster no longer tried to talk or act cool.

From a spectator's point of view, the battle was being fought by two beings at the same power rank, so why was it so one-sided? Although the monster's body had been crudely made, its creators did not intend for it to get trampled this badly.

"Tsk tsk. You look this ugly, yet you fight like a damsel," Baiyi said, with a chuckle. 'Why was your body made this large? Does Godsfall really prefer monsters that resemble mechas?'

"Hold on. It said that it was the god of nature, right? Why can't it heal itself by making the trees grow back?" the Archmage suddenly asked. "There is no way a god of nature can't control trees! Was it lying? Or, is it unable to use its own Privilege?"

The Scholar Walker replied, with a question of her own, saying, "Another point of contention: before the activation of the massive formation, why did the cultists frighten the animals that had been living in the woods away? If offering more lives would make their creation have a better body, why did they discard the idea of sacrificing animals?"

To the Voidwalkers, Baiyi should not be having such an easy time with the monster.

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384 How Did It All Started

384. How Did It All Start

While Baiyi pondered about the capabilities of the monster, in a distance very far away, the Wise Mad King was spectating the battle using a Far-distance Surveillance spell. Gripped by hysteria, he was close to pulling his hair out.

As the mastermind behind the plan, the Wise Mad King knew how powerful the monster should have been. It should not be getting pummeled this bad. It was not supposed to be a punching bag for that bastard Hope and his black energy!

'Where the hell did it go wrong?!' The Mad King thought over and over; it was like an itch he could not scratch. Their most glorious leader, the Director of Godsfall, was in control of the monster. As a god, the Director was supposed to have an immense amount of power at his disposal. He was supposed to be skilled in the usage of Holy Power and in Rewriting Laws.

The Director had the makings of a great 'controller' of the Gundam-like monster — or as Godsfall called it 'Lawful Marionette'. Should the term be 'pilot', not 'controller'? Or, should it be 'driver'?

If the monster was being controlled by someone other than the Director, then such an abysmal performance would have been excusable. However, despite being controlled by a real god, the monster was an immense disadvantage.

Godsfall plan was intricate: creating the monster, which was the avatar of a god, was not their true aim. They had actually aimed to steal the God of Power's Privilege!

They were inspired by the God-Descending Formation used by the followers of God's Grace to summon angels. Godsfall created a similar summoning formation, but they made their formation much more massive because, unlike the followers of God's Grace, they intended to summon the God of Power. An Abyss Lord helped the cult with some minor parts of their formation, while a real god aided the plans by disrupting the God of Power. This was according to plan because, once the formation was activated, only the God of Power's power and Privilege would descend into the monster. The god's consciousness would remain stuck in the Divine Realm because of the interference of the god supporting the cult.

Hence, their end goal was to create a "marionette" with no self-awareness yet possessing the Privilege of the Power God. And that was how the name of their operation came.

And what was the reason for calling their cult "Godsfall"? It wasn't because they worshipped a heretical god, nor do they seek to drag a god down to their world. It was because they aimed to steal every Privilege of all gods, hence making the gods "fall" from their pedestal of divinity as they lose the one thing that identified them as gods.

To facilitate the God of Nature, Krachlon— who was the true leader of the cult— in controlling this Marionette, they had chosen to fashion a body from a material most familiar to the Nature God himself so that he could control them easily. The material? Trees. Compared to the other materials where unstable variables may lurk, a body constructed from plants would have provided this particular god the most versatile set of capabilities as well as endurance.

Then, to make sure that the control over the Marionette was smooth, they needed to make sure that there was no other consciousness interfering the possessor's control. To ensure that, there must not be any live being within the body of the Marionette. If they were ever be used as one of the materials for the creation, then their consciousness would have tainted the purity of its control. This was the reason why the cult had made sure that every forest critter had scrammed before initiating the operation, as well as why the Mad King had rejected the proposal of sacrificing those Demigod fighters into the Marionette.

After all, should these scattering consciousness ever unite together to rebel against the controller, even the Nature God may not have an easy time to suppress them fully— and that would impact the exactness of control towards the Marionette.

After all, didn't a very specific anime back on Earth with "Alchemy" as its theme and backdrop featured the end boss being defeated, due to the rebellion formed from the lingering consciousness of living sacrifices?

That was basically what Operation: Marionette was about. There were two key points in the plan: first, they must ensure their success in siphoning the Power God's Privilege, which meant that when the empire complex was being activated, the power source and the formation structure must be complete; And two, they need to ensure the purity of the Marionette to remain an absolute optimum, with any other living creature's consciousness being a no-no. To ensure that, they picked trees— not famed for having sentience— to be their materials.

Yet, this great, crazy scheme that no one in history had ever attempted before had failed— all because of the forceful entry Baiyi had committed. Parts of the empire complex were desecrated to a certain degree, and towards the end, they had to begin the plan sooner than they had scheduled, causing the Marionette's manipulation of Laws to be less than flawless.

According to their original plan, should the Power God's Privilege be successfully stolen for the cultists themselves, it wouldn't have been just their dissenters' mana and combat chi being nullified. Instead, every strength humans had, including the strength to stand up on their feet or even the strength to breathe, would have been forcibly taken away! The Marionette would have been able to kill every living creature within a hundred yards just by standing at an area!

That was the full extent of a powerful god's Privilege. Comparably, the Nature God, who could only control the changes in nature, was way too weak. Their power gaps were just so wide… And that was why he had not wanted to Descend with his own, original body and instead planned to steal his colleague's powers.

The hastily-completed Marionette may not have been as strong in manipulating the Laws as the cultists had hoped, but even the ability to remove everyone's control over their own mana or combat chi had been enough— it wasn't an outcome that Godsfall would find hard to take advantage of, after all. They just had to put a little bit more effort into killing those annoying but depowered pests that come into their way. By and large, the plan was still considered largely successful.

And yet again, this bloody Hope had once again acted as the persona non grata, employing a sort of mysterious black power completely ungoverned by the Laws, and then curbstomping the cultists' most prized and precious Lawful Mariotte into a pitiful toddler! Sure, he was only fighting a puppet of a god, but every time Hope dished out an attack with those black power, it was like he was walloping the face of the Nature God himself. The optics just stung!

He was named Hope, but all he had brought to his enemies was hopelessness.

The Mad King was befuddled: sure, some part of the Privilege was lost and incomplete, but the pilot of the Marionette is an actual, genuine god, right? He should be able to use the Laws they had successfully siphoned out even more skillfully, right? Even if the Marionette contained pollutants such as other people's consciousness, thus lowering its purity— the pilot is an actual, genuine god, right? He should be able to suppress those unruly, intrusive thoughts, right? And even if that black power that Baiyi used is too strong, the pilot is an actual, genuine god, right? With that humongous size, he should have an advantage right? Didn't he use Holy Power to retaliate successfully for a brief moment there? So why is he being beaten so badly? Why can't he even retaliate?

The pilot is an actual, genuine god, right?

Just as the Mad King was still haunted by a series of questions, a voice suddenly boomed inside of his head awkwardly. It was once again, the Director speaking.

Once the Mad King had finished listening, the latter's puzzled face had vanished. Instead, it was replaced by a look of earnest panic and hopelessness.

The Director's words were clear and short. "Molocchus had betrayed us. He had stolen control over the Marionette. Destroy it, whatever cost necessary!!!"

The questions swirling in his mind were finally solved. Why had the Marionette's powers so thoroughly defanged? Why had the First Reverend so generously donated his elites, and even allowed the Mad King to sacrifice them?

Time and again— there is no talk of loyalty in a demon.

The Mad King had expended every single worthwhile thing he had on the Lawful Marionette, and now the Director had issued a very clear command to destroy it. This struck a bolt of lightning directly into the Mad King's heart, even more so than if he had ever found out that his daughter was really his own granddaughter.

For this plan to have worked, the Mad King had sacrificed everything. He had offered the birthplace of his species, offered his Kingdom's most powerful fighters, burnt bridges through political polarization, and even placed a bet on his legitimacy as the King of the Fairy Kingdom. If this crumbled into a failure… then even a quiet, normal death would have become a luxurious dream.

Because everyone would have been delighted in tearing him into pieces. Hope. The surviving families of the Morningstar Sage and the Green Knight. The Traditionalists. And that First High Reverend who had so passionately extolled the virtues and greatness of their "Great Work" and yet did not skip a heartbeat in singlehandedly betraying everyone else, the Abyss Lord Molocchus.

He felt every strength leaving his body until his weakened knees gave up to his weight. He crashed onto the floor, and the ever-observing half-fairy, Gru, quickly came to his side to help him up.

The Mad King waved Gru's goodwill away, however. He lowered his head, his usual flair of grandeur completely gone, and whimpered like a beaten dog. "The future of the fair folks… The hope of our kind… They are lost…"

"We lost?" Gru's voice was low and cold.

The Mad King did not answer him directly. Instead, using his title as the Fairy King for the last time, he issued his last command to his general. "Go. Dispatch every last man we have in the imperial army…. And destroy that Marionette. Maybe then our species could still survive..."

"As you command." Gru stood up. Before he left, his eyes studied the sunken Mad King one last time, before placing a dagger— exquisitely crafted by the most dexterous of artisans— softly by the Mad King's side. It was once one of the King's prized possessions, taken from a Dwarf thane's corpse. It was the King's favorite and most satisfying loot, and to show how much he valued and cherished Gru, the King had gifted the dagger to him.

Now, however, it was time to return it.

Just as the Director of the Godsfall cult had issued that cold command to the Mad King, far in the battlefield where Baiyi was engaging in a one-sided fight with the Marionette, the Fifth Walker had also realized that something was quite deviating from his expectation. For example, all of the Gundam's defensive measure and struggles were abruptly abandoned and instead, from the trees where the body of the Gundam was fashioned from, green sinister flames suddenly burst out.

It was such a drastic change that Baiyi had to stop attacking, and instead spaced himself out with the enemy. He scanned the "Nature God" questioningly, not entirely sure why it started bursting into green flames after realizing it wasn't going to win.

When the green flames had died out, the Gundam stood up again. This time, its shattered kneecaps were somehow completely healed, but not with trees— instead, it was filled with wriggling, disgusting blackened flesh. Even other parts of this marionette were filled with similar disgusting flesh until it looked even more like a human.

A curious thought flashed in Baiyi's mind. 'Did the Enemy Boss just transform?'Yes, the thoughts of the Wise Mad King or the author somehow trailed off into this.]

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385 Locked Into A Stuggle

Before, the monster had only looked somewhat surreal.

Now, however, its appearance was so bizarre to behold, if it starred in a movie back on Earth, that movie would be rated 'R' and possess a 'parental discretion advisable' warning. Its current appearance was not something the visual effects in B-movies could hope to achieve.

"Oh! Now, this is a body I would call 'perfection'!" The monster said, but its voice was no longer as regal and commanding as a god's. Instead, it now spoke in the cunning manner known to demons. Baiyi could almost smell the stench of demons' breath from the monster. Only demons would appreciate the monster' grotesque look.

"Hmm… Why do I still feel that something is stopping it from being flawless?" The monster mumbled. It suddenly did something that shocked Baiyi. It used its huge palms to clutch its head, the only part of its body still made of wood, and crushed it to pieces, making it look as skinless as a Nuckelevee.

After that, a black mass of muscle began to ooze out from the stump in its neck. The thick strands of black mass wriggled grotesquely, forming a disgusting-looking head. The head only contained two gigantic eyes, whose pupils were slits, like those of reptiles. The aura emanating from the pupils were maleficient.

'Okay, are you cosplaying as a Minion, or as Sauron?' Baiyi quipped in his mind.

The Devil Walker suddenly exclaimed, "Those eyes! If I'm not mistaken, only the Abyss Lord Molocchus possess them! The Abyss Lord's original body is a bug-eyed monster, and almost all its powers come from its eyes. I've faced that bastard before and suffered a little scratch in the scuffle; this is why those eyes were burned into my memory."

"Oh, please don't tell me that those pupils can change their shapes into three tomoe bound by a circle, or the pattern of a pinwheel, or maybe a ripple pattern?" Quite obviously, Baiyi did not feel threatened, so he just spilled more pop culture references. "So, what are their powers? Illusions? Black flames that cannot be put out? Death gaze?"

"Of course, it can dish out illusions! How else would it have been able to fool so many mortals into offering their power to it? Nevertheless, none of those will work on you, for no matter how good it is at illusions, it can never best the Charlatan Walker, who is here with us in the Void. Plus, there are no such things as lethal illusions in this world, unlike that anime on your Earth. Molocchus certainly did not become an Abyss Lord using tricks like these!" The Devil Walker said. "Also, isn't there a better time to crack jokes?"

"Look, you really shouldn't underestimate this slimy, cunning bastard; it's much harder to defeat than Thaas. Not only has it siphoned a lot of power from humans over the years, but it now has this diety-like body and powers, enough for it to be called a heretical god!" The Devil Walker warned Baiyi, who seemed unrattled by the appearance of the Devil Walker's old acquaintance.

"Pssh. All I hope for is that this guy lasts a little longer than the last one," Baiyi said, and a long black spear appeared in his hand. He thrust it right at one of the skinless monster's gigantic eyes.

The skinless monster waved its hand casually — same way Baiyi casts common magic spells — and the Voidspear, which was made from Void Energy, instantly dissipated.

Heretofore, these blades were known to be indestructible, but yet here they were, crumbling after a casual wave from the skinless monster!

Baiyi was in no mood to make any more quips. It had taken only a casual wave for his current opponent to prove itself more troublesome than Thaas. Furthermore, the skinless monster's movement was fluid and natural — a stark contrast to the Gundam-like monster's movement, which was stiffer than Gundams back on Earth. This was enough to show that the skinless monster's current pilot controlled the creature far better than the previous pilot, who claimed to be Nature God, did.

Suddenly, the current pilot, Abyss Lord Molocchus, decided to try reasoning with Baiyi. "There's no need to rush into a brawl, eh, Messenger of Space? We're not enemies; in fact, we could be allies working towards the same cause."

"Oh, yea? Convince me," Baiyi replied and clasped his hands at his back, secretly constructing the hidden formation he had used once before.

"I am the Demon Lord of the Endless Abyss. You may know me as Molocchus!" The monster bellowed. "I watched your duel with the Nature God. The power of darkness you wield is the same power that the Church forbade a long time ago, correct? If I'm not mistaken, someone from the Church's branch in this realm should be rushing over here as we speak."

Baiyi smirked scornfully. "So what?"

"You and I are existences no mortal can contain, so why don't we join forces and conquer these lower-level beings?" The Abyss Lord directly offered. "Your power and mine combined will be unstoppable! The whole world will tremble before our alliance! Conquering the world will be easier than playing a child's game!"

Baiyi immediately shook his head sideways. "Meh. I'll pass."

"Heheheh! Are you afraid of that mysterious War God?" Molocchus asked. "I know you're his Messenger, but believe me on this: no matter what he has gifted you, I can do just as much; ten times more, even! If we join forces, even gods would not be able to harm us. His petty retribution will be of no concern to you.

"When we have the world at our feet, these mortals will no longer consider you a taboo. No, you'll be seen as a new god! You'll have everything, including as many beautiful little girls as you want!" Molocchus continued, believing that he had pinpointed Baiyi's secret desires. When Baiyi continued to stay silent, Molocchus concluded with a threat. "This is the most sincere offer I can give you. It's the first…and the last."

Only fools tried to tempt or threaten the Fifth Voidwalker, however.

"Didn't you hear me? I told you that I'm not bloody interested! I am not interested in conquering the world or being buddies with you," Baiyi coldly replied. "Seriously, even if I wanted to conquer the world, I would never need a teammate, and even I did, it would not be you demons; I can't f*cking stand your odor!"

"Fine, then. Consider the offer retracted. You have made a sworn enemy out of me," Molocchus quietly muttered. It reached Baiyi in an instant, and then it slammed its palms together, as though it intended to smash Baiyi like a bug.

Despite the skinless monster's fluid movement, to the agile Baiyi, the attack was still much too slow. He easily sidestepped the attack and retaliated with a few bolts of black lightning.

It was at this point that the formation behind him was fully constructed. After sidestepping the enemy's attack, a black light shot out of the formation, accompanying the black bolts of lightning towards their target.

However, both attacks failed to do any damage to the monster. The skinless monster did not both erecting any magic shields to protect itself, as the Nature God had done before. It just stood there and receive Baiyi's attacks, one after the other, incurring no damage whatsoever.

'Well, it looks like certain attacks are now ineffective Seriously, which idiot Voidwalker in the R&D department came up with Voidbeam? When has this technique ever been useful?!'

Previously, when the skinless monster used a casual wave to stop a Voidspear, Baiyi thought that the Law of Power had somehow gained control of Void Energy. To him, such a development would put him in a lot of trouble.

However, after firing off a few more attacks, Baiyi was relieved to find that he had been wrong. Molocchus had used Holy Power to fend off Baiyi's Void Energy attacks. The Abyss Lord, who had a more fluid control over the body, had erected an invisible shield over the monster. When Baiyi fired off the back bolts of lightning and the black beam — attacks much stronger than Voidspear — he saw ripples and faint white halos appear momentarily inches before the monster's skin. Their appearances were just too subtle to notice.

Baiyi had no idea how he would overpower the Abyss Lord. Its reservoir of Holy Power was too much, and it was too strong for his Void Energy techniques to penetrate except for one: the technique he had used to defeat the Divine Leather suit. The problem with that spell was that it required a long time to build up; this was an opportunity that the enemy would never give him.

Furthermore, the monster seemed to have more Holy Power within it than the Divine Bodysuit had. Baiyi also could not draw out much more energy from Mia, despite Laeticia supporting her.

Baiyi did notice something strange about the skinless monster, and he could not tell whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Despite possessing a deep reservoir of Holy Power, the skinless monster did not perform incredible techniques befitting it. All it did was charge at Baiyi, trying its best to slap him around.

As a result of this, the fight was locked in a stalement. Baiyi was unable to penetrate the skinless monster's Holy Power shield, and it was unable to hit him with its physical attacks.

From a bystander's perspective, the skinless monster would look like a large kaiju scratching its ear and cheeks, desperately trying to catch an annoying mosquito.

"So, despite those huge eyeballs on its face, 'Bugsy' is actually a melee type?" Baiyi asked the Devil Walker.

"Preposterous! That bug-eyed monster's skill lays in Black Magic. Even I could floor Molocchus if we dueled only with physical attacks!" The Devil Walker replied.

"Er… Could it have been forced to use physical attacks because it had no idea how to manipulate Laws? Or, is there a possibility that Black Magic has been rendered impossible to use by the previous alteration to the Power Law?!" Baiyi exclaimed in the Void.

"That's possible!" The Archmage answered. "The intricacies of Laws are not to be taken granted for. The Nature God Rewrote the Law of Power completely; it is possible that this demon cannot undo it!"

"Besides, have you not noticed how sparingly the enemy has been utilizing its Holy Power? The Abyss Lord only uses it only to defend itself. Despite being able to move fluidly, the Abyss Lord is unable to take full advantage of the power imbued in the skinless monster! It could not change its method of thinking, which is similar to other demons!"

"Oh, that's great. But, I'm still stuck here, with no idea how to get out of this stalemate," Baiyi replied as he deftly dodged another attack, closing the distance between himself and the monster. He bobbed and weaved its attacks right in front of its eye. The monster growled and sent a huge palm at Baiyi.

Baiyi dodged this attack just as easily as the others before it, and the monster's palm struck its own eye.

"Arrrrghhhh!!" The Abyss Lord screamed in pain.

However, an attack of that caliber was not enough to deal it much damage. This was because the eye was not fragile, despite its lack of formidable visual-based techniques.

"I cannot end this fight by making it hit itself, right?" Baiyi muttered to himself. He dodged an attack and zoomed close to the monster's other eye. As soon as he got there, he hurled a few Voidspears at the exposed sclera. When the spears were inches away from the eye, they dissipated. It seemed the Holy Power shield around the monster's eyes were stronger than other parts of its body.

"Should we increase the power of our spells, or do we resort to melee attacks?" The Archmage asked, upon noticing how the monster's own slap had affected it.

"Good point! I'm gonna try the latter." Baiyi pulled the Saint Quartz Staff from his pocket before streaking toward's the enemy's eye.

This time, the Abyss Lord did not try to slap Baiyi away. It tried to block his path by closing its huge hands around him.

Baiyi sped up and zoomed past the gap between the monster's massives fingers, headed straight for its eyes. It took only moments for him to reach an eye, and it took even less time for him to give it a hard wallop with his staff.

"Gaaarrrgghhhhhhh!!!!" The monster screamed at the top of its lungs and cupped a hand around its damaged eye.

'Haha! It was super effective!' Baiyi's mood brightened. He spun and attempted to strike the other eye, but the sudden appearance of a huge hand caused him to streak backward. Despite Baiyi's disappearance, the huge hand continued on its trajectory until it smashed into the other hand holding the monster's eyes. The monster had just cut off its own hand.

Suddenly, a huge mass of pulsating black muscles wriggled out of the stump and formed a new hand. The chopped hand holding onto the monster's injured eye turned into a mass of black flesh, then the wriggling flesh turned into a helmet, which protected both eyes.

Baiyi zoomed close to the same eye and swung his staff at it once more. However, when the staff smashed into the flesh helmet, all it did was generate sparks. It was akin to a normal human striking a large boulder. 'Is this bloc of muscle really that hard?!'

A small slit large enough for a human to pass through appeared on the flesh helmet. It allowed the monster to see. The flesh helmet made the monster seem as though it had covered its head with a pitcher plant.

Baiyi figured that if he zoomed through the small slit, it would close back up instantly, trapping him inside.

Baiyi subconsciously reached into his inner pocket for the War God's Sword, only to remember that he had left it with his Kitty-cat Maid for her self-defense.

'It sure looks like this will go on forever, doesn't it?'

Contrary to his expectations, the monster stopped moving. It stood unnaturally still, seemingly deep in thought.

Baiyi was not sure what had happened. Suddenly, a wave of magical energy, which Baiyi found incredibly familiar, surged out of the monster. Another energy wave accompanied the first, and both were very violent.

"Hehehehe! Not bad for a warm-up. It was good enough for me to test my control over this new body," Molocchus said with a chuckle. "Now that my warm-up is over, I bid you farewell."

A Transporter Formation suddenly appeared in front of the monster, and in less than a second, the formation lit up; it had been activated! The Abyss Lord quickly became more transparent.

Baiyi hurriedly hurled a few black spears at the fading creature, but all they did was pass right through it.

Despite the enormous size, Molocchus had managed to turn its body into a mirage in mere seconds!

"Just you wait; wait till I have mastered Holy Power and the Laws of Power. Next time I see you, your time in this world will expire!" Molocchus bellowed before vanishing.Check out the Nuckelevee! It's a really terrifying (and okay, I'll admit it… A little bit cute) monster from Orcadian myths. It's basically a human torso with no legs attached to the back of a big horse as if it was its rider. The best part? "The Nuckelavee has no skin; black blood courses through yellow veins, and the pale sinews and powerful muscles are visible as a pulsating mass." Check the Marionette's current physical appearance, and honestly, these two monsters are getting some kin-feels!Yes, The annoying and lethal-when-overdosed. From Despicable Me.Yes. The one and only. Of Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' fame.If you haven't gotten it, Baiyi was referring to the Sharingan from Naruto. Tomoe is that "fat comma" shape. The pinwheel pattern referred to Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan, while the last one referred to the Rinnegan.A.k.a. Doujutsu. Ya know, the Sharingan and Byakugan and all that from Naruto… and maybe some other anime/manga too that I'm not aware of?

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Why Did You Summon Me？

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386 Put Your Best Foot Forward

Molocchus, who was known for its sly nature, had actually fought with Baiyi only because it had been stalling for time.

Its aim all along had been to complete the complicated Teleportation Formation. This formation is so difficult to construct that even those adept at magic still need time to complete it. Despite using its thick black mass of muscles to inscribe the runes and glyphs of the formation onto itself, Molocchus still spent a lot of time to create the formation.

The Abyss Lord never intended to have a life-or-death battle with Baiyi. Why do that when it had yet to master its new body? Its smartest play was to retreat. The banter it made, including the offer it made to Baiyi for an alliance, was all a ruse to stall for time with which to complete the formation. As soon as the formation was completed, Molocchus Rewrote the Law of Power to allow the use of worldy energy, causing the formation to start up.

Moments after, it fled the scene, right under the Fifth Walker's nose.

"Now sh*t really has hit the fan," Baiyi mumbled in a low voice, staring at the spot where Molocchus had vanished. "Once that demon has had enough time to absorb the Holy Power in its new body, as well as learn to control the Laws of Power it wields, the next time we see it, it really will have become a god of evil."

"This is catastrophic! I suggest we dive straight into the Abyss and slay that demon, pronto!" The Devil Walker exclaimed.

"How do you expect me to defeat it on its turf?" Baiyi asked flatly. He was not happy with the turn of events. He knew that if he had kept the War God's Sword, instead of giving it to Attie, he may have been able to defeat the Abyss Lord right there and then.

Suddenly, Baiyi heard Attie's voice.

'Uh… am I starting to hallucinate now?'

He looked down, and there Attie was, waving as hard as she could to attract his attention. "Master? Maaaaaster!"

"How did you even get here?" Baiyi began to descend. His Black Meatball form dissipated before he landed beside the little girl. Then, he lifted her by her armpits.

"Put me down!" Attie grumbled, a little sourly. She took out a black cylindrical object, which turned out to be the hilt of the War God's Sword, and said, "Master, you should have this!"

'Why should I have it? You should use it because you're a lonely, single woman! What...don't you know how to use it? Hold on, is it just me or do my words sound like they could mean something else? Damn it; words matter!'

"It's Lord War God! He instructed me to pass this to you, and it's also Lord War God who sent me here!" The Kitty-cat Maid exclaimed proudly. Baiyi was not sure what exactly she was proud of.

"The…War God?" Baiyi asked. 'Did the War God do something to Attie while I was fighting that Abyss Lord?!'

"Uh huh!" Attie nodded in excitement and raised the hilt for Baiyi. "The War God even spoke to me! He asked me to pass you the sword and a message."

Baiyi scanned Attie with his psychic energy and discovered that her Power Mark — which had been lying dormant for a long time — had been reactivated; in other words, the War God's special blessing on her had been restored once more. Now, Attie would be protected from harm by divine means. Furthermore, her combat prowess had improved.

If not for the car-ear hairband she was wearing, one would think she had become as formidable as she was when she was the King of Steppe!

Now that her Power Mark had been reactivated, it was no surprise that the War God commanded her through it. She was probably excited because the War God had acknowledged her once more.

As though able to read Baiyi's thoughts, Attie said, "I knew that I made the right choice taking you as my master! Lord War God has never spoken to me directly before today!"

"Oh… You're actually happy because of something this trivial?" Baiyi muttered. "So, what was his message?"

Attie replied, "Put your best foot forward."

'What was that?' Baiyi was dumbfounded. 'Why don't gods ever make things clear and obvious?'

Suddenly, a tear appeared on the space behind Baiyi. He quickly grabbed the War God's Sword and put Attie down behind him, then he speedily spun around, gazing at the tear in space, which had appeared in the same spot the monster had vanished. Something huge and black pushed its way out of the tear.

"Phew. Good thing my teleportation spell worked. That bloody Hope really was a f**king pain in my arse! Wait till I learn how to — wait a sec! What the hell is this place?" The Abyss Lord's large, bug-like eyes widened, and its gaze shifted to Baiyi, who was standing close by.

In horror, the Abyss Lord cried, "How the f**k did I come back here??!?"

Realization soon dawned on the erudite Abyss Lord. It became livid and bellowed, "That stupid War God's playing bias again! That wretched God of Space! He cheated! He hijacked my spell!"

Understanding dawned on Baiyi; the War God's message now made sense to him. The god was implying that it would deliver the monster back to him for another round of battle.

As the God of Space, it was pretty easy for the War God to hijack the Abyss Lord's teleportation spell, sending it back to where it had just fled from. Baiyi wondered how the War God, who was not there in person, knew what had transpired, prompting it to covertly help him at the right time?

However, that was not important to him now. 'Its time to play.'

"Go hide somewhere nearby, and run away when you get the chance," Baiyi said, patting Attie's head, then he soared into the air and flew towards the Abyss Lord. He landed in front of the monster and smirked. "Yo! I didn't know we would meet this soon. Funny, huh..."

Saying so, a black sphere, which resembled a meatball, encased Baiyi.

"Deplorable! Deceitful! Despicable!" The Abyss Lord shouted in frustration. "Don't you dare think I'm scared of you!! In fact, taste my fury!"

The pitcher plant-like meat helmet on the monster's head suddenly opened wide, revealing its huge bug-like eyes. Green beams shot out from both eyes.

Baiyi easily evaded the beams before chuckling. "My, my. Green light? You should change your title to 'Lord of Forgiveness'!"

Despite Baiyi's jovial disposition, four formations suddenly appeared behind him. Ice, Fire, Electric, and Light offensive spells shot out of the formations, headed towards Molocchus.

In a bid to stop the attacks, the Abyss Lord hurriedly Rewrote the Law of Power once more, and in an instant, the four spells hurtling towards it dissipated into thin air. The monster's green beams also dissipated into thin air.

Upon seeing his spells dissipate, Baiyi switched to using Void Energy. Two black formations appeared above his hands, which he had pointed at the monster, and Voidspears began to shoot out of both; it was as though he was shooting an assault rifle. The black spears struck the monster's shield, which it had conjured with Holy Power, leaving ripples on its surface.

"You're using that? B-but I thought the amount of energy you can use is limited! Or, have you completely forgone Mia's welfare?" The Archmage asked in surprise. This particular Void secret spell was the Archmage's invention; he had named it 'Complaint Message on the Arrow'— a name he had plagiarized from someone else's work.

The spell bombarded its target with Voidspears, but it consumed a lot of energy. Even though Laeticia was supporting Mia, there should still have been no way for Baiyi to use the spell, except he really had forgone Mia's wellbeing.

"Did you forget the War God's message?" Baiyi replied without stopping the Voidspear bombardment. "Put my best foot forward, right? And you know what? I feel even better than the best!"

The War God's message was not mere encouragement. Before Baiyi began to fight, he felt weird, as though a lock within him had disappeared. Immediately after that, he felt his full power — which included his energy still trapped in the Void — course through his bones. He could feel no limit to his powers.

At that very moment, Baiyi felt completely invincible!

"I admit that your shield is pretty strong, but how well it can hold up against this?" Baiyi said, and a large, round formation appeared behind him and quickly began to expand. At the same time, another formation appeared below Molocchus, trapping the Abyss Lord in place.

"Justice rains from above!" Baiyi yelled.

A large and thick pillar of black light shot out of the formation below the Abyss Lord, completely engulfing it. The black pillar of light pierced through the stratosphere in a matter of seconds. From afar, it seemed as though the sky was being held up by a black pillar rising up from the ground. Some would even think it was a tear in the realm, which exposed the void beyond it.

As Baiyi's power was no longer limited, he saw no need to use his fists. He settled for using his full power with wild abandon!

The shattered rock around the formation rose into the air, as though gravity no longer affected them. Power pulses emanated from the black pillar of light, rattling the space around it. The pulses were so intense that they soon formed a huge cyclone. Rocks, sand, and dust were both sucked into the fierce cyclone, causing it to grow at a horrifying rate; soon, if one looked at it from afar, they would think it was a gigantic mushroom cloud.

It as though a nuclear bomb had been detonated.

As soon as the Abyss Lord saw the formation appear below it, it summoned as much Holy Power as it could into its shield. When the black pillar of light shot up from the formation, the Abyss Lord fell to the ground and curled itself into a fetal position, desperately trying its best to restore the part of its shield which the black light had damaged.

Molocchus knew that this spell was enough to deal it critical damage!

At the same time, within Mars — the realm just beside Marle — a figure observed the black pillar of light from a black chapel.

The black chapel was an office for the Church's Judiciary Court division of Mars. Just moments before, the Chief Judge of the court had noticed something outside and hurriedly got out of his seat, his gaze fixed on the faraway black pillar of light, which seemed as though it would tear the sky from the earth.

"What is this profanity? This perversion..." He mumbled in a quiet voice. Suddenly, cracking sounds rang out from behind him. The Chief Judge hurriedly turned around and saw a long row of angel statues cracking, all on their own. Shattered rocks poured down like rain from the statues.

These statues of angels formed a circle around the statue of the Church's one true God. This person wore a long robe and seemed to be bathed in light. However, his face was hidden by a long, draping hood. This statue was the Inquisitors' portrayal of the Church's god. The hood covering the statue's face was made because the Inquisitors themselves always kept their face and identity hidden for the sake of the Church.

This statue did not crumble as the statues of angels had. It stood as firmly as before. However, from within the statue's hood, two streams of black liquid dripped down, forming a black line on the statue. More black liquid dripped downward, and soon, the statue, which was previously white, was completely covered in it, becoming pitch black.

"This is defilement!" The Chief Judge muttered. He held the Church's scripture in one hand and began to murmur sacred prayers under his breath, then he used his other hand to deploy his men to rush towards the black pillar.

In another location, the Wise Mad King had gotten back on his feet. He caressed the coarse surface of the dagger General Gru had returned to him, but his gaze was fixed on the black pillar of light in the distance. A maniacal grin appeared on his face. "Hahahahahahah! So a monster of this caliber is what I have been fighting! Hahahahahaha! I am a brave knight who has been battling this leviathan for so long! Ahahahahha! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

At the temporary abode of the displaced fairies of Eom Village, Nydore walked close to Mr. Bear and whispered, "Mr. Bear, what's that black pillar of light? Who's doing this? Is that what humans can do?"

Mr. Bear shook its head sideways; it still had not regained the ability to talk. A low cry escaped from its mouth, but no one knew whether that was an answer to Nydore's question or a confession of ignorance.

It was Laeticia who answered Nydore. "That is Mr. Hope's power. It's fearsome… and familiar."

"Wha—? It is so terrifying!" Mia exclaimed. A thought flashed through her head, and she began to rub her chest in confusion. "My body's fine, though. Did Mr. Hope become this powerful on his own?"

Within the black pillar of light, the Abyss Lord could feel its reserves of Holy Power rapidly depleting. If the black light continued to surge out of the formation below it, Molocchus knew that its Holy Power would run out completely!

But how? How could its enemy maintain such an extreme outpour of energy, without taking a breather? Was there no end to his powers? Was there anyone who could really use such massive amounts of power over a long period of time?

Panicking, the Abyss Lord rewrote the Law of Power once again to allow the use of worldly energy. Its eyes widened, and sinister beams of green light shot of them. Molocchus hoped they would disrupt Baiyi's magic.

However, Baiyi did not make any attempt to evade the beams. Just when the beams were about to hit him, black mist appeared right in front of them. The beams could only make ripples on the black mist surrounding him.

Baiyi had taken a leaf out of the Abyss Lord's book and used Void Energy to shield himself!Remember, kids! Green is the color of forgiveness and cuckolding!

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387 This Teammate Has the Unreliability of Godly Proportions

From the way the battle was going, Baiyi's victory seemed all but guaranteed. Even if Molocchus's reservoir of Holy Power was as deep as an ocean, in the end, it was still just an ocean. The Abyss Lord could not afford to fight a war of attrition with Baiyi, especially when the Fifth Walker's full power reserve was as deep as the stars in a galaxy. The first party to succumb to fatigue was bound to be the Abyss Lord.

From the way things were going, it did not seem a long time coming.

However, just when Baiyi believed he had won, the thick black pillar of Void Energy suddenly began to shrink.

It was shrinking alarmingly quick! A few seconds later, only a thin black line was left of it. This scene was akin to someone suddenly turning off a tap of running water.

Molocchus had no idea why Baiyi's attack stopped so suddenly, but it wanted nothing more than to pay Baiyi back in kind. The Abyss Lord's eye widened once more and two unyielding beams of green energy shot out from them, headed towards Baiyi, who was hovering in midair.

Baiyi did not dare let the energy beams strike his Void Energy shield again. The moment the pillar of black Void Energy began to shrink, Baiyi understood that the limiter suppressing his power had slowly begun to return. Although he was not sure why the War God had suddenly decided to pull the plug, what he was sure of was that his power had, once again, been nerfed, so it could not be used with wild abandon anymore.

"Bloody traitor! If you had held on for just a little longer, this battle would have been over!" Baiyi cursed under his breath as he dodged the Abyss Lord's energy beams. Although its reserve of Holy Power had shrunk to a critical low, Molocchus could still deal immense damage to Baiyi. With the limiter on Baiyi's power active again, no one knew how long this battle would continue on for.

Moreover, if the battle went on for much longer, unexpected variables would interject themselves into it, muddying its waters in the process. Baiyi's massive display of Void Energy was sure to have attracted a lot of attention — something that could only spell disaster for him.

Only one question was on Baiyi's mind: 'what the hell are you thinking, War God?!'

Even the Voidwalkers were aghast at the War God sudden withdrawal of support; only the Archmage maintained his calm enough to advise Baiyi, saying, "Now that the limit on your powers has been restored, wouldn't switching back to physical attacks work just fine for you? After all, you have the War God's Sword with you."

'Right, right. Still doesn't change the fact that we can only rely on that stupid War God's power to win this fight,' Baiyi thought.

However, he did not have much time to dwell on such matters. He deftly pulled out the War God's Sword and gripped its hilt hard. As soon as he gripped its hilt, a strange voice echoed in his head.

The tone of this voice was similar to that Nature God's, in that it was commanding and regal — a feature perhaps shared by all gods. It also sounded androgynous, leaving Baiyi unable to tell if the War God was male or a female.

However, the words of the War God, who Baiyi now considered a traitor, were easy to understand. "Bruh, didn't I just send you a sword? Why are you still using brute force?"

Baiyi was just about to reply when he realized that the message may have been sent a while ago. It was like he was receiving voicemail. The War God had left a couple of messages for him, and some of them left Baiyi speechless.

"Whoaaa! So big! And so black! Wow, you're good!"

"Yay, proceed with this! If we keep at it, we shall prevail!"

"Huh? Wait...oh no. Hey, if you do not achieve victory quickly, the amount of power you both are releasing will push your realm to annihilation! For some reason, your realm has been unstable for a while now; before your battle began, it received a powerful blast. Oh no. It's starting to crack! I have to go… Gotta fix it!"

"Can't go on like this. Three more minutes, okay? Finish it!"

"Oi! Are you even there?"

"Okay, it seems you cannot hear me. I will have to arbitrarily restore the limiter on your power, alright? I'm sorry, but we can't sacrifice a realm where so many living beings reside just because of this bastard."

"Besides, you have done a great job exhausting a lot of its energy, so I'll leave the rest to you. This is all I can help with!"

"Oh, and by the way, I took Attie back to the temporary abode safely, so you don't have to worry, okay? Also, seriously, don't tease her so much, please. She's quite a cinnamon bun, after all."

"Should this ordeal end successfully, remember that I totally helped ya' on this! Would you be so kind as to build a nice shrine for me afterward, and maybe recruit some followers? I mean… It's not that these worshippers are significant, but hey, everyone loves themselves some adoring fans."

"Oh, right! Did you like the Divine Burial and the Spatial Scepter? I prepped them just for ya'. Remember to use them more often, okay?"

"Right, I gotta stop now. Think someone's gonna notice me if I keep chatting. Okay, so that's all. Be careful, Outsider."

There were no timestamps on these messages, neither did they follow a distinct line of logical progression. Instead, they sounded like the ramblings of an institutionalized madman, and by the gods, was this madman talkative! After listening to all the messages, Baiyi had only one question to ask: 'Talked about almost everything. Is the War God actually cuckoo?'

For someone who has a deep and commanding tone of voice to ramble on about non-sequiturs like these… That was enough to change one's mood.

'So even a fruitloop like this was able to become a god...'

On closer examination, Baiyi could understand why the War God had had to place a limiter back on his powers. The battlefield, which was a couple of miles long, contained very deep cracks. To Baiyi, it was as though the vast expanse of land had been smashed in by a gigantic hammer. He was unsure of what would have happened had he continued to use such vast amounts of Void Energy.

Should this realm crumble, the widespread devastation it would cause would be worse than what Baiyi saw at Gouve — the realm he took his students to visit some time ago. There would be a near zero chance of survival for the people leaving in this realm, and worse, their soul may be sent to the Void after their deaths.

The crumbling of a realm was what killed the Bard Walker, causing his soul to be expelled to the Void. Before he died, the Bard Walker had been having an affair with a strong female fighter, in a micro-realm the size of an estate. There was a grand mansion built in the realm — a common setting for the adulterous escapades of aristocrats.

Soon, a very powerful fighter who the Bard Walker had just had a fling with arrived at the micro-realm, with equally powerful fighters alongside her. She arrived just in time to catch the Bard Walker with the other woman — cheating on her — and a brawl quickly ensued. As micro-realms are not as stable as large realms like Isythre, the micro-realm in question could not hold out against the massive amounts of energies going wild within it. It shriveled after a short while and began to crumble, and when only a small part of it remained, the micro-realm exploded. The Bard Walker did not just lose his life, his soul found itself in the Void almost immediately after.

Fortunately for the Bard Walker, Baiyi found his soul soon after it entered the Void; had he been later by a few minutes, the Bard Walker's soul — which seemed only to have the strength of a lily — would have crumbled into nothing.

If the destruction of a micro-realm was that devastating, then one could only imagine the devastation that would ensue if Marle and Mars, which were twin-realms, were destroyed. Both realms were already slightly unstable, to begin with. The War God was right; destroying both realms in a bid to defeat one Abyss Lord, was something even Baiyi did not want. His students were there; if the realms were destroyed, they would die.

Baiyi was left with no other option than employing a different strategy to defeat Molocchus. He activated the War God's Sword, causing the blade to light up with three different colors: red, yellow, and blue. Baiyi paused in surprise. 'Since when was there a third color? What is this, a color pencil?

The War God had called the sword 'Spatial Scepter', which meant it may have had some new functions added to it. Baiyi did not actually know this to be true, but to him, it seemed that the War God had intended that he fight Molocchus with the sword.

With that thought in mind, Baiyi gripped the tricolored sword and charged towards Molocchus's head. With all his might, he swung the sword at the pitcher plant-like helmet — made of thick, black flesh — that Molocchus had over its head, slicing through it — something his Sant Quartz Staff had failed to do earlier. At that moment, Baiyi resembled a chef, who was chopping tofu. Half of the thick flesh helmet was sliced off, leaving the Abyss Lord's huge eyeball exposed.

"Now!" Baiyi bellowed and streaked forward, and the War God Sword left three streaks of light in his wake. He reached the exposed eyeball instantly and swung the sword diagonally! A deep laceration suddenly appeared on the exposed eyeball.

"Aaaaaarggghhhhhhh!" The Abyss Lord's cry of agony caused the earth and sky to tremble, but the monster did not fall. Instead, it hurriedly raised its hand towards its injured eye to trap Baiyi there. Wriggling ropes of black flesh sprouted out of the large split in the exposed eyeball, quickly mending the injury.

Surprised at the fact that the Abyss Lord was still alive, despite the horrifying injury on its eye, Baiyi swung his sword at the humongous hand rushing towards him. He also shifted some his attention to the Devil Walker and asked, "I thought the Abyss Lord's eyeballs were its weak points?!"

"It is, but so what? We are facing an Abyss Lord here, mate! No matter how sharp that sword is, it will not be able to inflict enough damage to keep up with the monster's abnormal healing speed!" The Devil Walker replied.

Despite wielding the War God's Sword and possessing knowledge of his opponent's weak points, Baiyi was still unable to deal fatal damage. The eyeball he had attacked was so big, Baiyi seemed like a midget hovering in front of it. To Molocchus, the wound he had just inflicted was nothing more than a tiny cut on the surface of its eye — an injury that it could heal almost instantly. How then was Baiyi supposed to destroy its eyeball? Would he have to keep making small cuts and wait for it to die from the pain?

In that short amount of time, the thick flesh helmet, which Baiyi had cut in half, had completely reformed. Between deep pants, Molocchus growled at Baiyi. "Your power… truly is immeasurable. I do not know why you suddenly stopped using that black energy and chose to utilize such primitive methods of attack. What I do know, however, is that your current attacks are inconsequential to me; all they do is enrage me. Therefore, enjoy being engulfed by the flames of my rage!"

The huge monster suddenly Rewrote the Laws of Power, re-enabling the ability to use worldly forms of energy. Its black flesh began to wriggle and contort, and eyeballs began to appear all over its body, making it resemble Argos from Greek Mythology. Its new appearance was more nauseating than the monsters dreamt of by those who had trypophobia.

Suddenly, the seemingly countless eyeballs on the monster fired off beams of magic spells — demonic bolts of lightning, demonic fireballs, demonic laser beams, and much more — at Baiyi. The sky darkened as a rain of spells clouded it, pouring down on Baiyi's minuscule figure.

In the first battle, the Abyss Lord had not dared Rewrite the Law of Power to allow for the usage of worldly energy, for it believed that Baiyi could fire off forbidden spell after forbidden spell without limit; moreover, it had planned to flee all along. Now, however, it knew that victory would only be achieved if one of them died!

If that was how things were to go, then the Abyss Lord would fight with everything it had.

Baiyi, on the other hand, was not perturbed by the situation he was in. The Book of Servitude appeared above his hand, and its pages began flipping on their own, instantly casting Svalinn — one of the strongest shield spells in the book.

The rain of spells could not penetrate the spherical shield around Baiyi, but the Abyss Lord did not care. It continued firing spells from its countless eyes, leaving Baiyi no opportunity to retaliate.

That was not enough for Molocchus, though. It began to chant a very long incantation, and an intricate set of runes appeared behind it. These runes were forming a long-range forbidden spell.

The target it had locked this forbidden spell onto was not Baiyi; the forbidden spell was to be fired at a target situated very far from where Baiyi was hovering — the displaced fairies of Eom Village, whom Baiyi's students were currently with!

"Sh*t! They're in danger!" Baiyi's heart palpitated when he realized Molocchus's intentions. He knew that even if Molocchus missed its target, it could just fire off more devastating spells in the same direction until its targets were wiped out.

If that happened, their battle would end there and then.

However, Baiyi could do nothing to stop it; he was trapped by the rain of magic spells bombarding his shield without stop.

Just when things were taking a turn for the worse, a familiar voice rang out from the War God's Sword.

"Yo! I fix the realm a little, so now that it's a little bit better now, I can remove the limit on your power for a little while. But, for only three minutes! That's as much as I can allow, and also my last gift to you, okay? I'm rooting for you!"

Baiyi was overjoyed by the news, as he could once again become invincible. The problem for him was the time limit. 'Three minutes?! What can anyone do with just three minutes?!' Baiyi thought. In anime, high-tech mechas required, at least, five minutes to defeat, and the Abyss Lord was way tougher than those mechas. !

Furthermore, he could not afford to run riot, for fear of dealing the twin-realm more damage than it could handle.

Suddenly, the Fifth Walker had an idea. 'What better way to battle a mecha than using another mecha…'

"This is it. We have to use that technique now!" Baiyi exclaimed in the Void.

"Ooh? Which one?" the Archmage asked, dumbfounded.

"That one! You know — the most shameless, useless, and undignified technique we have! We have no choice!" Baiyi replied, promptly dismissing the repudiations of the other Voidwalkers. If he wanted to save the world in three minutes, he had no choice but to place his faith on this secret Void spell!

The foundation of this spell was the Pseudo-Descent Spell that the Voidwalkers invented. This spell Baiyi intended to use had only come into being because the Voidwalkers were bored and decided to try breathing life into one of their craziest ideas.

Little did they know that they really would have to use it someday.

With Svalinn shielding him, Baiyi began to chant an incantation.

"Guardians, heed my command!"

"Sir Caveman Walker and Sir Lich Walker, you'll form the legs! My Master and Sir Knight Walker, you'll form the torso and arms..."

"And I'll form the head!"Hey, this is one inspirational quote right there. Should really hang that in the school psychologist's office wall.Also known as Argus Panoptes. The greek creature with many eyes embedded on its skin, servant of Hera, slayer of Echidna and watcher of Io (so that Zeus couldn't force Hera with a green hat… again. Of course, it f**king failed.)Google-searching the words 'trypophobia images' is a good way to know if you are trypophobic. If you already know you are, then you should really steer clear… This TL may have scratched her palms and cheeks unwittingly till they turned scarlet out of fear, man.

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388 Looks Can Be Deceiving

Black smog began to converge around Baiyi as he chanted; the smog seemed opaque sometimes, and other times, it seemed as ethereal as a veil.

The Abyss Lord did not stop the spell bombardment, but, like Svallin, none of them were able to penetrate the black smog. They were as ineffective as rocks being hurled at the sea.

When Molocchus saw this, it stopped firing spells, and the eyes on its body gradually closed. Only one eye remained open: a very large eyeball on its forehead. All the energy it had left, surged towards that eyeball.

The Abyss Lord roared fiercely, and a thick green beam of light burst out of the large eye towards Baiyi. It smashed into the black smog almost instantly.

Dark ripples appeared on the misty surface of the smog. The impact created by the collision stirred up a ruthless gale, which carried with it pebbles, sand, dust, and other debris. The green beam had also left a long gash on the earth. If someone were to spectate the battle from above, they would see Baiyi and Molocchus at the center of the enormous tempest that had just formed.

This was Molocchus's strongest attack, which took all its energy to create. Anyone at the receiving end of the attack would be reduced to dust, even Demigods.

The attack stirred up as big a storm as Baiyi's last huge attack, which almost damaged the realm. However, Molocchus could not keep its attack up for as long as Baiyi kept his. A minute later, the energy around Molocchus's eye dissipated, leaving the Abyss Lord panting.

Molocchus was desperate. It had just used its strongest attack, yet Baiyi's smog barrier seemed to have received no damage whatsoever.

"What is he?! How could he even—" The Abyss Lord's eyes widened as the black smog began to disperse, revealing a silhouette just as huge and muscular as Molocchus' divine body was. This made it feel a sense of urgency.

When the smog cleared, the Abyss Lord trembled. Facing it was an enormous hammerhead shark plushie!

A chibi version of the hammerhead shark plushie, to be precise. Its body was spherical, and its fins were short and stout, making it look really adorable. However, this gigantic plushie did not have the soft, furry skin and snow-white belly that Mia's plushie had.

Faraway from the battlefield, in the temporary abode of Eom Village's displaced fairies, a concerned Mia waited for her Soul Armature to return. Suddenly, her pupils dilated; she was the first to notice the huge figure that had just appeared in the sky. She hurriedly looked at the hammerhead shark plushie in her lap, and then she looked at the one in the sky, her mouth open in shock.

'So there was a larger and even powerful Sharkie all along? Can I hug it?'

"What... the... Hell is this thing?!" The Abyss Lord was appalled, and a bit embarrassed. Moments later, it began to guffaw. "Hahahahaha! Turning yourself into a bloody toy, do you think you are here to perform tricks for children or something?"

"Heh. Why not come and see if this is just a toy or not," the huge hammerhead shark plushie coldly replied. Its voice sounded strange; it was as though five people were speaking in unison.

Something that resembled a black rod appeared on the huge plushie's leftmost fin, but on closer examination, it turned out to be a sword, whose blade emitted red, yellow, and blue rays of light. At the same time, a large tome, which had different formations orbiting it, appeared above its rightmost fin. A moment later, the chilling image of a skull appeared close to the plushie's dorsal fin.

"Charge!" The huge hammerhead shark plushie roared. Its caudal fins moved like human legs, in a manner that made it seem as though it was skipping forward.

The sight of a skipping hammerhead shark plushie — which had a round body and short fins, with which it held weird objects — made for comedic gold.

Baiyi had not intended to transform into a plushie. When he suggested the use of this spell to the Voidwalkers, they disagreed on what to transform into. The Caveman Walker wanted them to transform into a large beefcake; the Lich Walker wanted them to transform into a Spartoi, and the Archmage suggested that they transform into a character with Super-Super Rare alt. They would not entertain ideas other than their own, despite having barely any time to transform.

Unfortunately, the secret spell was doomed to fail if its participants could not come to an agreement. Left with very few options, Baiyi decided that they take the form of his Black Meatball Mode, albeit much larger; however, he could not remove the image of Little Mia's hammerhead shark plushie from his mind.

Whatever form the Voidwalker chose to assume had no effect on the amount of strength they could exert.

After all, the secret spell they had used was an improved version of the Pseudo-Descent secret spell. The inspiration the Voidwalkers gained from the way the Dragon Knights battled was also implemented in this spell; in that Baiyi would act as the dragon, and the Voidwalkers would act as the human rider. In the united form they all shared, they would all be able to display their skills and complete the shortcomings of others.

The spell granted the Voidwalkers the capability to cooperate with themselves even better than Dragon Knights cooperated with their dragons. Furthermore, Baiyi had linked the consciousness of all the Voidwalkers, allowing them to gain access to each other's thoughts, like a powerful hivemind. This was a grand chance for the Voidwalkers to show how strong they were when they worked together!

The Knight Walker had control over the left fin; the Archmage controlled the right fin; the Lich Walker was in charge of the dorsal fins, and the Caveman Walker was essentially the caudal fins, which controlled the speed and movement of the large hammerhead shark plushie. Baiyi, as the leader, assumed control over the head.

Normally, in difficult battles, Baiyi would resort to using his fists, and when those were not enough, spells; if this also failed, however, he would use his Void Energy Meatball form. However, this spell allowed for the use of different fighting styles at the same time, which was a massive upgrade from manually switching between fighting styles — something Baiyi was used to. Before now, he had not met anyone who had pressured him enough to use this secret spell.

Today, however, Molocchus had forced his hand. Hence, Baiyi had no option but to use this spell to try and seize victory.

Baiyi had christened this spell 'Khalah's Light'. As the enormous plushie charged at Molocchus, it exclaimed, "We are bound by F2 + A — wait, no! I mean, we are bound by the Khalah. The sacred union of our every emotion and thought..."

Although Khalah's Light looked funny, its power was the real deal. The large hammerhead shark plushie looked adorable as it swung the tri-colored War God's Sword with its short fin. However, to Molocchus, the hammerhead shark plushie looked frightening. The Abyss Lord initially thought that the large hammerhead shark plushie's attacks would not hit because its fins were short, but the plushie performed physics-defying maneuvers and cut Molocchus with every swing.

The huge plushie looked cute swinging its right fin around, but unfortunately, every time that fin moved, it fired off a forbidden spell at the Abyss Lord's face.

The plushie's caudal fins, which acted as its legs, moved swiftly and nimbly. The plushie moved even faster than top-ranked elite knights!

Meanwhile, the plushie hurled curses at the Abyss Lord with its dorsal fin. These curses were actually disguised necromancy spells, which directly damaged Molocchus' soul.

However, the plushie's head proved to be the most dangerous part of its body. It spewed bolts of black lightning, black spears, and black beams of light; these inflicted more damage to Molocchus than the attacks coming from plushie's other body parts.

Molocchus was basically fighting five experts at once. These experts complimented each other's attacks, as a result of the deep understanding they had of each other's intention. This left Molocchus doing its best to fend off five different types of attacks at once!

This was just how the Abyss Lord felt. It believed it was battle an elite team containing the best experts, not a huge plushie.

Despite the knowledge and power it had spent a millennium accumulating, as well the seemingly-indestructible divine body it possessed, Molocchus found itself completely overwhelmed by the combination of Void Energy, Forbidden Spells, unparalleled swordsmanship, necromancy, and intuitive physical attacks. It could not even get time to think.

Fed up of getting attacked without reprieve, Molocchus threw a punch at the gigantic plushie. The Knight Walker — who controlled the left fin, which held the War God Sword — did not miss this opportunity. The gigantic plushie swung the tri-colored War God Sword at Molocchus' outstretched arm, severing it cleanly.

The Caveman Walker, who controlled the caudal fins, used this opportunity to propel the gigantic plushie into the air, and as though that jump was pre-planned, the Knight Walker, controlling the left fin, swung the War God's Sword at the large eye on Molocchus's forehead, chopping it off!

The Archmage, who was controlling the right fin, saw this as an opening. He began to chant the incantations for a forbidden binding spell, which he used to bind the eyeball back to the head. The Lich Walker, who controlled the dorsal fin, cast multiple high-leveled curses at the Abyss Lord, which caused the speed of its bodily functions, including regeneration, to slow to a crawl.

Suddenly, the gigantic hammerhead shark plushie opened its maw and bit down on Molocchus's head, and then a powerful beam of Void Energy erupted from its mouth, blasting a hole through the Abyss Lord's eye and head. The Knight Walker made the left fin stab the War God's Sword into the plushie's own mouth, and through the Abyss Lord's neck.

The left fin moved the blade sideways, decapitating the plushie in the process. However, Molocchus's head and huge eyeball, which the plushie held in his maw, were also decapitated.

All this happened at the very last second of the War God's allocated time. As soon as the plushie was decapitated, it turned to dust, which a passing wind blew away, revealing the silhouette of a Soul Armature.

Beside him was the corpse of the Abyss Lord Molocchus, the toughest opponent he had ever faced.

Its consciousness had vanished completely, and all that was left of its body were two halves of a huge eyeball, as well as an ashen grey headless corpse, which was being burned by green flames. Soon, even the corpse itself began to break apart and vanish.

Baiyi had won the battle, but there was no joy on his face. He turned his attention to the Lich Walker, who had returned to the Void, and coldly said, "Lost your chance?"

The Voidwalkers involved in the battle had initially planned to annihilate the Abyss Lord Soul the moment its body was destroyed. The Lich Walker was supposed to do this, and he did cast the appropriate spell, but the soul of their foe was not completely obliterated.

"Partially, but not really," replied the Lich Walker. "Just like you, that demon did not infuse all of its consciousness into the body it had in this realm. A small part was left in the Abyss. This is a strategy befitting of Molocchus, who is known the world over for being very cunning."

"Meh, that bastard has kissed its powers goodbye. All it has managed to save is that weak bit of consciousness," the Devil Walker explained. "It's impossible for one to control a powerful body except they assign an immense amount of power and consciousness into it. Molocchus did the same, and you obliterated its large cache of power and consciousness. Hence, I would say the Abyss Lord is as good as half-dead. Its life will be dangling by a very thin thread for a very long time."

Baiyi frowned. "Even if it is true that Molocchus would not trouble us for the time being, the Abyss Lord will still retain its memory of this fight. Not only does it now know the powers we possess, but it had also gotten the opportunity to interact with a Law — a complete, functioning Law — unlike the Law Fragments we have come across and studied. Who knows how much enlightenment the demon gained from that! If we ever see Molocchus again, we might be in even bigger trouble."

"Hee hee hee! Oh, if I were that little snake, I would be more worried about the dangers lurking in my own home. When those demon thanes find out how weak their boss has become, you will not believe how keen they will be to rip it to pieces. In fact, they will be more delighted to do the honors than you will!" The Devil Walker replied optimistically, convincing Baiyi to abandon the idea of traveling to the Abyss to destroy the rest of Molocchus' consciousness.

Molocchus would not fare any better than Thaas, who was reduced to a beating heart — something the Devil Walker's memories had proven. Demons delighted in rebellion and betrayal, even against their own kind. Molocchus had invested too much of his power and consciousness into the body that Baiyi had destroyed, hence the Devil Walker did not believe the Molocchus' leftover consciousness could overpower a mediocre large demon. In other words, there were currently too many beings in the Abyss who could crush the weakened Molocchust into dust.

Baiyi shook his head sideways, a little helplessly. Frankly, he was not satisfied, but it would be impractical of him to charge into the Abyss right now.

Hence, he changed the subject. "Well then, I guess we can begin to reap our latest rewards."An alt is an alternative version of a character in a game (gatcha, mostly) due to scheduled events. For example, as a regular character, I would be "TL: Language Transmutation Practitioner". Now, an event has occurred where everyone goes to a graveyard at midnight, and the game presents an alternate, event-specific version of me with new powers+/ stats+/ skill sets+/ weapons and outfit as well as increased (game-dependent, actually) rarity to be summoned. That would be a TL alt for a graveyard event. It's probably called "TL: Very Much Alive, But the Chinese Uber Driver Thought Otherwise".Okay, the quote "We are bound by … emotion and thought" came from the opening scene narrated by Altanis (Starcraft: Legacy of the Void). So where did F2 +A come from? Well,  if you want to command every single unit to attack a target, you press the F2 button to select all of your units, and then press A. As pressing F2+A mobilizes every single unit you have, including units you have left specifically for defense and whatnot, it is said that "every one is bound by the sacred F2+A".

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389 389. His First Battle Reward

Sometimes, epic showdowns inevitably left lots of loose ends to tie, but Baiyi did not let them dampen his surging morale. He strutted to the remains of the giant eyeball, which had been incinerated to black residue by the green flames. The black residue had formed a small hill taller than an adult man, resembling a dumpster pile waiting to be burned.

With a casual wave of his hand, Baiyi got rid of the flames. Then, he stuck his arm into the black hill and began to dig, and soon, he pulled out a very hard object. It was… a huge rock.

He chanted the incantation for a wind spell, and a light breeze blew away all the ashes on the rock. He realized that the black rock was larger than his own head. Its shape was irregular, and its surface was riddled with bumps; in short, it was a really ugly chunk of rock.

"I went toe-to-toe with a Lord of the Abyss — whose divine body contained most of its consciousness and power — and this is all it drops? Even if you can't drop divine weapons, you should, at least, drop some rare materials, right?" Baiyi grumbled unhappily to other Voidwalkers.

Suddenly, he added, "You didn't touch the reward before I did, right, Master?"

"Oh, heavens, no! I mean, yes, I would love to dig a nice orange bow out of that pile, but… I'm not exactly filled with G lately," said the Archmage, hurriedly claiming innocence, albeit with a nonsensical alibi.

"What is wrong with the two of you? You think this is another one of your games?" The Devil Walker snapped. "Molocchus came here with a clone! It's only natural that the clone would not possess the Abyss Lord's best equipment. However, if you're looking for a rare material, then may I suggest you take a proper look at what you're holding?"

"Ah?! This is a rare material?" Baiyi rapped the rock a little and listened to the piercing 'ding' sound that echoed from it. "This thing has the least marketable appearance ever, and it emits the odor of a demon! I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."

The Devil Walker sighed. "Why don't you wash it with a water spell, then purify it with theurgy?"

Baiyi quickly did as told. He used a water spell to wash the outermost layer, which had been covered in dirt and ash, revealing a crystalline structure underneath. Then, he covered the rock with his palm and cast a small theurgical spell, which dispelled impurities from the rock.

Afterward, the rock's real color was unveiled: bright vermillion. It was as though there was blood coursing within the rock.

"Holy... Is that a Blood Tearstone?" The Alchemist Walker was the first to exclaim. "And, this one has only been tainted a smidge — really a Blood Tearstone of apex quality! Look at how lurid and jaunty its red color is, despite being in a raw, unprocessed state. It currently surpasses many materials that have been manually refined! In all my life, I have dealt with so many kinds of materials, but never had I ever witnessed material this brilliant in its raw state!"

Baiyi knew what a Blood Tearstone was; someone once gifted him two of them He melted one for the hammerhead shark plushie, and he had used the other Blood Tearstone for the magical defense system back home, as well as for his students' equipment.

"And, by the gods, can we talk about how large it is? If we can completely refine it, you'll have the best Blood Tearstone in the history of mankind — in your hands! Now that's an item only an Abyss Lord can offer. The Blood Tearstone is so large that you can trade it for a crap ton of rare materials; even if you choose to liquidate it, you will gain enough money to establish your own little kingdom!" The Alchemist Walker rambled on, his voice getting progressively louder, and soon, he was contemplating potential experiments that could be conducted with this 'apex-quality' Blood Tearstone.

"I know it's rare, but you wanna know the best thing you can do? Create formations using liquified Blood Tearstone!" The Archmage chimed in. "With its size, you can craft an empire-level complex!"

"Nah; from where I stand, we should, at least, liquidate it and place the proceeds into our fund. To bring our plans to fruition, we require a lot of money, and now that we have this… We will not need to worry about money anymore," the Thane Walker suggested.

The reasoning was not flawed. One could sell a Blood Tearstone the size of a nail for a few hundred gold coins in the market. The Blood Tearstone that Baiyi had received back then was large enough to fit in his hand; it could fetch much more than most could imagine.

Now that there was a Blood Tearstone here so large that it required a few men to pick it up, one could only imagine the astronomical amount it would sell for.

"Short-sighted, all of you!!" The Alchemist Walker was visibly irritated. "The only way to treat this babe right is to use it to invent a brand-new alchemical product, which will continuously generate revenue. In time, it will generate much more than the amount you can sell it for now!"

"Alright, alright. Cut it out. We'll have plenty of time to debate back home," Baiyi said in resignation. He couldn't believe that these adults were fighting over something this trivial, forgetting the fact that the battle had left him with a lot of things to deal with!

Processing such a huge Blood Tearstone would not take a day or two, or even a month or two. With the current processing speed of an average alchemical refinery, as well as the time taken for alchemy experiments to synthesize significant products, Baiyi knew it would take, at least, a year to process a Blood Tearstone this large. Simply put, at this moment, it was just not something worth worrying about.

After obtaining the Blood Tearstone from the remains of Molocchus' eyeball, Baiyi trudged towards the Abyss Lord's decapitated corpse. Unfortunately, the gigantic corpse had decomposed into a small hill of ashen grey material. A small wind blowing around the hill carried tons of shrapnel with it.

Baiyi arrived at the small hill of grey material and placed a wind barrier around it, blowing away all the dust. Afterward, he pierced through the hill with his psychic energy, and a few seconds later, he lamented, "I don't think there's anything to be salvaged from this dump."

Theoretically, the best reward he could reap from this heap of garbage was the Law Privilege of the God of Power, which allowed its user to ban the usage of powers. Unfortunately, Baiyi could not sense a whiff of Laws in this scrap heap. As Laws did not possess an actual form, so it stood to reason that the Law he was looking for would have decomposed along with the huge corpse. What a waste!

The Fifth Walker was not interested in probing this hill of grey matter any longer. It was larger than the remnants of Molocchus' large eyeball, so if a person should stick their hand into it, they would probably find materials just as gross as what they would find in a used toilet! Too gross!

At this moment, another gentleman of the Void, who had yet to make any useful contribution, finally said, "There might be a powerful energy core buried here, you know."

"Oh?" Baiyi's curiosity was instantly stirred.

"Although that monster was strong and really disgusting, it was built on the foundation of engineering. I watched the fight between you all and that thing, and at the times that you were able to injure it with your sword, I could see inside the wounds; its internal mechanism looked similar to the wooden magical marionette we are all too familiar with. I was a bit taken aback by their decision to use wood to construct such a magnificent creation, seeing as how only novices use that material," the Engineer Walker explained.

Unlike the other Gentlemen Voidwalkers, the Engineer Walker had not had a chance to showcase his knowledge and expertise, so he had closely monitored the situation, looking for a chance to prove himself. This was why he had been able to see what was hidden within the internal structure of the marionette, however briefly the wounds were open.

"You… are not asking me to dive into this dump to search for junk, as you did back then, are you? Just because it might be a magical marionette?" Baiyi said, a little warily.

In engineering, recycling parts of a marionette was valuable knowledge. Even marionettes that had undergone wear and tear could still offer lots of value, if one knew which parts to single out. If one recycled a marionette correctly, they could reclaim sixty percent of the amount invested into it, while an exceptionally meticulous engineer could reclaim up to eighty percent of the investment! Even a cursory search through the parts would yield, at least, thirty or forty percent of the original value.

The downside to recycling marionettes was the daunting amount of effort required to do so. It required a person to have a firm grip on the theoretical foundation of engineering, a willingness to sacrifice much of their time and energy, and enough mettle to brace for hazards — such as the epiphenomenal explosions of scrap, spontaneous combustions, or poisonous chemical leakage. This job involved a lot of dirt, pain, and exhaustion. The risk it posed to one's health made most engineers refer to it as a job for 'junk haulers', and many of them tend to shun it as soon as their prestige becomes high.

The Engineer Walker was once a nondescript apprentice, whose potential had yet to be uncovered. Even his moniker, 'Top Genius', was nonexistent at the time. Furthermore, he was boring to interact with, and many were turned off by how stiff his personality was. He was soon sent to a recycling unit, to pick up scrap with other engineers that were also being looked down on.

Just like that, he became a junk hauler for fifteen years, diving into piles of garbage and living in abject poverty.

However, this life helped create his indisposable will and unparalleled skill. After the period of suffering, he was salvaged ninety percent of a broken marionette he had been recycling and shot to fame. This was something that had never been done before! Even if a discarded marionette had been reduced to shards, the Engineer Walker would still be able to breath new life into it by utilizing spare parts from other dumps.

At that point, his fame was skyrocketing faster than most could keep track of, and even the moniker he was later given, 'Top Genius', did not seem to do his skill justice. Afterward, he was recruited by an elite squad consisting of the best minds in the business. His prowess was praised again during the battle against Abyss Lord Thaas, for he battled with his personal marionette. He was said to have inflicted heavy damage on the Abyss Lord in that battle. Now, that was a more accurate testament to his prowess.

No one knew how he ended up becoming one of the Void's Gentlemen. It may have been because — due to the nature of his profession, which left him forever alone — he had never once touched the fingers of the opposite sex.

Even though dumpster diving was what had shot the Engineer Walker to prominence, Baiyi was still unwilling to follow in his footsteps. To him, it really was not a good job.

The Engineer Walker could tell that Baiyi was hesitant, so he said, "The structure of a wooden marionette is not too complicated; in fact, it has always been an elementary-level material to work with. The only part of it that is of significance is its energy core. To me, the other parts I saw — like the joints, hinges and such — did not seem to be worth much, so I think you can just blast them clear with magic. Don't worry about damaging the core; it's the sturdiest part of the construction, so it wouldn't be so easily destroyed. I advise you to use your senses to check for energy pulses before doing anything, though. I wouldn't want you to be caught in an explosion."

'Now that's the level of professionalism a Voidwalker should show! What did you guys insist you were good at before? The comedy business?'

"It's chaotic in here. There are traces of Holy Power, Sinister Force, and my Void Energy; it's a mess," Baiyi reported as he sent his psychic energy into the pile.

"You really need to be careful, then," the Engineer Walker replied.

Baiyi had no choice but to follow the Engineer Walker's instruction, slowly chipping away at the junk with weak magic spells. It was quite akin to carefully peeling an apple. This meticulous method of disposal took Baiyi's time, but he tried to convince himself that, maybe, just maybe, he would be able to salvage some sort of Law from this dump.

In the end, he did not get what he wanted. Sifting through the remains had been time-consuming, seeing as he took him an entire evening to reach the part that the Engineer Walker had guessed would contain the energy core. Alas, no Law was found in the heap. Either it had decomposed with the corpse, or its owner, the God of Power, had reclaimed it.

Baiyi had been prepared for this outcome, so he was not too disappointed. He was quite amused, however, because, in the time he was sifting through the pile, a crowd of about a thousand had quietly surrounded him. However, they were keeping their distance.

They had hidden within the craters that had formed during the battle, seemingly afraid to do anything more than wait quietly.

'Why would anyone come forward to me after seeing this state of destruction?' Baiyi thought, perplexed. 'Even the Church should not be able to recruit these many people for an investigation on such short notice, right? I mean, they don't even have enough manpower in this realm.'

Baiyi stopped what he was doing, and the Book of Servitude instantly appeared above his hand. He seemed ready to cast a forbidden spell when he saw a pair of hands shoot into the air. "S-stop! We come in peace!"

A fairy with a longbow slung over his back leaped out a crater closeby. Unlike other fairies, who were known for their beauty, this fairy had a face that resembled a horse's — a level of ugliness only humans should possess. As soon as the fairy emerged from the crater, he hurried over to Baiyi.

Despite his horse-like face, which other fairies would find unappealing, this fairy's aura was formidable. He was at least an Immortal-level fighter, so he could last a little longer than most if he clashed with Baiyi.

"I'm Gru," the male fairy said, as soon as he reached Baiyi.

Baiyi cocked his head as if saying 'So… what?'

Gru had not expected the man to be oblivious to his identity, so he added, "I'm the highest-commanding general of the Fairy Kingdom, here on orders to do damage control ."

"And you dared show up before me?" Baiyi chuckled.

"Because there is no need to fight," Gru replied with a gloomy expression. He explained the ties he had with the Wise Mad King, making sure to explain that he was not a member of Godsfall. He also went on to explain what had happened to him earlier to himself.

Even though the Wise Mad King had ordered Gru to kill the Marionette, he did not interfere in the fight between it and Baiyi because of the devastation caused. Instead, he and his men went on to tear down the hotspots Godsfall cult had within the Kingdom...I'm not sure what game would be so cruel and mafia-like as to demand you to have some money during carving a slain monster to obtain good items, but I think the Archmage meant he was "not having enough money to process the materials into a good new weapon".Perhaps you had read it wrong, or perhaps you had been tempted to read it wrong— either way, it's "Tearstone", not "testosterone".

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390 390. This Is An Unexpected Reward

Gru's decision was a clever one. On his order, the imperial army swept through places in the Capital City where Godsfall Cultists were reported to dwell. He had issued this same other to the guards in other fairy cities, successfully starting a full-blown eradication.

"If everything works according to plan, in a week, these pests should be no more. Of course, rooting out this tumor completely will require more time," Gru said.

Baiyi thought about Gru's revelation for a while before chuckling. "You do realize you're coming off as quite the cruel person, right? I mean, many of these cultists are your allies, aren't they? And, now that they are in a tight spot, you quickly abandon them and even kick them while you're at it."

"I am only for the welfare of my people and my Kingdom. Friends are irrelevant," Gru replied sincerely.

The Godsfall cult's days were numbered, and Hope, the man Gru was talking to, had enough power to annihilate the entire fairy species on a whim. It was painstakingly obvious why Gru was acting quite courteously to Baiyi.

"By the way, some people from the Church submitted applications to cross the border into our Kingdom. I made sure their applications were temporarily delayed," Gru said. Baiyi was surprised. This fairy general had stopped the Church's investigation team from entering the Fairy kingdom; it was an act of goodwill too obvious to be overlooked.

"Interesting," Baiyi replied. "But, one last thing: where did your little Wise Mad King run off to? Tell me where he is and let me finish my business, and then I'll leave your realm quietly."

A look of earnest relief appeared on Gru's face. His greatest desire, at the moment, was not just to make the human monster in front of him leave; it was to make sure he leaves the Fairy Kingdom in peace, saving the poor Fairy kingdom from another round of destruction.

Gru's expression soon turned gloomy. "He's still in his palace."

"Wha-? You're joking, right?" Baiyi could not contain his surprise. He thought the Wise Mad King was someone who would flee the scene if any situation gets too intense for him, whilst secretly planning a comeback. Thinking that the Wise Mad King had fled was why Baiyi had not rushed over to the castle after defeating Molocchus.

He had not expected the Fairy King to remain in his quarters, awaiting his fate!

"Facing failure head-on is a last-ditch effort for a disgraced Fairy King to preserve his dignity," Gru replied in a serious tone of voice.

"Understood. Tell him to stay where he is. I'll visit him as soon as I finish my work here," Baiyi said.

After that, Gru led his men and retreated, leaving Baiyi alone to continue sorting through the garbage.

After a while, Baiyi was close to the area where the Engineer Walker reckoned the energy core to be. At this point, Baiyi became extra careful to avoid accidents.

Soon, he found a strange spherical object entangled by wooden structures within the dump. This was the only part of the monster's body that had retained some wood after the Abyss Lord took over. This hinted at the unique property of this wrapped object.

Baiyi used his mana to carefully pull the sphere out from that spot. The sphere was not very big; it was barely larger than a basketball. It was a surprise that such a small orb had managed to power the enormous Molocchus. Baiyi rapped his knuckles on the wood encasing the sphere, and he heard a 'Ding' sound echo from it.

He placed the sphere on his palm and squeezed, and the wood began to crumble apart, revealing a clear, radiant crystal within. This crystal resembled the cheap knockoffs that shady jewelers back on earth passed off as real crystals. However, the texture of this crystal was different; not only was it soft to Baiyi's touch, but it also felt warm.

When the layer of wood was completely removed, Baiyi realized he was holding a transparent glass orb with multiple refractory angles inside it. It partially resembled the decorative orbs used on crystal lamps back on Earth, albeit much larger and with a better texture. It emitted a radiant white glow, which was the Holy Power remaining in it.

"This… reminds me of those energy crystals, but… they are not exactly the same, either. I have never seen anything like this before," the Alchemist Walker said in bewilderment. As a top expert in the field of alchemy, the Alchemist Walker's knowledge of alchemical materials was superb, yet, this time, he was just as befuddled as Baiyi.

He was not the only one confused. None of the other Voidwalkers could appraise the item. It was definitely something that had never been seen before, hence its prospects for research was priceless!

Unfortunately, the Holy Power within it was little. All they could do to the remaining Holy Power was to analyze it — an exercise that would not bring any monumental benefits.

Suddenly, the Fairy Walker, who had long since been sent back to the Void, exclaimed, "Darling! You were so gallant back there! Aww… And, by the way, may I wear that kinky, skintight suit now?"

'What the f**k are you talking about!?!' Baiyi growled in his mind. When the monster first used the Law of Power to ban the use of powers, the Fairy Walker was booted back into the Void from the old militia armor. The only thing she could do after that was to watch the fight — and drool over Baiyi's brilliant display.

'Now that the is fight was over, is this all she can say?!'

At that moment, Lady Assassin Walker began poking Baiyi quietly with her consciousness and whispered, "Psst, doofus! Doofus! I wanna try that kinky suit out, too…"

Before he could respond, the Warrior Walker began poking him vigorously. When he turned his attention to her, she said nothing; she just huffed: "Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!". This made Baiyi wonder if she had completely transformed into a Huffing Piggy.

'What's with you girls? Why want that suit so suddenly? Besides, we all know it has an actual name, you know. It's called Divine Burial, remember? Stop calling it "kinky skintight suit"!' Baiyi snarked quietly in his mind.

After musing a bit longer, he understood their intentions.

One of the properties of Divine Burial was its ability to change its appearance. As it had run out of Holy Power before Baiyi had obtained it, he had forgotten all about it.

'These girls remembered the suit this suddenly because they want to use it to assume their original appearance, don't they? But, are your appearances really that important? I mean, I already knew how radiant, adorable, and kingdom-toppling you all were. Should we really be wasting our new supply of Holy Power on this? I think you guys look good enough in that militia armor set'

The three did not let it go, though. They cornered the Fifth Walker whilst arguing amongst themselves, and this made Baiyi feel a migraine coming.

It was at this point that the Archmage gave Baiyi a piece of advice. "Holy Power actually doesn't mean much to us, you see. If you're talking about leaving it here for analysis, well, remember that we have analyzed Holy Power enough with the little that remained in the Divine Leather suit. Just let these girls have their way."

It seemed reasonable. However, there was a problem: who would get to wear the suit?

He did not have to worry about that for too long because, minutes later, the Fairy Walker beamed up at him. She had defeated the two huffing piggies, the Warrior Walker and the Assassin Walker, in an area she excelled at: quarreling. "Darling, it is done~! They surrendered."

'You gotta stop picking on their naivety, you know. By the way, I'm not even sure if our Psuedo-Descent secret spell will work on an actual Divine Regalia like that leather suit.' Baiyi thought helplessly.

He took the semi-transparent, skin-tight leather suit out from his storage pouch and placed the crystal orb on it. The leather suit reacted instantly, absorbing the Holy Power in the orb like a sponge dipped in water. Soon, the leather suit became more crystalline and emitted a white glow.

Using his mana, Baiyi began to draw the formation for the Pseudo-Descent secret spell on the leather suit, and when he was done, he activated it and transferred the Fairy Walker's consciousness into the suit.

A few moments later, the leather suit rose up from the ground all on its own. Its movements were mechanical, as though it was still learning to move properly, probably because the spell had been cast too hastily.

Suddenly, the suit began to change.

The transparent fabric began to turn opaque, and soon, its color became skin-like — a fair, gentle skin tone known to beauties. Baiyi watched the leather suit begin to bend, forming curves. The collar of the suit expanded upward and began to form a head. Moments later, the transformation ended with a tuft of disheveled silver-white hair emerging from atop the head, and voila, the Fairy Walker stood before Baiyi.

She was just as beautiful as in the memory she had shared with Baiyi. Her beauty could not be described by the best wordsmiths. There were no flaws on her face or any part of her body. Anyone who looked at her would have nothing to complain about.

However, Baiyi had a complaint. 'Where are your clothes?'

As soon as he noticed that she was naked, he disabled his shared vision, leaving the other Voidwalkers, who had begun to boo and protest, in darkness. Baiyi did not want a certain color to hover above his head.

From his storage pouch, he quickly pulled out the black cloak made by his two daughters and placed it on the Fairy Walker's body. "Why didn't you produce a dress for yourself during the t—transformation..."

He faltered. His words got stuck in his throat because his attention had been completely taken by the Fairy Walker.

Although the Fairy Walker's voluptuous body was obscured by the black cloak, parts of her snow-white skin was still visible through little gaps in the cloak, making her look even more suggestive. Her perfect calves, which had slipped out of the cloak, were really alluring, more than enough to make any man's imagination run wild. When Baiyi remembered that she was wearing nothing underneath the cloak, his indomitable will was shaken quite a bit.

'This woman… is just so breathtaking.' Suddenly, Baiyi found himself happy that he allowed the leather suit to absorb the remaining Holy Power in the crystal orb.

The Fairy Walker was quite obviously pleased with Baiyi's reaction. She raised her face — which was so beautiful, there could only be only one of it in existence — and grinned playfully. "What do you think? I just want my darling to see who I truly am."

She lowered her head and sniffed Baiyi's cloak and exclaimed, "Ah! Why can't I smell anything?"

"Because the spell was cast hastily and without any prior preparation, so, of course, some senses were not implemented. Besides, unlike the militia armor, we don't have an empty spirit vessel in this suit, so technically, it's miraculous that the Pseudo-Descent Spell even worked. Also, we have to remember to retrieve that armor; the empty spirit vessel in it is just too priceless to be cast awa—"

Baiyi was stopped midsentence by the ever-radiant Fairy Walker, who had risen to her dainty toes and planted a tender kiss on his mask.

"What are you even doing…" Baiyi sighed helplessly.

The Fairy Walker pressed the cloak closer to her lower region, to avoid baring her most precious place, while her free hand stroked her own lips. A veiled expression of sorrow appeared on her face — the type that was capable of conquering the heart of any man. "...Yet, I felt no sensation… How regrettable."

"Alright, alright. We still have much to do; now's not the time to worry about this. Quickly produce an outfit or whatever, right now, please. I had to shut down the shared vision, and now, the Void is filled with some very angry Voidwakers!" Baiyi hastily reminded her.

"Hee hee hee~! My dearest wanted it to be private, huh..." the Fairy Walker grinned slyly, and then, she suddenly spread her cloak wide open. Baiyi was flabbergasted, but he quickly turned his head away, only to hear soft chuckles behind him.

She had put on a modest white dress — something worn by most female fairies. However, this was the very same outfit she had always worn back then, which Baiyi had seen in her memories.

She did not produce shoes, though, opting to go barefoot. However, although she was barefoot, her snow-white feet were not dirtied; this was because her current form was created by the Divine Leather Suit. Her feet were sparkling clean, making her seem like a goddess that had just descended from heaven.

Suddenly, a strange thought crossed Baiyi's mind. 'If the gigantic Blood Tearstone is the first reward, and this crystalline orb is the second, then is the Fairy Walker the third reward…?'

He was about to say more when the heard cries from Mia and the other girls. He turned around and saw his students and the displaced fairies of Eom Village rushing towards him and the Fairy Walker.

Baiyi had not returned after the battle ended; this had gotten them worried. As Attie knew were Baiyi was, she led the students and the displaced fairies of Eom Village to Baiyi.

When the Fairy Walker saw the approaching crowd, she inched close to Baiyi and wrapped her arms around his elbow. With a smile on her face, she was ready to tell anyone who asked for her identity that she was Baiyi's main Waifu.

When the students arrived at gigantic Blood Tearstone, where Baiyi was standing, Mia threw herself into Baiyi's embrace, without a care for her surrounding, and nudged his lap with her head. She was just about to say something when her gaze met the Fairy Walker, who was standing by his side.

"S-so… Pretty…" Mia was stupefied. She was not sure how a woman this beautiful could exist.

Even Vidomina was stunned. "I can't believe it. There's a woman even more beautiful than Mom…"

Baiyi's granddaughter, Nydore, studied the Fairy Walker carefully. When she noticed the silver-white hair on the Fairy's head, which she also had, she murmured, "Grandma?"

The Fairy Walker said nothing. She had no need to; all she had to say was conveyed with a slight quiver of her ruby-like lips.Boooooo! That's right; I'm booing too! This is like my old computer crashing blue screen while I was just about to see the climax!… of an epic fight. ...What?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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391 391. An Emperor’s End

Baiyi already felt like his head was going to explode, and now, the Fairy Walker had gone out of her way to do something like this! Just thinking about how sticky the situation was becoming made his head spin.

Fortunately, the Fairy Walker was quick to play her preferred role as his 'understanding wife'. She nudged his chest gently and cooed, "Darling, I know you're busy. Don't worry about things here. You can rely on me."

'Ummmmm, I'm not saying you're the most reliable person here, but it does not seem like I have a choice.' Baiyi nodded. He gently pulled Mia from his lap and gave a few orders before soaring into the air, then he zoomed in the direction of the Capital City of the Fairy Kingdom.

That ugly fairy from before, whose name he had already forgotten, had informed him that the Wise Mad King was still in his palace, awaiting his fate, and the ugly fairy did not seem like the lying type. The Wise Mad King had turned sullen when Baiyi ruined his latest plan. However, for someone as cunning as the Wise Mad King, the longer he spent waiting for his demise, the higher the chance that he may reacquire hope and choose to escape, with the intent of furthering his ambitions at a later date.

No. The Wise Mad King had to be stopped, as soon as possible.

The palace was very far from where the great battle had taken place, so despite flying at full speed, Baiyi arrived at his destination when the sun was about to set. As Baiyi flew, he saw the damage that had befallen the once-tranquil land, and this made him feel guilty, even though most of the damage was done by the enemy.

The great battle had not only affected the traditionalist fairies living in the Eternal Tree Ocean. The secularist fairies had also felt the impact of the battle. After Godsfall chased away the wild beasts living in the Eternal Tree Ocean, stampedes erupted within different fairy cities as the animals rushed to take shelter there. The great battle had filled the fairies living in the cities with fear and anxiety. These fairies had been just as afraid as those who witnessed the great battle.

As Baiyi flew towards the capital, he passed by many cities that had sustained a lot of damage. The loss the Fairy Kingdom suffered this time was beyond monetary evaluation.

Even the capital was in a dire state! Its streets were filled with panicked commoners. There were a lot of soldiers parading the streets, too. However, they were not there to protect the people and curb panic; instead, following General Gru's order, they broke into every house they could find, looking for Godsfall cultists. It was a brutal scourge — one that was bound to leave even more scars on the unfortunate kingdom.

It was inevitable, seeing as the Kingdom feared Baiyi's wrath more than the scars it was inflicting on its people. However, there was no better time than the present to weed out Godsfall cult. Hence, the fairies' suffering could only be considered a short-termed one, which could be resolved in the future.

Now, Baiyi had borne witness to the fall of yet another dynasty. Nevertheless, he kept his cool, flying to the palace as fast as he could. At the front door of the palace, a man wearing a black robe waited in anticipation.

"Mr. Hope, yes? Please, follow me. His Majesty has been waiting for you," said the man respectfully and in a dignified manner.

Baiyi studied the man for a bit before saying, "They let you off the hook?"

"They respect me as the Principal Advisor of the Kingdom," the man replied calmly. His look suggested that he understood his fate.

The palace was in much better order than the streets, but the faces of its maidservants still belied the amount of shock and sorrow they felt. They watched the ugly armor set, who was being led by the Royal Principal Advisor, with complex gazes. Some looked curious, while some looked hopeful.

Alas, Baiyi was not here as their savior, but as an assassin, who had come to commit regicide. Hence, Baiyi being respectfully led into the palace, despite knowledge of his intent to kill, was a strange sight.

A short while later, Baiyi was led to the Wise Mad King's secret study. There, he found the king, who had been anticipating his arrival. The Wise Mad King was someone who had aspired to surpass his predecessors; not only had he wished to become the greatest ruler the Kingdom had ever had, but he had also wished to claim the title of 'Emperor'. He stood in front of a large oblong mirror, and his expression was not one of defeat. He had on an expression of arrogance, uncharacteristic of someone who had just failed miserably. It was as though the mirror had absorbed the negative emotions in his heart.

The Mad King slowly turned towards the Fifth Walker and said, "And so it goes… We finally meet each other… under these circumstances."

Baiyi did not reply. Instead, he scanned the room with his psychic energy. The man in front of him was the Wise Mad King, not the strange murder of crows the cult had been so fond of. Just as Gru had said, the Wise Mad King had remained in his study, waiting for Baiyi.

The Royal Principal Advisor walked passed Baiyi and knelt before the Wise Mad King. "Your Majesty, this concludes my service. My mission is over."

Saying so, the Royal Principal Advisor produced a sharp dagger and plunged it into his own chest.

Before the Royal Principal Advisor quietly hit the floor, he had died. Blood spurted out the injury and spread across the rug. Baiyi took two steps to the side and sighed. "I never expected someone like you to command such a loyal subject."

"I value his loyalty immensely," the Mad King said. It was quite rare for him to praise others. "So, shall we have a chat? I've always been curious about you. For a while, I have dreamed of having a conversation with you, but I never expected the chance to come true."

"You — a supreme force from the Void! You people do exist, and here I was thinking that you lot were the product of the imagination of writers and poets. I never expected to make an enemy out of someone like you," said the Wise Mad King. "I cannot help but wonder why you would work for a world that does not welcome you, for people who call you and your kind unforgivable sinners, for the Church who has never once seen you and your kind as anything but diabolical heretics? Why would you even see us as enemies?"

"Well, how about because you guys started it," Baiyi replied, a little amused. 'Don't tell me that this fella has forgotten how this all began!'

If the Godsfall Cult did not do anything to Little Mia's hometown back then, would they have had a feud with Baiyi?

The Wise Mad King was stunned. He had always imagined that Baiyi would answer this question with a virtue-extolling, philosophical speech, which was expected of hypocrites who delighted in grandstanding. He never expected Baiyi's answer to be this simple.

The king threw his head back and laughed hard, causing his face to spasm.

When he finally stopped laughing and wiped tears from his eyes, he said, "Oh, of course. The plan failed because of a trivial reason."

"Your plan has ruined your people and your kingdom. Was it really worth it?" Baiyi asked.

"Had it actually worked, I don't see why not!" The Mad King spread his arms wide. "Only with the Law-filled Marionette can the eminence of the fairies be restored!"

With that, he launched into an unreserved exposé of his own plan. He had used every ounce of the Kingdom's resources to push his plan forward; this was out of frustration at the slump the Kingdom had fallen into. Although outsiders considered the Fairy Kingdom mighty, in truth, it had fallen into a slump, in terms of territorial expansion, population, production, and even influence.

All these prevented the Wise Mad King from surpassing his predecessors. All he could do was expand the Fairy Kingdom a bit more, but that was not enough to make him better than the previous kings.

To him, the only way to surpass them was to do something that had never been done before, such as conquering the twin realms. It was at that moment that the Wise Mad King realized something important: the reason why the fairies had hit their limit so soon was because they were, by nature, weak.

The fairies had tried to practice the magic and combat chi — arts tailored strictly for humans — and performed woefully. This was because the human cultivation system was not compatible with the fairies. It only stood to reason that it would be difficult to perfectly use the system of species quite different from one's own.

If Godsfall had not employed sinister magic, the Fairy Kingdom would not have had any Demigod-level beings. Most fairies could not even reach the Holy-level. Too many low-ranked soldiers of the kingdom were horrible at controlling combat chi, unlike humans. With these many concerns, how would the fairies manage to fight against elite armies, like an army of sorcerers?

That was the reason why the Wise Mad King agreed to the cult's mission. The Law-filled Marionette would render enemies incapable of using power, but this would not apply to his men. With this, he would not have to worry about power gaps between his fairy army and other elite armies.

To achieve this goal, he had willingly worked with the demons.

Everyone knew how that turned out. The demons betrayed him, and Baiyi arrived to put a stop to the plan. The Wise Mad King had lost everything.

Baiyi patiently listened to the fairy's tale, without interrupting him. When the king finished, Baiyi said, "Do you think it's fun to rule the world?"

"Everyone has their convictions, and this was mine. It continually motivated me and allowed me to strive. I'm not surprised that you don't understand it, just as I don't understand why someone with as much power as you would choose to observe from the side," the Mad King replied, a gloomy expression on his face.

"Simple. We want a world that is peaceful, and calm — just as it has always been — not a post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged and burned," Baiyi solemnly replied.

"Heh heh. The Church is a house of lying snakes, aren't they? They banished people like you into the Void, and for all this time, they have cajoled the world to point fingers at you, yet you people still want to be good to them. I think I'm talking to a saint, am I not?" The Mad King scornfully said. "As you said "we", not "I", I guess the Void has many more formidable fighters within. Are you sure they share your beliefs?"

Baiyi shook his head. "When you have lived long enough, many things that you once found desirable may become less deserving of your pursuit, just as many facts of life you once eluded may become clearer. We don't want to be saints; we just want to be regular people. Furthermore, you don't have to worry about us. Those who do not share the same beliefs we do… would not have joined us."

It sounded as though Baiyi had given the others a choice, but the truth was far from that. Those who did not agree with his views would be exposed in the corrosive and chaotic environment of the Void situated beyond his area of protection. No one was able to survive there for long.

If an innumerable number of people had been banished to the Void for millennia, for what other reason would there be only thirty-three Voidwalkers right now?

"Alright, I think that is all. Are you gonna tell me more of the cult's juicy secrets? 'Cause if you're not, then we can just stop right here," Baiyi said, and black flames appeared above his palm.

The flames looked very similar to the fire the cult had used. However, a physical resemblance was the only similarity both flames had with each other. The cult had used magic to make its flames, while Baiyi had used Void Energy to make his. The two had their differences.

It seemed quite fitting for the Wise Mad King to meet his end at the hands of a flame that resembled the flames Godsfall had used to dispose of its pawns.

"The demons betrayed the organization, and the Director of the cult — the God of Nature — has been heavily injured and banished. Now, Godsfall is seen by all and sundry as a heretical organization. What more is there to say to you? Just get on with it!" The Mad King replied. He did not flinch, staring at Baiyi nonchalantly, as though he was unconcerned with death.

"Is that so? I'm fine with it. But, I still want to know why a real god, like the Nature God, willingly lowered himself to join hands with mortals like you?"

"Who knows? It's been like this since I joined." The Mad King shrugged, failing to give a direct answer.

Black flames erupted and engulfed the Wise Mad King, and moments later, all that was left of him was a pile of ashes.

The Fairy King — who had sworn to usher in a new era for his Kingdom, only to bring endless calamity — had died. It had been so abrupt, many did not know it had happened.

The only one to witness it was Baiyi, who quickly retracted his Void Energy. He cocked his head and sighed. "We killed a powerful enemy today, but the price we paid was heavy. The enemies of tomorrow… will be far more difficult to resolve."

What Baiyi meant was obvious. He had expended so much Void Energy today, and most had seen it, including the War God. If the War God had noticed, what more could be said about other gods?

"Must we, who give everything we have for the wellbeing of the public, be the enemy of the world?" Baiyi asked helplessly in the Void.

"There's no need to worry; we'll just wait and see. Just as someone on Earth once said, "'The truth will always be the truth, even if there exists a lack of understanding, disbelief, and ignorance.' People will soon make the correct judgment," the Archmage replied.

As Baiyi flew back to his students, he was lost in thought.

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392 392. Impunity

The Archmage's words were wise ones, but Baiyi knew that his troubles were far from over. After he left the palace and met with his students, Mia ran up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and looked into his eyes.

The little girl was in anguish, which was apparent from the tears brimming in her eyes. She seemed pained as she pursed her small lips and said, "After Big Sister Mar-Mar suddenly became so beautiful, she said that her and Mr. Hope had escaped from a place that was very cold, dark and terrifying. She said that the place was like hell. Also, she said that you all just want to live happily ever after and that she is your wife."

It sounded like a non-sequitur, but, at the same time, one could not help but wonder if Mia's last sentence was what she really wanted Biayi to shed some light on.

"Uh-hem! It's, uh, quite the complicated subject, more so than you think. Um, we should head back first, then we can discuss this." Baiyi turned his head, too embarrassed to look Mia in the eye. "Oh, right! What do the fairies plan to do?"

"We're just as unsure as you are," replied Mr. Bear, who had emerged suddenly. The bear's sudden appearance attracted Mia's attention, reducing the tension in the air. "We have lost our home, and we have lost the Eternal Tree Ocean. We have nowhere to return to."

"Um, well, I have a suggestion. If you don't mind, there's a place I think could serve as your temporary residence," Baiyi said, and then he briefly talked about the micro realm he planned to build his school in.

The realm was, at least, the size of a city — a bit huge for an academy. In the realm, nature was preserved. It had large mountains, clear streams, and lush woods. It should be good enough to serve as a temporary haven for the displaced fairies.

The displaced fairies were hesitant. They wanted to convene and deliberate on the topic for a while longer, but Baiyi's cheap wife stood up suddenly. She was much more influential in Eom Village than Baiyi had imagined. After the Fairy Walker announced her approval, the current Zephyr— Nydore, the Fairy Walker's grandniece — did not dare disagree. The Elder Chief, who had not outgrown his position as the Fairy Walker's little loyal subject, quickly nodded in agreement. In the end, even Mr. Bear had approved.

As the three leaders had accepted Baiyi's proposal, most of the villagers hesitated no longer. Only a handful of displaced fairies decided to remain in the realm and moved in with their secularist fairy relatives.

Now that the issue was settled, the group that had decided to leave quickly prepared to depart. They were in a hurry to leave this land, which had been robbed of its life and peace.

Baiyi led the fairies to the border of the Fairy Kingdom so that they could return to Isythre. The group consisted of 600 fairies and the guardian unicorn couple, who had come along with their team of little ponies. As the group was large, their travel time was long. If it were Baiyi and his students alone, they could have taken a horse carriage, which would take a day to reach their destination. However, because the group was large, they had to travel on foot, and this extended their travel time to five days

Fortunately, Gru, the fairy whose name Baiyi had yet to remember, proved to be quite useful. The moment he learned that Baiyi's large group planned to migrate, he provided them with tons of tents and supplies. Thanks to him, despite traveling slowly, the group did not suffer any hardship. However, there were still gloomy because of what they had experienced in the past few days.

On the way, Baiyi finally revealed his true identity to his students and explained to them who Voidwalkers were. He also told them that tribulations awaited him because of the exposure of his identity, and then he gave them two options: they could choose to remain with him or part ways here. To his surprise, however, every one of his students chose to stay with him.

Contrary to the consensus of the public, the students chose to see Baiyi for the things he had done for them and taught them. Some of them even voiced the sympathy they felt towards the plight suffered by the Voidwalkers.

"Being locked in that place must have been nothing but strife for you, right, sir?" Tisdale murmured, with an expression of sorrow on her face.

"Sniff, sniff!" Mia's eyes were already filled with tears. "Poor Mr. Hope! I'll give you a lot of hugs and nudges, and you can even play with my hair and braid it!" She said, rushing back into Baiyi's embrace, as though she was some sort of plushie.

"I admire you the most, mentor, for the fact that you remained virtuous despite the cruel environment you were trapped in," Nota sincerely said, looking at Baiyi with awe-filled eyes.

Attie, the Kitty-cat Maid, and Vidomina also expressed their sorrow for Baiyi's plight and their support for his dream.

Perhaps, it was just as the Archmage had said: the truth will always be the truth — even if there exists a lack of understanding, disbelief, and ignorance — and people will ultimately make the right judgment. The unwavering support shown by Baiyi's students filled Baiyi with confidence, which was exactly what he needed to continue pursuing his plans!

The village maiden, Laeticia, was the only one who did express unwavering support. She was filled with consternation. When Laeticia was finally alone with Baiyi, she asked, "Mr. Hope? Is… Lord Joel with you?"

The question was simple, but the answer it demanded was not easy to give. Baiyi knew that Laeticia's faith in her religion was still resolute, and this was the reason why he could not bring himself to tell her the truth. Yes, the only destination for those who wished to tread the path of Ascension was the Void.

The more faith a follower had, the more painful the truth would be to them. Baiyi had also seen this happen to the Cleric Walker, who, on his arrival to the Void, had abandoned piety to become one of the Gentlemen of the Void. What Baiyi feared right now was that Laeticia would succumb to insanity the moment she discovered the truth.

The Cleric Walker, who had just been released from a period of forced-quiet, suddenly said, "I'll answer her."

A while later, Laeticia could be seen on one knee, with the fluffy hammerhead shark plushie hovering above her, imparting some of its wisdom and experience onto her. Baiyi gave the two some space and forbade others from eavesdropping on them.

When the private discussion came to an end, Laeticia looked more relaxed; she may have accepted some of the Cleric Walker's words, but some reservation seemed to linger in her.

When the Cleric Walker returned to the Void, Baiyi called Laeticia over and said, "So, what did he say?"

Laeticia looked up at him and replied, "Lord Joel told me to go with the flow of nature and never lose sight of my heart. Also, he said I should wear more black silky stockings that go over my knees."

"N-no! I can expla—mmff!" The Cleric Walker, who had just regained his freedom, was once again muted.

"Mm, very good. Listen to his words, except for the last part," Baiyi said.

Technically, that was all Baiyi could suggest. He had never been good at comforting girls, neither did he possess any religious or spiritual insights. In the end, he could only leave matters of faith to the experts.

Laeticia pondered for a while before replying, "Understood. No stockings above my knee because I should be wearing pantyhose, instead, right? But, it's gonna be a bit hot when summer arrives."

"I said ignore the last part — as in you can ignore the entire last line, not just the last few words!!!"

The large group reached the border at this point. Under the wary eyes of unaffiliated bystanders, they walked past the customs, through a lane specially prepared by General Gru, and left the Fairy Kingdom — the place where they had shed countless tears in the past few days.

To prevent the fairies from being noticed, Baiyi had them all wear cloaks, with hoods over their heads, ensuring that most of their features were obscured. This did not go down as smoothly as they had hoped. They attracted attention wherever they went. This was not helped by the fact that a boulder the size of a small hill, which had been suspended by magic, hovered above them, moving in the same direction they did.

That huge boulder was the Blood Tearstone that Baiyi had found. It was too big to fit into a common storage pouch.

The group continued to draw a lot of attention even after exiting the Teleportation Portal. One of the many stares they were receiving was filled with malice and hostility, and it came from a Chief Judge of one of the Church's inquisition branches.

This man and his men had been waiting for Baiyi by the gate of the portal for a while now. When he saw Baiyi emerge from the portal, he wasted no time approaching him.

The Fifth Walker calmly instructed the fairies and Tisdale to go on, while he staid back to receive the group walking towards him. The gigantic Blood Tearstone was still hovering above Baiyi. For some reason — either because Baiyi was intimidating, or because they were afraid of being squashed by the gigantic boulder — the Church's men stopped a short distance away from Baiyi.

It was at this time that Baiyi realized the crowd wore the robes different from what he had seen before. With a hint of interest, he asked, "Is this your territory?"

"Oh, no. We were actually on our way back to the Holy City, but here we are, meeting purely out of coincidence." the Chief Judge, who hailed from the realm of Mars, grinned mirthlessly.

"Oh? Ah, well, I shouldn't interrupt your busy schedule then. Good day!" Baiyi replied casually and turned to leave.

"Hold on," the Chief Judge suddenly said with a booming voice. "Sir Hope, if you may, could you divulge on any information regarding the incident in the twin-realms of Marle and Mars?"

Gru's machinations had seen them blocked at the border, preventing them from watching the great battle with their own eyes. Baiyi himself had not bothered to obscure the battle using a spell. As soon as the Abyss Lord had used the Law of Power to reinstate the use of powers, many had used surveillance spells to spy on the battle. Naturally, someone as resourceful as a Chief Judge of one of the Church's Inquisition branches would have found ways to obtain every intel necessary.

"Oh? That massive battle back there? Phooh! It was so intense, man. I was almost caught in the middle of it, you know, but luckily, I was hiding somewhere far away. It seemed the battle was fought by two really powerful beings, right?" Baiyi said, acting oblivious.

"Yes, very powerful beings. Perhaps, 'powerful' is insufficient to characterize them. A more accurate way of describing the battle would be to call it a clash of the two different but frightening powers known to man," the Chief Judge said, humoring Baiyi's feigned ignorance. "One party was the foulest of all demons, an Abyss Lord, while the other was an unknown being, who commanded the forbidden power. So, Sir Hope, you wouldn't happen to know who that was, would you?"

"Nope, sorry! I was standing so far away from, you know, protecting my students and all. What a pity I could not witness the duel of the century!" Baiyi lied

Sick of Baiyi's continued deception, the Chief Judge's smile was instantly replaced by an expression of rage, and he hissed, "Playing the fool isn't getting you anywhere, sir Hope. If you just admit to your crimes and accept your sentence, your students would, at least, be left out of this. I consider this offer a very compassionate one."

"No wonder you were sent to Mars, which is incredibly far away from the Holy City. Your intellect is just too lacking," Baiyi retorted. "So, you want the truth? Okay, come here; I'll tell you!"

Baiyi gestured with his hand, beckoning the Chief Judge over. When the latter had come close enough, Baiyi lowered his mouth to the Chief Judge's ear and whispered, "You're right. In fact, not only am I able to easily use that forbidden power, but I also come from the place you and your kind have, for millennia, considered a prison — the Void. Yes, I'm one of those who you people consider the foulest of the foul and the cruelest of the cruel. Oh, by the way, do you remember your favorite Apostle, Joel, and the famous paladin, Hantai? Those two were imprisoned with me in the Void. Hmm, I think it's time you people consider changing the murals on the dome of your cathedral, yes?"

The Chief Judge's expression instantly changed to fright. He knew what Baiyi's words had entailed; after all, he, the Chief Judge, was not oblivious at all.

Baiyi was pleased with the man's reaction. He patted the Chief Judge's cheeks in a friendly manner and said, "Hurry! You should quickly get out here and tell everyone of my crimes, in the name of justice!"

With that, he left the area, his gigantic boulder following behind him. The leader of the inquisitor branch, who had he left behind, stood still in absolute shock.

After Baiyi left, one of the Judicial Paladins hurried towards the Chief Judge and worriedly asked, "My Lord, is anything amiss?"

Jolted from his reverie, the Chief Judge shook his head sideways. "No, nothing. We just had a misunderstanding. Looks like our information broker's intel was wrong. It's alright, though; you are all dismissed. I alone will proceed."

Then, without further ado, he walked towards the teleportation portal, heading back to the Holy City.

When the Chief Judge entered the portal's formation, he let out a bitter smile. "I have stumbled upon the truth, but who would have thought it would be so grotesque…"

He did not think Baiyi had lied to him. However, he could do nothing with what he had just learned. If the Church were to banish this heretic back to the Void, it may cost the Church a terrible price — itself.

Baiyi had acted as though he had impunity because he knew that the Church would not dare to do anything. He was, first and foremost, the great hero the Church had been promoting by themselves — a hero who had publicly enjoyed a close relationship with them. Just recently, he had saved a ton of priests and clerics from the chaos that destroyed a secret dimension, which had played host to a great treasure rumored to be the Book of Servitude. The priests and clerics he had saved began to support him as though he was the leader of their religion. Furthermore, the Church would not want to admit to what had happened to their most eminent paladin and apostle. The people would be unable to bear the truth.

After all, if the fruit of Ascension they had preached was revealed to be an empty premise, one could only imagine the sort of mental turmoil would it cause to the Church's ardent believers.

As long as Baiyi did not overstep his boundaries, or breach a universal code of decency, or, most importantly, challenge the Church's bottom line, the Church would not dare make a move against him.

Furthermore, Baiyi had a god behind him now, even though the fella was scatterbrained and not straight forward about their relationship. However, Attie the Kitty-cat Maid, whose identity as the War God's messenger had been reinstated, was now closer to him than ever, and this was enough for one to deduce the War God's perception towards Baiyi.

Baiyi decided to heed his Master's words and free himself from worry. All he would do was watch how went.

As he made his way back to Arfin City, he remembered Aya and Mordred. He did not bring those two along on this trip. Instead, he had sent them back to Aya's family. Before he had left for the twin realms, he had promised them souvenirs, as compensation for the adventure they might miss out on. However, because he had ended up having more adventure than he had bargained for, Baiyi forgot the promise he had made.

After thinking for a while, he went to the southern part of the city to buy some tarts and confectionaries. After that, he finally went home.

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393 393. Post-even

Baiyi attracted attention on his way home, primarily because of the two bags of confectionaries in his hands and the big black boulder hovering above him, which followed him wherever he went.

When Baiyi returned to the Aegis mansion, the fairies he sent ahead of him had already gone; they probably had already used his private teleportation portal to go to the micro realm. When Baiyi began to construct his academy, he had a cul-de-sac set up as a temporary construction site, where he stockpiled some of the construction materials needed, for easy transportation. Hence, his private teleportation portal, which was connected to that micro realm, was set there as well.

When Baiyi entered the gates of the Aegis mansion, he was not welcomed by his students; it was a panting Jawflower that rushed to meet him. Baiyi smiled, ruffled it and said, "You were being good and not biting anyone while I was gone, right?"

However, he was not expecting the Jawflower, who could not understand speech, to give him a reply. Afterward, he placed the gigantic boulder in the yard and went in the mansion's front door.

In shock, he tossed the bags of confectionaries the moment he entered the mansion.

Female clothing was scattered all over the ground, including underwear. Baiyi briefly panicked, thinking that the girls may have been assaulted, but when chuckles rang out from the bathroom a moment later, that thought was discarded. It seemed the girls had been really eager for a bath.

Baiyi carefully looked at the clothing scattered all over the floor. 'Hmm. These belong to Mia, Nota, and Attie. Tisdale's clothes aren't here.' It seemed the eldest daughter still had tons of errands to run, so she had yet to return home to relax.

The Astrologer Walker suddenly murmured, "How are you able to tell their clothes apart? I mean, the clothes are scattered, and they are similar outdoor parkas."

The Bard Walker decided to offer his expertise. "Fool! They may wear the same parkas on the outside, but on the inside, these girls have different tastes. Mia and Nota both like lingerie that has little animals printed on them, while Tisdale and Vidomina are both fond of the more mature underwear, such as—mmmff!"

His explanation was cut short by Baiyi, who had just forcefully muted him.

To be fair, while on the road, the girls had not been able to take a bath. Baiyi figured that, as the girls had been through so much, he could give them some leeway, even for this folly.

He quietly picked up their clothes, and with a wave of his hand, he cast a water spell, which instantly enveloped the clothes.

Baiyi proceeded to the living room, with a big ball of water, which contained the girls' clothes, hovering behind him. He was suprised to see the little dragon lady, Aya, wearing a maid uniform, which was at least one size too small for her. Her breasts were squeezed so tightly that the buttons seemed ready to pop. It seemed she had borrowed Attie's maid uniform.

Aya had even gone on to wear a white car-ear hair band. Her maid skirt was very short, and her stockings were over her knees. Her snow-white skin glistened below her short skit.

As though it was not bad enough that she had worn this, when Baiyi came in, she was scrubbing the floor, and she was on her knees, with her behind facing the Soul Armature. The skirt was barely enough to cover her behind already, and now, her posture left her black, lace tanga panties bare for Baiyi to see. He quickly turned away, though.

"Eh-hem! What the hell are you up to?" Baiyi spoke.

"Gahh!" Aya jumped to her feet. "Oh, you're back." She raised her hands to her chest and walked up to Baiyi before sticking out her tongue playfully. "The outfit was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess it doesn't quite fit..."

'Can we, even if just once, plan surprises that are actually normal?' Baiyi sighed. He handed Aya the bags of confectionaries and said, "We encountered something outside our expectation, so we could not bring any souvenirs for the two of you. My sincere apologies."

This was something a lady would have taken offense at, but Aya paid it no mind. She was even surprised she got bags of confectionaries. "Oh yes! I heard from the kids. A very difficult battle, wasn't it? Honestly, I'm just glad that you remembered me despite the chaos."

As she spoke, she inched closer to Baiyi, as though her legs were not under her control. A few more steps was all she needed to arrive so close that she would be leaning on him.

Baiyi could already perceive Aya's body fragrance and he was not sure if he should push her away or pull her into a hug.

Suddenly, three different snorts rang out within the Void like peals of thunder —"Hmph!" Baiyi hurriedly made the smartest choice available to him: he took a step backward — a subtle reply to her advances.

A look of sadness appeared on Aya's face, which made her seem like a sex-worker who had just been ignored. This made her seem even pitiful.

As for the reason why three snorts had rang out for the Void, it was because the Fairy Walker did not return to Isythre to Baiyi. At the gate of the teleportation portal in the twin realms, the Fairy Walker had made her intentions to return to the Void clear.

"This is it for me," the Fairy Walker said and got on her tiptoes to give Baiyi a light kiss on his mask. "I don't intend to grace another realm with my bad luck, so I'll just stay where I belong. For the time we got to spend together, I'm very happy and fulfilled."

She had spoken as though she was on her deathbed; her voice had sounded heartbreaking.

However, moments after the Fairy Walker returned to the Void, Lady Assassin Walker's voice rang out. "Ow ow ow! Stop jabbing me! Haven't we let you have your time? Why do you still bully me? What else do you know how to do except bully me?"

'The question is… why is this the only way you can think to defend yourself from that bully? Just bite her! Jab her too! How's acting moe going to help?' Baiyi thought, unamused. 'The woman had uttered a dramatic, tear-inducing farewell line, yet it turns out that you could not wait to bully those two losers back there, could you?"

The Fairy Walker was now regretting her hasty return to the Void, for Baiyi was in the presence of another enemy of hers, who she had totally forgotten about! [1]

It was fortunate and smart of Baiyi to distance himself.

With the excuse that he needed to check on the fairies, Baiyi transferred the laundry to Aya before running out of the mansion as though he was avoiding something. He rushed to the cul-de-sac to check how the fairies' migration was coming along.

At this point, the fairies, except for Nydore and Mr. Bear, had already gone to the micro realm. When Nydore saw Baiyi, she waved in excitement and exclaimed, "Grandpa! We went over to that place and checked it out, and everyone loves it! It's quiet and peaceful there — just the sort of environment we need to heal — so we can back here to say thanks."

"Mm-hmm, glad that you guys like it. Please, pardon the noise made by the construction teams there," said Baiyi.

"Worry not! We're not bothered. A very adorable and friendly forest spirit took us to an area very far from where constructions are taking place," Nydore replied.

'What adorable and friendly? Do you mean those giant ants?' Earlier, Baiyi had instructed Tisdale to head to the micro realm ahead of everyone else and inform the giant ants about the displaced fairies' arrival. This was why Tisdale's clothes were not amongst the pile of clothes Baiyi had found scattered about.

Previously, Baiyi had used the size of each parka on the floor of his mansion to determine which girl it belonged to. Yes, he had used the sizes, not the method mentioned by the Bard Walker, so all negative thoughts should be discarded.

"We are at loss for words to describe the gratitude we feel," Mr. Bear said with a slightly quivering voice. "You had helped us too much — way too much."

"Oh, it's alright. I did what I should do. However, there is one small matter I may need your help in," Baiyi said. He proceeded to express his desire to have Nydore teach archery at his academy when it opens.

"Huh?! But Grandma's with you, isn't she? Are you sure you want me to be the teacher?" Nydore exclaimed in disbelief. "Her archery skill is far superior to mine! Besides, she's still young and beautiful…"

'Are you referring to the fake youth and beauty you guys saw earlier?' Baiyi thought apologetically. He explained, "Well, your Grandma is a bit of a unique case; I'm sure the two of you understand. I think peace and quiet are what an academy needs, right?"

Baiyi did not need to elucidate because Mr. Bear and Nydore already understood his point and steered clear of asking any more questions. Nydore accepted Baiyi's invitation, and Mr. Bear offered to teach the art of Druidry.

Now that Nydore the Zephyr, her Caudillo Butterfly, and the ever-mysterious Mr. Bear had joined Baiyi's future staff team, his academy's foundation and prestige had become more solid.

Baiyi had reaped a lot of rewards from his trip to Marle; not only had he met his goal, but he had also acquired a bountiful harvest. Despite the cost he had to pay, the rewards were still worth it. Baiyi did not return home after seeing Nydore and Mr. Bear off; he stayed behind to watch the construction progress. He was also afraid to return to a tearful Aya, who will most certainly do something that would cause the three Huffing Piggies — the Assassin Walker, the Warrior Walker, and the Fairy Walker — who were staring at him silently, to react.

Baiyi began to feel that perhaps he should not have discarded some parts of the Bard Walker's memories he had received, especially those parts with knowledge on dealing with ladies.

However, he could not delay his return home forever. When the sky began to darken, Tisdale — who had ensured that the displaced fairies were now settled — walked out from the teleportation portal. Her eyes immediately caught Baiyi crouching, drawing some shapes on the ground.

"Sir? Why are you here?" She hurriedly approached him.

"Nothing much. I just thought of a new spell, so I began to deliberate on it," Baiyi lied as he stood up. He used his mana to erase the drawings he had made on the ground.

"Eeh?" Tisdale found his answer strange and uncharacteristic. "Sir, normally when you invent new spells, you invent them in your lab, don't you? You even erect a lot of barriers around and have us watch you construct them, all so you can tell us in detail how the new spells work."

"Mm-hmm. Today I wanted to do it differently," Baiyi lied again. He reached out and wiped the sweat off Tisdale's forehead in a bid to shift her attention.

"Sir, you're acting really strange today. Are you still worried that we won't be to able to accept you for who you are?"

"No, no! That's a small matter; nothing to worry about!" He replied. Afterward, he took Tisdale's hand and returned home with her.

Fortunately, by the time he returned, Aya had simmered down. She nad Mordred, her daughter, were sitting with Little Mia and the girls, listening intently to their tales. They were so interested in the stories that they did not know Baiyi had returned.

The girls had taken their baths already, and as usual, they had gone on to wear short skirts — their favorite. Aya, too, had changed into her usual attire. The couches were now occupied by beauties, which made for a pleasant scene.

As soon as Mia began to describe the Fairy Walker, Baiyi cut in. "Alright. I'll talk about the rest," he declared.

"Ah? Mr. Hope, you're home!" Mia exclaimed in joy. She ran up to him and nudged her head against him. Mordred also rushed over to hug him.

Aya gave Baiyi a forceful smile and a nod.

Baiyi continued from where Mia left off, making sure to skip the parts related to the Fairy Walker, as if she wasn't very integral to the plot.

However, her youngest daughter was having none of it. She exclaimed, "Mr. Hope, you left out some parts about Mar-Mar!"

This little girl had been waiting for a formal statement from Baiyi all along; a little distraction was not enough to make her forget that.

"Uh-hem, so…about her, well…it's complicated. Her name is Sylvia, and you all have heard her story before..." Baiyi began. He went on to reveal the truth about the Fairy Walker, clarifying to all how he had met her and the sort of relationship he currently had with her.

"Phew! So that was it?!" Little Mia patted her flat chest in relief, as though a burden had been lifted off her chest.

'Why was there a burden there? Furthermore, why were you even worried in the first place?!'

"Big Sister Mar-Mar was the fairy in that story, after all. Such a pitiful life she led," Nota said — a sane remark from a sane person.

Aya quietly mumbled to herself, "So, that was all? And here I thought I had lost him… That was a huge fright."

Well, as they say, whenever there's a misunderstanding, it is best one talks it out with other parties involved. It might just resolve the problem.

Now that the most troublesome knot in Baiyi's mind had been resolved — or rather, waved away, Baiyi's chest felt lighter. He finally felt he could begin tackling the other issues at hand.

First, he had yet to decide on what to use the Blood Tearstone for. He considered brainstorming with the Alchemist Walker on ways to improve their process of refinement. He also considered asking the Cleric Walker to use Word of God to purify the Blood Tearstone.

He also had to deal with the energy core he found. After using it to power the Divine Leathersuit's transformation for the Fairy Walker, the Holy Power left over in the core was too little to do anything with. The core was nothing more than an empty vessel now, and whis was where the Voidwalkers came in; Baiyi had them come up with ideas on how it could be utilized. The most pragmatic and plausible idea came from the Scholar Walker, who suggested Baiyi use the almost-empty energy core as a repository.

He specifically suggested that Baiyi fill the energy core with as much Void Energy as he could, and when he needed to, he could use the stored energy all at once, allowing Baiyi to fare well in battle without straining Mia.

[1] Not gonna lie, I'm kinda curious as to what would she do to Aya…

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394 394. You Are Venerating The Wrong Person, You Know?

Using the exquisite crystal energy core as storage for Void Energy seemed a bit wasteful, but there was no better they could think of to use it. Hence, using it this way seemed best for now.

Baiyi began to analyze the inner structure of the energy core. He poured in some mana and then some combat chi, attempting to provoke a reaction from the core's surface. He recorded the results afterward. On a surface area, this core had the same physical structure as Saint Quartz but not its superb magic conductivity. However, the energy core was quite sturdy; regardless of how hard Baiyi squeezed it, he could not leave a mark on it, let alone shatter it.

As Baiyi could not dissect the energy core, he was unable to conduct in-depth tests on it.

The energy core was resistant to the corrosive property of Void Energy, so Baiyi did not have to worry about damaging it. The energy core's volume was massive; even after pouring twenty percent of his external power into it, the energy core was still half-empty. Baiyi was not even sure how much Void Energy was needed to fill the energy core up completely.

The crystal energy core was really capable as storage for Void Energy. Its only shortcoming was how slowly it stored energy.

"En, I'll just continue infusing energy into it for now. Who knows, I just might need to use this one day; not that I wish for a day like that to come!" Baiyi said as he lifted the energy core. Its appearance had changed after he poured Void Energy into it. One half of the energy core was white, and the other half was black. Baiyi had not stopped pouring Void Energy into it, but it seemed it would take a while before the orb becomes more black than white.

As for the gigantic Blood Tearstone, Baiyi would need a long time to process it, but 'a long time' was not a luxury Baiyi could afford right now. He had considered paying an alchemy refinery to process it for him, but he abandoned the idea because that would leave the Blood Tearstone open to being stolen. Annoyed at his inability to find a use for the Blood Tearstone, Baiyi considered selling the huge boulder off. This thought made the Alchemist Walker so angry that he almost coughed up blood.

However, Baiyi abandoned that thought as well. He knew that refining the Blood Tearstone into a product would earn him way more than selling it right now would. He decided to form a team of alchemists in the future, which will help him refine the Blood Tearstone. He knew that he would not reap any benefits from the Blood Tearstone any time soon, and he was fine with this because he was not short on money at the moment.

Baiyi lived in peace for a time, even after the news of what had happened in Marle spread to Isythre.

The next day, Baiyi called his students over and asked them for their thoughts and insights on their last adventure, especially the battle they had been involved in.

Mia was asked to go first. She lowered her head and fidgeted with her twin horsetails, and moments later, she said, "I just think Mr. Hope was awesome; Big Sister Dale was awesome; Attie was also awesome; that little sabercat cub was very adorable, and our new friends were very pitiful. War is a frightening thing… I wish it never happens again."

'What sort of insight is that? That was the best you could do despite what you witnessed?! Your future is not bright!' Baiyi thought as he waved her away, then he called Attie the Kitty-cat Maid over.

Baiyi believed that Attie could now step up her game because she had regained the title of God's messenger.

Attie got in front of everyone and flashed Baiyi a sweet smile. "My Master is super cool! He helped me regain the War God's trust, and then he got the War God to help him! That was so epic and awesome! I love Master the most!!!"

Saying so, she attempted to dive into Baiyi's arms, but a small ice projectile knocked her aside.

"Owww! Master bullies me again! Lord War God, didn't you promise he would never bully me again?" Attie groaned as she returned to her seat.

'What's gotten into her?! Has she gotten so soft that she forgot her days as king of the steppe, where her words were law? Has Little Mia's desire to always act cute rubbed off on her?'

Feeling helpless, Baiyi called over a student whose reliability stood out amongst her peers — Nota. The fairy looked flustered as she stood in front of everyone, stuttering, "M-mentor's battle generated s-s-so much energy undulations. It made me so s-scared that I couldn't… I didn't… I didn't watch the fight..."

'Et tu, Nota?' Baiyi shook his head helplessly as she returned to her seat.

Afterward, feeling gloomy, Baiyi called over an exceptionally reliable student, Tisdale.

Tisdale's expression darkened when she heard her name. "Hello? Sir, the battle between you and that demon happened far away from where we were standing! Besides, the level of power shown by you two was so advanced that we could not possibly keep up! Other than 'Whoaaa, so cool!', what else can we say?"

Baiyi froze for a few moments, then he waved apologetically to Tisdale, signaling her to return. "Fine, I guess I was being a little unfair. Let's just move on to the next agenda."

"So, I've got good news for you all. The building of the new academy, which I am sure you all have heard about, is going smoothly. The estimated time for its opening is the end of this year."

The students beamed and began to talk amongst themselves about the academy. They had more to say about it than the battle between Baiyi and Molocchus. Young hearts really did yearn for new things.

"The major courses available will be magic, martial arts, alchemy, engineering, theurgy and many more. You all are encouraged to choose a special course that you want to specialize in for the next three years," Baiyi added.

"Whoaaa! So many courses! But… don't we have only Mr. Hope, Mr. Joseph, and Miss Aya to teach us?" Little Mia asked curiously.

"Other teachers will take up various posts soon. I will teach the subjects that I have not yet found teachers for."

"Wow. Mr. Hope is always so good! He knows everything, and he is good at everything!" Little Mia exclaimed.

"Splendid observation! There is simply nothing I cannot do in this world," Baiyi said with a laugh, blowing his own trumpet.

"Nothing you can't do? What about… this?" A mischievous grin appeared on Mia's face. She dropped to the floor and arched her back until her legs, which were clad in a pair of silky white socks, reached her chest. With both hands imitating the paws of a cat, Mia lowered her head and caressed her cheeks with the back of her hands. With her eyes half-closed and her tongue out, Mia had begun to act cute in front of everyone, again.

The other students applauded her, while the Gentlemen of the Void howled uncontrollably like a pack of excited wolves.

Baiyi had to admit he did not know how to do what Mia just did.

"Uh hem! Alright, places, everyone! We're in the middle of our lesson," Baiyi said with a cough, interrupting Mia's performance whilst trying to hide his embarrassment. "By the way, by the time our academy is built, there will be more students joining us, alright? Everyone, please learn to co-exist with others in harmony! Alright, that's all for today. I know you all just returned from a long trip and are still worn out, so let us have a few days break."

Cheers erupted within the classroom.

Hence, for the rest of the week, Baiyi led a normal life. He helped the fairies build their new home, monitored the construction of his academy, strategically dealt with Aya's over-friendly advances, and fooled around with his students. Despite word of the battle in Marle reaching Isythre, Baiyi was not faced with any trouble. Other than a few of his acquaintances visiting to ask him what had happened, no one else approached Baiyi.

Now, to him, this was unexpected; it was unlike like what had happened the last time a huge event occurred. Baiyi went out into town to learn how people were taking the news, and just as he had suspected, many had their own versions of the earth-shattering event. Someone said that a vast number of people had engaged in battle due to an unequal distribution of loot among themselves; some swore that the great battle had been fought between two evil gods, who were intent on getting more followers than the other; someone even boldly claimed that the awakening of a godlike existence was what brought about the destruction in Marle.

Baiyi was not mentioned at all. Although he had done nothing to hide his involvement, the world seemed to be doing Baiyi a favor. These gossip-peddlers did not even know that the other party involved in the great battle was Abyss Lord Molocchus itself!

"Well, this is a welcome development," Baiyi said with a chuckle after eavesdropping for a while.

"Tsk tsk. Do you no longer wish for the Church to sing your praises, calling you a messiah?" The Archmage asked sharply.

"Oh, not at all. I'm already grateful that they haven't come after me," Baiyi replied. "But, now that you mentioned it, how do you suppose they would try to contain me?"

Baiyi was not the only one interested in the answer to this question. At that time, in another location, two top figures in the Church, the Pope and the Supreme Chief Justice, were worried about the same thing.

Only one Chief Judge of the Church knew of Baiyi's secret, and he did not divulge it to the public. However, he did use a secret method to share the secret with the Supreme Chief Justice.

When the Supreme Chief Justice learned of the truth, he knelt before the statue of his hooded god for three days. Afterward, he blurted out the truth to the Pope.

When the Pope learned of the truth, he secluded himself within the Temple of Auguries, the core of the Church, kneeling for three days. When the Pope finally exited the temple, he did so with an expression of calm, as though he had come to terms with what he had just learned.

He chased everyone out of a room and summoned the Supreme Chief Justice. When the Supreme Chief Justice arrived, the Pope set up an extensive soundproof barrier, then he began a secret meeting with the Supreme Chief Judge.

"I don't know what to do. I have turned this matter over in my head for three days, but I was unable to come up with anything useful. I even asked the True God for a sign, but I was given nothing," the Pope said with a tone of helplessness. "I even believe that the reason I can still talk to you, without falling into a state of delirium, is because I am no longer faithful. As a matter of fact, ever since I became Pope, the amount of time I spent politicking is much more than the time I spent praying."

"Same with me," said the Supreme Chief Justice. "Back then, when that godless heathen, Lord Haart, beguiled me, all I felt was misery and hopelessness. That was when my faith wavered. Although I have regretted it ever since, I still cannot believe that this little misgiving would help me retain my sanity. My mind went blank when I learned the truth. It was as though the sky had crashed down on me."

"How could this have happened?" The Pope somberly asked. "Why is that place the fate of everyone who treads the path of Ascension? Who got it wrong? Saint Joel, who we have revered for thousands of years? Or, our God…?"

The Pope knew his words were borderline blasphemy, worthy of earning him immolation as punishment. This was why he had not continued down that train of thought.

"At first, I was skeptical about this piece of information, but after thinking it over, I realized that the Chief Judge who revealed it to me did not have the guts to play a prank on me. Furthermore, some days ago, I received some intel…" the Chief Judge said, producing a secret envelope from his inner pocket, which he handed over to the Pope.

The envelope was filled with written reports about the feats of a certain hammerhead shark plushie in Marle, during a battle that broke out in Eom Village.

Neither Baiyi nor his students nor the hammerhead shark plushie, which was being controlled by the Cleric Walker at the time, had attempted to hide their performance. Hence, curious parties had easily obtained news of what the plushie had done. Some had gotten information from the Fairy King's experts who had escaped the village after the failed attack, while some obtained their information from a few displaced fairies of Eom Village who had decided to remain in the Fairy Kingdom. It was no surprise that the Church, too, had obtained information about Saint Joel's stellar performance.

With a gloomy expression on his face, the Pope took the envelope and began to read its contents, and his face darkened by the minute. "A perfect 'Word of God'? If one considers the unique theurgical spell that Laeticia, the Saintess candidate, had mysteriously learned back then, it'll become obvious, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the hammerhead shark plushie was Saint Joel himself. But, why was he content with staying within a little girl's plushie?"

"If we respond this way to the huge secret we have just learned, then what more you expect from someone who's bearing the brunt of truth? It'll not be out of the ordinary for someone to change completely after such a revelation; even changing into a pervert with a fondness for little girls is understandable," the Supreme Chief Justice said with a dark expression.

"No, that can't be it. He could still use the Word of God. This means that his faith is still strong, and he still believes in God, and in return, God still loves him. Without that love, he would not be able to use that spell," the Pope replied with certainty.

He proceeded to divulge a meaningful secret about himself. "Honestly, I have not been able to use Word of God for a long time."

"You…?" An expression of extreme shock appeared on the Supreme Chief Justice's face.

"Yes; I'm no longer faithful enough. Saint Joel, however, is a true Apostle. Despite finding himself stranded in a land of hopelessness, he remained true to himself. This is simply worthy of veneration!" The Pope muttered, awestruck.

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395 Checking Off The Lis

The Pope and the Supreme Chief Justice were at a loss for words, overwhelmed by a plethora of emotions. What they felt at the moment could no longer be classified as paranoia; if asked to express how they felt, the Pope and the Supreme Chief Justice would slam their heads at the feet of the statue of their god. Anything that could rid them of the confusion they felt was welcomed.

Saint Joel was the only one who fulfilled the sacred duty — Ascension; his feats, which were praised by the Church, were exemplary, and his faith remained steadfast. However, that figure was an imaginary one. The real Saint Joel, for all this time, had been in the Void — a dark space which the Church and many others had deemed an abode for the most filthy beings.

Before finding out the truth, the Pope and the Supreme Chief Justice would consider the notion of beings living in the Void as the figment of a crazy person's imagination. There was no denying the truth now, though. Not only had its harbinger, Hope, escaped from the Void, but he looked no less alive than everyone else. Furthermore, he commandeered that invincible Forbidden Power.

For a person like this to be friends with their Apostle Joel… This discovery was a conundrum that was nigh unresolvable. At the moment, the Poper and the Supreme Chief Justice — old-timers who had been through countless battles for prestige and self-interest — no longer knew what stand to take.

"That Hope! Everything he has done after escaping from that place… It's so confusing, but he just doesn't seem like a bad person," the Pope mumbled in embarrassment. He had harbored this notion for some time, but he had not dared to reflect on it. According to the Scripture, only the most wretched heathens — people who get instantly condemned during judgment — wield the Forbidden Power — the power of pure darkness.

If one dared to say that a person who the Scripture had deemed evil was actually good, then that person would not heed anything else the Scripture denotes.

"Now, the only explanation we can give for this is," the Supreme Chief Justice began, "that Saint Joel did, in fact, ascend, but upon his arrival, the Lord assigned him a new sacred mission: change the ways of the evildoers residing in the Void. What we have seen so far is nothing but a testament to Apostle Joel's success; the good that Hope has been doing is a testament to Apostle Joel's success."

"What?! How many people do you think will accept such an explanation? The fate for those devout to the path of Ascension is to be imprisoned in that abysmal dark space with those sinners..." The Pope rebutted.

"This is the only explanation that can address these discrepancies! The words you speak only highlight your doubt of the words written in the Scripture. Do you doubt the truth of Ascension?" The Supreme Chief Justice retorted. A moment later, he sighed.

"Anyway, it is just as you say. An explanation that stretches too thin will only raise more doubts and suspicions. The best thing we can do is to keep our discovery a secret. If Hope ever exposes this secret to the public, then we can refute his claim with this explanation," said the Supreme Chief Justice.

"So, you're saying... that we let that Hope off the hook?" The Pope asked, a little disgruntled.

"Just look at everything he has done since he fled the Void! Is that not clear to you?" The Supreme Chief Justice said, trying to convince himself as well as the Pope; after all, people like him were supposed to be sworn enemies with people like Hope. "Think back to everything he has done so far. In fact, he recently scored a major victory for the side of good! If it were not for him, Godsfall's diabolical plan would have been successful. If that had happened, what would have happened to the Church?

"Now, even if we remain silent about Hope's identity and friendship with Saint Joel, he will remain untouchable. Think of the reputation and support he has garnered so far! You must already know that he has ardent followers; some of those are also members of the Church, and others are within the public."

Justice would always shine, even when it was at odds with the teachings. Although this could pose a dilemma for the devout, the Supreme Chief Justice had no choice but to side with justice this one time.

The Pope was speechless. Before he discovered Hope's true identity, he had always considered the Soul Armature a true defender of good and justice, as well as a hero of impeccable character. The harsh truth only complicated everything.

Under these circumstances, the Pope could only dismiss his previous notion. "It seems this is all we can come up with for now. Nevertheless, even if we are in no position to arrest him, my concern compels me to increase our surveillance on him. I think that we also need to examine the relationship we, the Church, have with him. Despite these thoughts, I still feel distressed. What do you suppose is his opinion of us?" The Pope asked, feeling helpless.

"Seeing how close his friendship with Joel the Apostle is, I would dare say that he is fairly respectful, if not fearful, of the Church. This may be the reason why he did not dare to reveal his identity in the past," the Supreme Chief Justice said, hypothesizing.

"If that is true, it would be best," the Pope quietly replied.

Silence fell. They had nothing more to say to each other.

Meanwhile, back in Arfin City, Baiyi was blissfully oblivious to the Church's amusing change of attitude towards him. He had never cared about their opinions of him in the first place. When Baiyi realized that word of his involvement in Marle's latest incident was being contained, he was happy, for he would get to enjoy some peace, which was something he rarely enjoyed. Although Baiyi could not use this event to boost his fame, he was content with the free time he now had, as he could focus better on the construction of his academy.

His students were enjoying their holiday. The showed great interest in their new academy; even Little Mia kept asking after its progress. Her face brimmed with honest anticipation as she wondered out loud. "When the school finally opens, there will be so much activity! It will be like a festiv—mmff! Hey, why did you place your hand over my mouth like that, Mr. Hope?"

'My dearest, fair lady, will this nonsense where you call every event a 'festival' ever end? I have poured my heart into this Academy! Did you think it was easy for me to get here?' Baiyi grumbled in his mind.

Mia's wish to have much more friends did not seem like it would happen anytime soon. After a series of discussions, Baiyi and the other Voidwalkers decided to make the academy a school for the elite.

Not only would the entrance exam be incredibly difficult, but the tuition would cost as much as 1000 gold coins every year; this fee did not include feeding, accommodation, and some other necessities.

Enrollment into elite schools was expensive. Only the middle class and high class could afford it, and most families did not fall into this class.

However, naysayers would first have to look at the quality of instructors that would teaching at Baiyi's academy! Magic, one of the most important courses in most academies, would be thought by the First Voidwalker — the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, and the Great Unbending Sage from the Doors of Conundrum, Baiyi!

Martial arts would be taught by the Sacred Knight, who became a legend after breaking through a million soldiers with just one sword. This legendary existence did not let his entrapment in the Void result in decadence; instead, he continued to train, merging his martial art techniques with the techniques used by swordsmen on Earth. The second-in-command for the martial arts class was the best berserker that humans has ever seen — someone who called himself 'The Flawless Hitman'!

Soul Armature summoning class would be led by the Soul Armature Practionioner, who was the inventor of the art, and also a kindhearted animal-lover. Alchemy course was to be taught by the Alchemist Walker, whose experimentation had once created a rip in the border between realms. Theurgy class was to be taught by a hentai, the Paladin Walker, and an Apostle who had walked through the depths of the abyss, Saint Joel. A celebrated prodigy, the Engineer Walker, would be in charge of the Engineering course.

The Charlatan Walker; the prosperous Merchant Walker; the Caveman Walker — a gastronomer who became a savage; the ethereally-beautiful 'Maiden of Martial Arts'— the Warrior Walker, and the adorable Lady Assassin Walker would also teach at the academy.

This transcendental staff team was to be lead by one man — the Fifth Voidwalker, the new Rohlserlian Emperor, a good friend of the Church, a protector of the weak, a mentor of fair maidens, and the sage who saved the world — Sir Hope!

Other than the young head instructor of archery, Nydore, the instructors were peerless existences in their respective fields. Despite being young, Nydore was the current Zephyr, who had long since been acknowledged by the Caudillo Butterfly Bow.

For a staff team as incredible as this, 1000 gold coins per year seemed really cheap; in fact, it could very be the fee paid by applicants who enrolled on Black Friday. Even Baiyi was surprised by his own generosity.

Unfortunately, despite the Academy being worth its fees, only a few people could benefit from this school. Achieving Baiyi's goal was the reason why the Voidwalkers had chosen to aim for those at the top of the socioeconomic strata. They also planned to use this chance to disseminate their view of the Void's inhabitants to the students who would enroll in their academy. After all, these elite students from high-class families held more influence than commoners, and their beliefs were easier to accept than those of commoners. This was a strategy that could change the public consensus on almost anything.

However, Baiyi had not completely neglected low-class citizens. Those who surpassed the benchmark he had set would enjoy a full tuition waiver. They would even enjoy an eye-watering monthly allowance. This offer was created to attract students who are unusually gifted and talented.

There were other methods that Baiyi could use to draw in citizens of the middle-class, but he would not have time to perfect these plans until after his Academy had opened.

As Zakum the fox, Potter the owl, Sunny the sunflower, and Modred turned out to be exceptional students, Baiyi decided to allow non-human students into his Academy should they prove apt. Although students like these may have no money to pay for tuition, keeping them regardless may end up paying off in other ways.

The Academy's future seemed bright already. The only thing left was to finish its construction.

"But, first, shouldn't we decide on what to name the Academy?" the Archmage asked. "We have discussed this for months, haven't we? But, alas, my protege, you are incapable of reproducing my brilliant art of skillfully naming things, so, this time, you should listen to me, and use the name I have carefully crafted!"

The Archmage had come up with two names: 'Atlas Academy'— a name fit for an organization based on the moon — and 'Royal Rohlserlian Academy'.

Neither name supported the Archmage's claim of being brilliant at naming things, so Baiyi decided not to use either of them.

The names that the other Voidwalkers came up with were just as terrible. In the end, Baiyi had thought it best to just name it 'Hope Academy'.

Unfortunately, the issue of a name kept coming up. When summer and fall had both passed, the construction of the academy had reached its last few stages. A grand nameplate had to be commissioned, but this was put on hold because the issue of a name for the academy had not been fully resolved.

Baiyi had spent the past few months in relative peace. He had not taken his students on any adventures, neither had he joined them to celebrate festivities. Whenever a festival was close, Baiyi would find an excuse to open up a micro dimension using the Book of Servitude and lock himself in it. These dimensions contained nothing but darkness, but this was no problem for Baiyi, who used the time to create games for the Voidwalkers to play.

This way, he had managed to avoid three festivals so far. The fact that nothing untoward happened during these festivals made Baiyi pleased with his decision to avoid them. He was grateful that only a small amount of festivals happened annually, else he would have long since gone insane.

In the past few months, other than conducting lessons, monitoring the academy's construction, and helping to the displaced fairies, Baiyi spent his time conducting research and carrying out all sorts of experiments. He dedicated a lot of time towards the Pseudo-Descent Spell, which was needed to facilitate the descent of multiple Voidwalkers into the real world in the future.

During his battle with Molocchus the Abyss Lord, the War God had temporarily removed the limiter on Baiyi's power; in that time, Baiyi was able to smuggle a great deal of his consciousness into the real world. The Lich Walker's research and experimentation in rebuilding soul components had also produced positive results. After many trials, Baiyi finally had enough consciousness to support the descent of ten Voidwalkers simultaneously.

However, the Voidwalkers who would descend may need to fight at some point. After giving this a lot of thought, Baiyi finally figured out a better way to use the energy core orb he had obtained from Molocchus's corpse. After creating several sets of armor for the Voidwalkers, Baiyi established a link between the energy core orb and the armor sets. The orb, which Baiyi had infused a lot of energy into, would act as a battery to supply the armor sets the energy they needed to battle.

Soon, the need to acquire more high-level souls, which would act as soul containers for the consciousness of the descending Voidwalkers, increased, so Baiyi decided to soften his stance, accepting the Lich Walker's suggestion. He captured many notorious convicts wanted by the authorities for their vile crimes. Using a special method created by the Lich Walker, Baiyi wiped away their consciousness from their souls, leaving empty soul containers behind. [1]

Baiyi was careful not to overdo it, though. First, these contemptible sinners were hard to track, and Baiyi did not have much time to spare on finding them. Second, the Lich Walker's spells were all forbidden spells; using them too frequently would create trouble for him.

Hence, after obtaining enough soul containers for two Voidwalkers to fight at full power, Baiyi moved on to other things. If these two Voidwalkers sought to use more powerful spells or techniques, he would have to get more soul containers.

Nevertheless, he believed that he had done enough. How many people in existence could pose a threat to himself and two Voidwalkers? To him, there were enough to provide adequate security for his academy; after all, any team containing three Voidwalkers at their peak would be too terrifying to behold.

Baiyi and his family spent their winter in peace. The girls enjoyed wearing their winter skirts while they waited for the academy's construction to be completed.

Finally, on the first day of December, they received the news they had long been waiting for. While Baiyi was having breakfast with his students, they received news that the academy's construction was almost completed.

[1] For those who are confused, a complete soul contains consciousness and a soul container. This is mentioned in chapter 312.

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396 The Construction Is Completed

That same day, after breakfast, Baiyi led his students to the finished academy; once there, they met up with Eom village's fairies, who were all excited. As soon as Baiyi and his students stepped out of his private teleportation portal, they spotted a humongous gate behind them. There was a nameplate on the gate, with nothing written on it.

This gigantic gate was like no other. It did not resemble a door, neither was it an electronic gate; it was an arch — beautifully crafted from trees — which greatly resembled a gated entrance. Beyond the gate was a lush pasture filled with beautiful flowers. The sight was a beautiful one to behold. The arch could very well be mistaken for the entrance to a vast garden beautiful enough to make people want to visit.

Inside this beautiful garden was a huge, neatly-sculpted, cube-shaped stone slab. Its surface was smooth and without any engravings. This was because the academy's name was still undecided.

"So pretty! Everything is so pretty! Gosh, if this is its gate, then the academy itself must be a wonderland!" Little Mia mumbled with a dreamy expression as she shuffled closer to Baiyi.

"The interior will look a tad bit different; you'll see. But, first, you need to know that the exquisite entrance we see today is much better than the design in the first blueprint. This is thanks to the hard work of our fairy friends. Hence, we should all be thankful to Nydore and her people," Baiyi announced, giving due credit to the fairies for their contribution.

"Oh, it's no big deal, grandpa. This was a project that we took on willingly," Nydore replied humbly as she and Mia played with a sabercat cub — the only sabercat to survive Eom Village's destruction.

A few months had passed since the fairies of Eom Village moved there. After getting used to their new abode, which was smaller than the Eternal Tree Ocean, their uneasiness subsided, and they began to live in content. They were able to find a spot deep in the woods, far away from the Academy, to build their new village.

As aforementioned, compared to the sheer massive size of the Eternal Tree Ocean, the Micro realm seemed small. However, after recovering their tranquility, the fairies got busy with other activities. It did not take long for their attention to shift to Baiyi's new academy, which was being constructed at the time.

"Everyone wants to pitch in, grandpa. It's the only way we can think of to repay your kindness," Nydore had said to Baiyi, seeking his permission.

As Baiyi welcomed all efforts to beautify the academy, he instantly agreed. However, he warned Nydore to ensure that the fairies were mindful of their interaction with the human constructors; he did not want any skirmish, however trivial, to break out.

After that, Nydore, the fairies, and Mr. Bear, who were all green thumbs, embarked on their venture to beautify the academy. They were all naturals at gardening, and with the help of Mr. Bear's mysterious nature powers, they smoothened the academy's grounds, which had been marred by the construction. In a few months, the land within the academy was turned into something akin to a massive garden. It was as though it had undergone decades of reforestation efforts.

This handiwork of Mr. Bear and the fairies was astonishing. The leader of the human construction team was so impressed that he extended to them an invitation to collaborate on future construction projects.

The fairies declined the offer, which upset the human a little, but no skirmishes broke out. Both groups were reserved around each other, so no unpleasant issues arose in the period they had to work together.

As both groups spoke different languages, they rarely tried to communicate with each other. However, after the fairies arrived at the Micro realm, the male construction workers began to visit red light districts much often than before. The breathtaking beauty of the fairies may have had a hand in that development.

"Why isn't there a name engraved on the slab?" Tisdale suddenly asked.

"That's because I wanted to carve the name in front of you all," Baiyi replied. He raised his hand, and a tiny rune began to burn at the tip of his index finger. A bright ray shot out from the rune and struck the huge slab, carving two characters on its smooth surface.

It was the word 'university' written in Chinese Hanzi, not in the writing systems belonging to this world.

The characters were written in standard Chinese calligraphy. Their strokes perfectly showcased the writer's acute penmanship, as well as give a sense of his assertive and indomitable character. The characters were so aesthetic, one would think they were written by a famous calligraphy artist.

Of course, this was not Baiyi's own writing. If anyone saw his writing, they would think that a couple of drunk worms had crawled across the sheet of paper. Hence, he had decided to develop a special spell for this occasion. It allowed him to write his characters in a sophisticated style of writing.

"Ehh? Am I the only one who can not read these words?" Laeticia asked, scratching her head. "Mr. Hope, what do these words mean?"

"These two characters are pronounced 'da' and 'xue'. It's written in the special characters of my hometown. 'Da Xue' means 'University', which is a large, prestigious institution for higher education," Baiyi answered.

This was the name of the academy. 'Da Xue', not "University of X" or "University Academy".

As the Voidwalkers could not agree on a name, they decided to settle for a word that did not originate from their world. After all, foreign words always sound cooler — something that could not be said for the names they had come up with it.

'Da Xue' seemed perfect. The academy would offer specialized, advanced education that covered a wide range of subjects; did this not make it a university in its own right? This name also paid homage to one of the most important principles in the book 'Great Learning': 'man must first learn to refine his own morality before setting out to refine the world to harmony.' [1] Baiyi and the other Voidwalkers felt that this principle ennobled the academy.

Baiyi was quite pleased with the name, and the other Voidwalkers did not oppose it. Who knows what the comment section would think about it. [2]

"'Da Xue'? Is this a new word? Did you just say that it means a big school offering specialized courses?" Nydore muttered to herself, pronouncing the word using the accent native to her kingdom. After repeating the name a few times, she smiled. "Hee hee. This is such a nice name!"

"Mm-hmm. Glad that you all agree." Baiyi nodded his head in satisfaction. He walked in front of everyone and spread his arms wide open. "Now, why don't we take a look inside Da Xue..."

Suddenly, a 3D model of the academy appeared in the sky, formed by Baiyi's mana. Blue names hovered above each building on the model. There was also a blinking red dot denoting the group's current position within the academy.

With the 3D map hovering over his hand, Baiyi took his students on a tour through the brand new, beautiful, harmonious, tranquil, and appealing academy [3]. It was the poster building for brilliant artisanship.

The academy's buildings were spherical in shape, and Baiyi's group was standing at the center of the complex. This was because Baiyi's private teleportation portal deposited its users at the heart of the university, making walking to other parts of the academy convenient.

The central plaza, which was close to the entrance, was a beautiful little garden. Its roads were paved with green marble tiles, which connected to other parts of Da Xue. There were trees beside the paved roads, which had been beautifully trimmed into different shapes. Some even had direction signs on them, which pointed directions to various facilities. The group soon noticed that Guidance Formations, which projected 3D blueprints similar to the one above Baiyi, spread along the paved paths. There were there to ensure that no one got lost within the complex.

Whether or not all of this would help the kind of people who got lost the moment they stepped out of their homes, remained a mystery.

Beneath the trees planted by the sides of the paved paths were long benches, making the entire central plaza resemble a serene recreational park.

As soon as the group exited the central plaza, their gazes locked onto a complex of huge buildings. These were the lecture facilities and laboratories. Farther down the road were the students' dormitory, magical cultivation grounds, and other facilities. When one walked past these buildings, they would reach the outer layer of the academy; once there, they would find a temperature barrier covering the entire academy. This barrier adjusts the temperature to levels comfortable for its human inhabitants.

The entire academy complex resembled a pizza, with each slice containing different facilities, and the central garden-like plaza being the middle of the pizza. Every section was linked by paved paths. If the destination one sought to reach was too far, they could use any of the short-distance teleportation portals within each section to travel to and fro.

Baiyi's office and residence were situated at the northern part of the academy, close to the fairies' new village. This arrangement was for the fairies' security benefit. Baiyi wanted to prevent students from causing trouble for the fairies.

Mia and the students would live in a new residence built around Baiyi's residential area. As growing girls, their need for privacy could not be underestimated; hence, mini chalets were built for each of them. The instructors joining from outside would have their own mini chalets.

After all, the entire realm belonged to Baiyi. Its land mass was too vast to house only an academy, so he was free to use the other areas as he saw fit.

"This really is the most beautiful place I've ever been to!" Little Mia cried out earnestly. "It's so different from other academies I've seen! It's just so special!"

"Oh, we're going to be so happy staying and studying here," Tisdale said with a chuckle.

'Mm-hmm! Seeing one's daughters expressing their content is always satisfying,' Baiyi thought. 'At least, all that money was well spent.'

Baiyi was quite fortunate to have Vidomina's father donate building materials and cover a part of the construction fees. With his private funds alone, Baiyi would have been unable to build an academy of this magnitude.

Whenever Baiyi remember how much it had cost to build the academy, he felt that the tuition fee he had set was, in fact, too cheap. He knew that it would take him a long time to get returns on his investment, but once the academy became renowned throughout the realms, he could decide to accept students whose parents were willing to sponsor the academy in exchange for the children's enrollment.

"Now then, godfather, when will Da Xue open to the public? When that happens, we're gonna throw a big party!" Vidomina suddenly said. "In fact, let's make the opening ceremony super amazing!"

Baiyi's expression quickly changed (ᅌᴗᅌ* ). "Uh, maybe, no. I mean, I don't really like festivities… The less festive a day is, the better it is for me. Ever notice that I no longer attend festivals with you girls?"

"Aww, so it's a no? Hey, now that you mention it," Attie began, a little ruefully, "What a shame that you didn't join us the other day, master. That National Day celebration was such a blast!"

With that, Da Xue's grand opening came a step closer.

[1] Cultural fun fact! Da Xue usually means 'university, but it's also the name of an important book in Confucianism (in this instance, the word Da means 'great', and Xue means 'learning'). The book mainly stresses learning as the foundation of all the other great virtues by emphasizing on a quality called "Investigation of Things" (格物).

[2] The author wants you all to let Baiyi know what you think about the name!]

[3] Now, now, what do we have here…? Tsk tsk, Author-san.

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397 There’s Always An Entrance Exam

Now that the academy had been built, purchasing class materials was all that was left to do. As for the number of staff members he currently had, Baiyi believed that they were enough. Currently, he had, under his payroll, the Voidwalkers, his old colleagues from the Celestial Fortress Academy, some good teachers he had managed to scout whilst on his adventures, and some sages from the Doors of Conundrum, who had been sent over by his bald friend — Baldy Kris. These people were enough to meet his present requirements.

As Da Xue's fees were on the high side, most middle-class families would definitely choose other academies over it. Furthermore, although Baiyi was famous, his academy, Da Xue, had yet to hold a graduation ceremony, meaning that it had no alumni. With these in mind, Baiyi was sure that not many students would register for Da Xue's first session.

On the month after New Year's day, Mia had her sweet sixteen. In her honor, Baiyi hosted a heartwarming party for their family and closet friends. After that, he settled some trivial matters pertaining to Da Xue, and then, finally, he began its enrollment campaign.

Every stratum of society, including the wealthy and the aristocrats, had heard about — and shared a collective interest for — the new academy created by Great Sage Hope, an exalted existence who only vanished from the limelight two years ago. Although Hope rarely made the news these days, his name was a household one. Hence, when the public heard that his academy was open for registration, they immediately congratulated him and expressed their interests in sending over their wards.

There was something that managed to garner more attention than the identity of Da Xue's principal, Hope: a short holographic video.

This video was making rounds in public in the form of a nondescript pebble. These pebbles had been enchanted with an image-capturing spell, which had not yet been trademarked in the Sorcerers' Association. The moment anyone touched the pebble, a high-definition holographic video would begin playing.

The video seemed to have been recorded by an object flying at a high altitude; in it, one could see an ariel view of Da Xue. At the start of the video, a sea of beautiful flowers, which adorned the land around the academy's buildings, could be seen from above. It was a scenery capable of improving anyone's mood.

A young maiden with black ponytails could be seen hopping down one of the fine paved paths that parted the sea of grass and flowers. Her white dress and bare feet made her seem like a young angel who had just descended to the world. Her dress fluttered occasionally, baring her supple, fair thighs to the camera. It was a scene that could tug the heartstrings of all viewers, as they reminisced about their own past school years.

Soon, the hopping girl stopped by the side of the paved path that she was on. She bent down and picked up a fluffy little cub from the thicket. She gazed at it softly, and soon, her lips curled into an adorable smile. She did not hesitate to nudge her forehead against the cub's furry head.

The scene ended there, and another took its place. The view had suddenly shifted to the middle of a brightly-lit classroom, where another girl was seated. This girl, who was just as beautiful as the previous girl, was completely focused on a book she was reading. Her posture and countenance made her out to be quiet, studious, and wise. The camera zoomed in on her, quickly panning past other parts of her body before stopping on her jade-like fingers, which were flicking the book's pages in a manner that seemed elegant.

After a couple of seconds had passed, the camera zoomed back out. The girl stirred at this point and looked away from her book, her gaze focused on something outside the camera's field of view. Suddenly, the camera zoomed back in, shifting its focus to her hair. Her hair was pale-blue, and it was fluttering gently underneath the warm sunlight.

The zoomed-in camera focused on the ends of her hair, which had been tied into a ponytail. The warm sunlight made them seem golden; this made the girl look as inviting as the sun itself. Her smile was one that could not be easily forgotten. Her appearance was enough to spread warmth to the depths of many hearts. She stretched her hand towards the camera and beckoned it to come over; however, a mysterious dark-skinned hand grabbed the camera before it could.

This hand belonged to a skinny girl, whose smile was so wide, her eyes seemed to have become lines. Her head was cocked to the side in an adorable way.

The skinny girl let go of the camera and ran to hold hands with the studious-looking girl, and they bolted out of the classroom together. The camera followed the girls as they raced through the lush green field within the academy. The camera, which was behind the girls, began to ascend fast, and soon, all it captured was the clear, bright sky above the academy.

Suddenly, the camera succumbed to gravity and began to plummet, and soon, it slid down a huge tree before regaining its flight ability. Sitting in the shade of this huge tree was a young female fairy with long, pointy ears. She was leaning against the tree's trunk, taking a nap. Visible below her short skirt was a lean pair of legs, signifying how slim and delicate she was.

At that moment, the fairy stirred and slowly opened her eyes. When she noticed the camera, she grinned.

The camera zoomed in on her lips; her smile was really heartwarming. It seemed capable of making one forget their greatest misfortunes. The camera then shifted its focus to her jade green pupils.

Within these green pupils was the reflection of a beautiful noblewoman. This noblewoman's hair had been tied into a bun; this complemented the long, evening dress she wore. On her lap sat an adorable little girl.

One look was enough to tell that this two are a mother and daughter duo. The daughter looked in child-like wonder at the buildings in the garden-like surroundings. It was as though she could not wait to grow up just so that she could enroll in this academy. The noblewoman lowered her head to the child's face and whispered something to her.

The video lasted for three minutes. After showing the noblewoman and her daughter, the camera began to explore the academy's facilities. At the end of the video, the camera pointed its lenses at a strange-looking armor set, which had a scarf draped over its face. Anyone could have easily mistaken this armor set for a highwayman. When the camera zoomed in on this bizarre armor set, a voice rang out. "Da Xue awaits you…". This scene was forgivable because a lot of pretty girls had appeared before the strange armor set did.

The video had started off well, exploring beautiful sceneries and zooming in on pretty girls, but it had ended in a jump scare. The bizarre armor set really did give the viewers a fright.

The video did not contain music, dialogue, or even subtitles. The viewers were left to imagine songs that they thought would fit the video.

Baiyi was no accomplished cinematographer. Producing this promotional video with magic had been hard for him because of his mediocre experience at editing. Fortunately for him, this world was not familiar with Earth's YouTube or beautifully-made A-list movies, so the public was quick to be impressed. Fortunately, the jumpscare at the end of the video had not frightened potential students away.

Baiyi was also glad that video-streaming websites — specifically those that support live-commenting — did not exist in this world. Not only was his video one of a kind, but the females that appeared in it were really beautiful. If their images were posted on certain websites, it would be no surprise if the comment section contained comments like "XX IS MY WAIFUUUUU", "LICKING MY SCREEN CLEAN", etc..

As for why Baiyi had decided to advertise his academy using his pretty students, it was because he hoped to entice more people to join Da Xue. The academy's monthly expenditure was mind-blowing. Materials used for different magic formations, daily overhead cost, allowances for the teachers, and other expenses combined to reach a total of 1 million gold coins; this was monthly! Without enough students, there was a large probability that Da Xue would go bankrupt in a short time.

Hence, the need to attract over many youngsters to take the entrance examination could not be downplayed. Afterward, he could scout and develop applicants with immense talents. Once these talented students graduate from Da Xue, his plan for the Voidwalkers would have taken a huge step forward.

For one to spread a message easily, the person would need to bring many people over to his side.

Baiyi's promotional campaign was a success. A large number of youngsters turned up on Da Xue's opening day to write the entrance exam. A large portion of them were single males; the real reason they wanted to join Da Xue was anyone's guess.

The exam was held at a location situated on the same street as the Aegis mansion. After Da Xue's construction was finished, Baiyi began to remodel the area around the Aegis mansion. This street had been gifted to him by Vidomina. Baiyi erected a huge fence around the street, barricading it completely. His plan had been to place a huge gate in front of the street, which had been fenced, and build a large waiting hall.

As for his home, he and his crew had moved to the Micro realm where Da Xue was.

The move was a festive one. The girls had ensured to make it resemble a festival as much as they could, but, as was fast becoming the norm, Baiyi had not joined them. This was probably the reason why no calamity had befallen them on that day. In his place was a Soul Armature, who was the Vice Principal of Da Xue. This Vice principal had prepared, conducted, and coordinate the entrance exam, as well.

This Vice Principal was, of course, the thirty-third Voidwalker, the Apprentice Walker, who was the former principal of Celestial Fortress Academy. He was highly knowledgable in the processes required for entrance examinations, and with the help of the other instructors, the preliminary process was carried out in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, Da Xue's Principal, Baiyi, was sitting alone in the pitch-black darkness of a secret dimension, which he had used the Book of Servitude to create. From there, he watched the events that unfolded through the shared vision he had with the other Voidwalkers.

He nodded in satisfaction when he saw his own students, who were closely followed by Vidomina's army of maids, troop into the hall to register for their exam. "Sir Apprentice really is someone you could rely on when it comes to protocols," Baiyi mumbled. "Hmm. Looks like the time's almost up. Time to see how the exams are going."

When the clock struck nine in the morning, the exams began, and Baiyi, who was still watching via shared vision, switched views at a rapid pace to see how all the exams being written were coming along. 'When selecting invigilators, I did pick Voidwalkers who are experts in the exam courses being written, right? There should be no problems.'

The first exam he decided to look at was the martial arts exam. It was being headed by the Hitman Walker, who was being assisted by the newly-employed Mr. Sorry[1]. Baiyi was watching the proceedings through the Hitman Walker's vision.

The Hitman Walker had Descended into a large, sturdy, black armor set. Standing on a stage, which towered above a large number of students, he announced, "In order to become a qualified hitman, you must first be capable of demonstrating power! You must be able to wield your weapons in this way. Only then will your enemies feel hopelessness, and eventually, face death!"

With that, he picked up a double-handed ax with his left hand, and then, he used his right hand to collect a dual-handed battle scythe from Mr. Sorry. Afterward, he began to swing them, generating gales that stung his students' faces.

"Now, the first round of this exam requires you to swing your weapons as I did mine!" The Hitman said. "So, who wants to go first?"

"Sir! I have an inquiry!" A candidate blurted. "This is an exam for melee fighters like knights, right? Did you not say that you were a 'qualified hitman'?"

"There's no need to look that deeply into those words. They mean the same thing anyway," the Hitman replied dismissively.

[1] Just a throwback— he's Baiyi's old pal back in Celestial Academy, remember?

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398 The Exam Is In Progress

Only moments had passed since the examination began, yet the Hitman Walker had already made the atmosphere awkward, but that was no big deal; after all, the first test he came up with was enough to show his desire to be professional for this examination.

Swinging two heavy weapons seemed like a daunting task, especially because it required one to have immense physical strength. A few candidates, mostly the scrawny ones, had expressions of hesitation on their faces, while other students beamed confidently, eagerly waiting to try it out.

The task was not a hard one, as the Hitman Walker did not say that the candidates could not supplement their strength with combat chi. This was actually what he wanted them to do, as it would increase their strength, which would make swinging the heavy weapons easier. The instinct to do so was an entry-level requirement for the course. The only challenges that candidates here would face, at this point, was being able to strengthen their hands with combat chi, as well as maintaining its flow for an extended period of time. This test was aimed at gauging candidates' control over combat chi, which will allow the examiner to know how strong their grasp over the basics is.

Baiyi was only interested in candidates who had a strong grip on the basics; the mediocre ones were not worth his time. Even with the help of combat chi or mana, an average person would require one at least five years to grasp the basic overview of any major discipline; however, students could only study at Da Xue for, at most, four years. This was not enough time for one, who was starting at the beginning, to master a discipline.

Da Xue sought only to accept elite students, as its goal was to become an incubator for young experts of every discipline. Therefore, those without good foundations were simply not suitable for Baiyi's academy.

This was the reason why the entrance exam was formulated this way; its purpose was to separate those with firm basics from those without. Some challenges, such as the one set by the Hitman Walker, were right for this purpose. Although these challenges were more difficult than others found in other enrollment examinations, they were still within the confines of a course's basics. The Hitman Walker's challenge allowed the candidates to show how well they controlled their combat chi; this would allow the Hitman Walker to gauge their coordination and control.

Many of these candidates hailed from high-class families, and they had enjoyed an ample amount of resources from childhood. The impressive control they had over their combat chi made evident the advantage of having a head start. Many candidates passed the challenge without breaking a sweat, but none of them were able to replicate the strong gales that broke out during the Hitman Walker's demonstration. In comparison, their swings made them seem as though they were roleplaying with weapons. Nevertheless, the Hitman Walker nodded, signaling Mr.Sorry to write down the exam IDs of successful candidates.

To get candidates that meet Baiyi's specification, each faculty had set five challenges. Three of these were challenges on the fundamentals of the subject. They had been carefully designed so that only knowledgeable students would pass them. The fourth challenge was much more difficult than the first three, and only the truly gifted candidates had a shot at passing it. Those who passed through the fourth challenge were recorded under 'Candidates with Potential'. The fifth challenge was so difficult, average students would have no chance of passing. Candidates that are able to ace this challenge would automatically be eligible for a full scholarship from Da Xue.

Three candidates from middle-class families had already withdrawn from the Hitman Walker's examination hall. They had only participated in the exam to see if they had a shot at the scholarship. When they realized that they could not do the easiest challenge, they decided not to waste any more of their time. Even if they had stayed, their families would have been unable to afford Da Xue's exorbitant fees.

Baiyi had nothing to say to them. The registration fee for the enrollment exam was only one silver coin; this was because Baiyi sought to attract candidates from different backgrounds and realms. Who was he to judge the candidates that had come just to try their luck...

Baiyi decided to see how things were going in another hall. This time, the hall he chose to check was being used for a course touted to be one of Da Xue's main courses: magic. The examiner for this course was the Scholar Walker, who was inhabiting an elegantly-crafted armor set for sorcerers. Baiyi had made sure that her armor was specifically crafted to suit her. He did the same for the other Voidwalkers that would be teaching, preventing them from Descending into the wrong armor set.

The Scholar Walker was just about the begin the second challenge. Mana surged out from her and coalesced into a rune and a formation. She informed the candidates that the rune performed the same function as the formation. After demonstrating this four times, she used her mana to draw a formation in the air. The candidates' task was simple: draw modern runes that could produce the same effect that the formation in the air could. Their answers were to be written in the enchanted goatskin parchment handed to them prior.

This was another question aimed at testing the candidates' knowledge of the basics. It helped test the candidates' observation skills, memory, and understanding of runes — the marks of a good sorcerer. The Scholar Walker had crafted her question carefully.

As the exam looked to be going well, Baiyi stopped watching, feeling relieved, and decided to check the exams being held by the two least reliable examiners he had: Theurgy and Alchemy.

The examiners were the Cleric Walker and the Alchemy Walker. If these two showed their true colors, no candidate would be able to stomach them. Baiyi turned his attention first to Theurgy.

"Now, two intonations in the hymn I just chanted has been secretly altered, and this caused the result of the hymn to change a little. Your task is to identify the parts that were changed and the impact they had on the result. Write your answers on the sheets of papers next to you," the Cleric Walker announced loudly.

'Oh? That's surprisingly normal! It's a standard theurgy question. Is this a testament to his seriousness?'

Many candidates began scratching their head, with expressions of incredulity gracing their faces.

As it stood, not many people would sign up for Theurgy courses at academies. This was because anyone who wanted to become a clergy would have directly joined the Church. However, the total number of candidates sitting for the Cleric Walker's exam was more than the others. Many males in the wall had worn clothes so fancy, they may as well have joined just so that they could pick up girls.

They had chosen Theurgy, the least popular course, because they had thought it would be the easiest to pass. After they had passed the exam, they could spend the rest of the time they had at Da Xue chasing after the pretty girls they saw in the promo video.

Unfortunately for them, Baiyi believed in quality over quantity. To him, these people, who were guaranteed to fail, had done a good deed by donating their registration fees to Da Xue's cause. Although their examiner, the Cleric Walker, was also a womanizer, he was a womanizer with class and standards. If the low-level horndogs writing his exam thought that they could get through him easily, well, they had better think again!

Feeling relieved, Baiyi turned his attention to the Alchemist Walker's exam hall.

This Voidwalker had already begun his third challenge. He showed the candidates three potions: a red potion, a blue potion, and a yellow potion. "Now, you may observe, smell, shake them, and — for those of you who have the balls — taste them if you would like. Nevertheless, I want you all to find the concoction that most resembles a restorative."

Despite being based on the basics, this challenge was a little more difficult than others. This was how the Alchemist Walker had chosen to test his candidates, at this point in time. Baiyi knew that this Voidwalker held nothing back when adding brain-teasing elements to innocent-looking questions. Answers to these sorts of questions were not simple. They involved a lot of extrapolation and testing, generating answers that most could not think of.

The only way for candidates to arrive at a correct answer was by heeding his instruction; they would have to observe, smell, shake, and taste the potions. They would also have to remember that the challenge was far simpler than it appeared to be.

As the final question covering the basics, Baiyi was okay with it being a little more difficult. He had expected worse from the Alchemist Walker; for example, tasking the students with concocting a potion that could fire a man into space. However, the Alchemist Walker was surprisingly dependable.

Baiyi was marveling at the Alchemist Walker's professionalism when a candidate suddenly toppled to the floor.

An expression of panic appeared on Baiyi's face, as well as the faces of the other candidates. The Alchemist calmly stepped forward and explained, "No need to worry. He's not dead or anything. He's just asleep."

The crowd quickly inspected the victim; it was true. The sleeping candidate had even begun to snore! It was evident that he was sleeping soundly. It had only taken a second for him to fall asleep!

"I can't believe that, at this stage, there are candidates who do not know the golden rule of appraising potions: alchemists should know not to ever drink too much of any potion! Look at these two potions; he drank half of each," the Alchemist Walker said, shaking his head in regret. Afterward, he shrugged before producing two new potions to replace the two that were drunk by the sleeping candidate.

Thanks to the sacrifice of the sleeping peabrain, other candidates were enlightened. A potion strong enough to make a man sleep a second after drinking it had to be used in creating medications for insomnia. A potion like this should contain chemical elements that could be found in common restoratives. As the peabrain had fallen asleep the moment he drank half of two different potions, it had to mean…

Suddenly, the question did not seem too difficult anymore. Thanks to the bravery of the sleeping candidate, the other candidates were able to gain an incredible hint, which would make it easier for them to arrive at the correct answer. Was this the Alchemist's intention all along?

'Meh. The candidates that pass the Alchemy exam will soon find out that their examiner is their course instructor. They might as well get used to his methods now,' Baiyi thought.

A short while later, all the exams being written were done with the first three basic challenges. The next two questions were the real challenges.

Baiyi shifted his attention back to the Hitman Walker. This time, he was standing before a pile of weapons. "Form a group of five. When you are done, pick up your weapons, and attack me all at once. I'll inspect your performance and determine if you pass."

"Sir," a candidate raised her hand, "What if we hurt you by accident?"

"Hurt?!" The Hitman Walker's words were filled with scorn. "If anyone manages to hurt me with any weapon here, I'll give them all five point and a full scholarship! They would not have to continue with the exam."

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399 You Actually Did That?!

If people learned of the Hitman Walker's backstory, they would realize that his bravado was not being faked. What was that one situation he found himself in more times than he could count, you ask?

Being surrounded by enemies, of course! Every time he attempted to assassinate someone, he got discovered, and before he knew it, he was cornered by a sheer number of hostile enemies, or gang members equipped with high-class weapons, or elite teams, whose members coordinated with each other brilliantly. Almost everything that could go wrong in an assassination attempt had gone wrong for him in the past.

That paled in comparison to the events that were unfolding right now; after all, to him, the candidates were just small fries! They were young, wobbly, and unable to give him a challenge even if they tried their hardest!

If they charged at him all at once, he was confident that no one would be able to touch his clothes. The reason why the Hitman did not take it seriously was because if he did, things could turn unnecessarily messy. He would also be unable to observe the candidates' individual performances if he got serious.

As the candidates were young, it was only natural that they had high egos. This was especially so for those who had firm foundations in martial arts. It was this category of candidates who were eager to begin the challenge. Filled with confidence, the candidates picked up their weapons, and — believing that would pass the challenge easily — lunged at the Hitman Walker.

"Gaaaahhhhh!" A candidate gave a loud warcry as he slammed a two-handed battle ax down on the Hitman's mask.

The Hitman Walker calmly raised a hand up and stopped the blade with two fingers.

"Quite the intimidating aura you have, but your strength and the speed is a bit too frail," said the Hitman Walker with a shake of his head. Suddenly, he leaped upwards, narrowly dodging a sword jab from behind.

With the Hitman Walker out of the way, the sword tip headed towards the first candidate to attack! The first candidate tried to duck, but he realized that his ax was still being held by the Hitman Walker, who was in the middle of a somersault.

At that moment, the first candidate's mind went blank, and he forgot that he could let the ax go and dodge. Reflected within his pupils was the cold, glinting sword tip, which was rushing towards him.

The Hitman Walker, who was the middle of a Barani flip, did a quick 180-degree spin in the air and used his other hand to push the sword tip, instantly changing its trajectory. The first candidate had been saved. The charging candidate, whose sword was knocked off course, fell to the ground, and the first candidate finally let go of the ax and toppled to the ground in disbelief.

"It's great that you know how to seize openings in order to attack, and also that you know to attack from directions that make it more difficult for your opponent to evade. Alas! You do not have as much control over your strength as you may think. This is one flaw that will keep you from becoming a qualified hitman," the Hitman Walker said, shaking his head again in regret. However, he quickly moved again, dodging attacks from three other candidates. He made sure to redirect their attacks to other candidates, causing them to stop their attacks midway and give up.

A combined attack from five candidates quickly followed, but it was just as quickly neutralized. One of them even had to be saved from the redirected attack of his comrade. No one had managed to lay a finger on the Hitman Walker's clothes.

At this point, the candidates in the hall clearly understood that their examiner was much more formidable than they had thought. It was one thing for someone to dodge a barrage of attacks, and it was another thing for someone to observe his attackers' strengths and weaknesses, and comment on them, whilst dodging the attacks. He had even prevented their attacks, which he had redirected, from harming other candidates. This required a level of skill that was beyond their imagination.

The martial artists who instructed them at home had never displayed this level of proficiency. This was why — despite their crushing defeat, which left them all at 0 points — the candidates' thirst for success increased. They became really excited.

Just how much would they improve by training under a master of such caliber? The only thing they found weird about their examiner was that, despite being a skilled martial artist, he kept going on about 'qualities a good hitman should adopt'. They could not understand why someone who was so skilled at close combat would be obsessed with killing people from the shadows like a coward. Wasn't martial arts completely redundant for assassination?

"Wow. I never thought Sir Hitman would take his job this seriously! So long as he isn't asked to carry out a stealth attack, he can be pretty damn reliable," Baiyi said with a chuckle in his little pocket dimension. He turned his attention over to the Scholar Walker's exam hall.

When he saw the fourth challenge she had come up with, he could not help shake his head. It was not that her challenges were subpar; on the contrary, they were pretty good, enough to highlight how perceptive and gifted in magic her candidates were. However, the challenge was just too… standard — so cliche! There was nothing novel about it. Baiyi found it hard to describe the question.

This was the style the one who bore the 'Great Unbending Sage' title had chosen to adopt. It was only natural that she would prioritize stability and certainty when doing her job! No wonder she did not marry when she was alive, even though she was quite a looker. The woman was just too conservative and clueless about cosmetics. Who would want someone like that?

Baiyi took solace in the fact that he could shift his attention elsewhere without worrying about anything out of the ordinary happening in her exam hall. He decided to check on the Alchemist Walker and the Cleric Walker — Voidwalkers he still did not consider reliable.

'Why are the potions being used still the red, blue and yellow ones from before? These are most certainly the same potions used in the previous challenge, aren't they?' It was almost as though the Alchemist Walker had yet to round up the previous challenge.

"Now, I am not going to task you with something as simple as identifying the potion that most resembles a restorative. This time, I want you all to use these three potions to create an actual restorative!" The Alchemist Walker announced loudly.

"Oh, and by the way, I made some changes to the three bottles," he added. He grabbed one bottle, shooked it for a while and tossed it out the window.

A resounding explosion rang out from outside, shaking the hall and its inhabitants severely. Smoke filled the area, and tinkering sounds rang out as shattered glass rained downward. A stinging odor began to permeate the air.

"There you go. Let the challenge begin!" The Alchemist Walker opened his arms wide, beckoning the candidates to come forward and try.

However, the candidates did not move, their hands covering their noses. They had been quite shaken by the explosion.

When the Alchemist Walker saw this, he could only shake his head in sadness — a sentiment that Baiyi echoed in the Void.

The challenge seemed way out of their league, but Baiyi knew better. This was something that the candidates ought to know how to solve.

The only way to arrive at the answer was to take the Alchemist Walker's hint. His demonstration — which brought about the small-scale explosion and the stinging odor — was actually a part of his question. He was just being a little backhanded about it.

His fourth challenge was intended to identify students with a natural gift for alchemy. For those who wonder what this gift is, it is not the ability to transmute just by clapping one's hands[1]. The Alchemist had his own method of identifying those with potential. Although many would go for geniuses with an active imagination, the Alchemist Walker favored those who were receptive to clues hidden in a problem. He also took kindly to those with the courage to test their theories.

An instinct to observe a problem carefully and the possession of an exceptional amount of mettle were qualities treasured in the subject of alchemy.

After pondering about it for a while, Baiyi decided to let the Alchemist Walker continue. The qualities sought by the Voidwalker may be different from qualities sought by others, but Baiyi knew he had to respect his decision; after all, it was he who appointed the Alchemist Walker as the lecturer for the subject.

Baiyi turned his attention to the Cleric Walker.

This Voidwalker was in the process of showing his candidates some strange pictures: two pairs of long stockings — a white one and a black one, a pantyhose, a pair of girdle stockings, etc. Afterward, he tasked them with using hymns to describe the beauty of female lingerie.

The candidates were, of course, stupefied. They were not sure why the exam had deviated off course to the point that they were starting to doubt their judgment. Honestly, did they register for a Theurgy course, or did they register for admission into the 'Gentlemen Academy'?

The moment a candidate was about to ask a question, the candidates noticed the holy-white armor that was their examiner shudder a little. Then, as though someone had switched places with their examiner, the Soul Armature made a sweeping gesture and spoke in a very different manner. "That question was actually to test if you all are truly fit for the life of a clergy! If anyone had answered it, they would have been disqualified instantly. I'm pleased that none of you took the bait."

"However! Seeing that none of you actually spoke up against it, I can deduce that no one here is clearly able to tell the difference between right and wrong. It's also obvious that none of you have the guts to fight the authority when it is clearly in the wrong. This is an act of cowardice — a testament to your weak spirits! Hence, as a penalty, you all have failed this test."

As they listened to the Soul Armature do a complete 180 on his own challenge, expressions of disbelief appeared on the faces of the candidates. However, some of them lowered their heads in shame, lamenting their inability to call out their examiner out for his wrongdoing.

Baiyi, who had just replaced the Cleric Walker, gestured at a clerk to write down the exam IDs of those who had expressed regret. Afterward, Baiyi left the holy-white armor and stuffed the Paladin Walker into it before growling, "You handle the last question. If you bloody dare to follow in your best friend's footsteps, I'll have you accompany him to where he has gone!"

As for the Cleric Walker, he was being subjected to worst punishment a Voidwalker could be given. His protective barrier had been stripped by Baiyi, leaving him exposed to the real nature of the Void.

When the Fifth Walker placed the protective barrier over the Cleric Walker's consciousness once more, the latter had become as meek as a disciplined kitten, vigorously promising not to mess up again.

'Tsk tsk! You're being called a 'Devout Apostle', aren't you? Yet, you change your stance so easily. You horndog, unable to rein in your 'Way of the Gentlemen', at least, for the duration of the exam!'

That was the only problem that arose. As for the other classes, they had no problems; however, some of them, such as Archery, had a pretty poor passing rate. Only ten candidates had scaled past the fourth question. Surprisingly, the candidates who failed just left with their heads hung low; no one caused a scene.

To Baiyi, it was probably because their examiner was the little Nydore. Who would want to get mad at an adorable fairy, whose smiles were warm and sweet? Not even the female candidates could get mad at her.

It was in this manner that the fourth challenge came to an end. All that was left was the fifth challenge, the last and most daunting one of them all.

[1] That's like the most classical move that short blonde guy did in Fullmetal Alchemist, right?

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400 The World Shall Hear My Voice

With the fifth and final challenge looming, Baiyi was without the expectation that any candidate would score all five points; after all, the candidates who scored four points were few. Soon, word arrived that not a single candidate had managed to pass the fourth challenges for Theurgy and Archery.

If that was the case, it would be nigh impossible for them to pass the fifth challenge, as it was designed to be much harder than the fourth. Only the most gifted and skillful could pass it.

After a spar with his candidates, which was unworthy of being called of 'warmup', the Hitman Walker beckoned to the candidates to gather close to him. Once they had done that, the Hitman Walker nodded at Mr. Sorry, signaling him to activate a magical prop they had set up earlier. A red aura shot out of the prop and encircled the candidates.

"The last challenge is simple: if you can stay within this circle for three minutes, you will be awarded the last point," the Hitman Walker calmly said. After he had said that, he drew his two-handed ax and his claymore, and an overwhelming gust of killing exploded out him.

The killing intent was so terrifying, it seemed to congeal into a corporeal substance. The candidates went pale in terror, and their knees struggled to hold them up. They wished to flee right there and then. The weaker candidates could not hold out any longer, crashing down to the ground in fright.

A similar thought cropped up in the minds of some candidates: 'Just how many calamities have this instructor faced for him to give off such a horrifying killing intent? Before this instructor — who has spoken multiple times about being a 'hitman'— died, had he become a monster borne from the bloodbath and carnage of multiple wars?'

The candidates' reactions did not surprise the Hitman Walker, and he said, "I encourage you all to retaliate as hard as you can, so do your best! I would be really glad if any of you surprise me. If you get hurt, you do not have to fear for your life, for the chaplains of Arfin City, led by Mr. Weslie, are on standby to provide medical aid should you need it."

A chaplain whose face resembled a weasel's walked into the exam hall. He waved at the candidates and flashed them a reassuring smile.

That was when the Hitman Walker moved.

With a mighty explosion, candidates were sent careening through the air like they were paper bags. It was as though a bomb had gone off in the crowd of candidates. Body after body soared out of the circle, like leaves been subjected to the wrath of a typhoon. Despite the candidates' numerical advantage and the short time limit of three minutes, thirty seconds was all it took for the Hitman Walker to clear the circle of candidates.

As this was just an exam, the Hitman Walker was not allowed to inflict serious injury on any candidate. Hence, he had hit the candidates only with the blunt ends of his weapon. He had also made sure to hold back his strength a lot, inflicting only light bruises on the candidates. The bruises were not enough to warrant a look by the chaplains.

With that, the last challenge came to an end, in a matter of seconds.

The Hitman Walker looked around the empty red circle and shrugged helplessly. "I only put in fifty percent effort, man. Are my expectations too high? I really hope Sir Hope won't scold me. You know what… Next time, if there is a next time, I'll use thirty percent instead."

The candidates, on the other hand, felt much worse than he did. Most of them were regarded as geniuses back home, yet it had taken their examiner on thirty seconds to send them all flying out of the circle. Despite the strength they had in numbers, they were unable to challenge their examiner even a little.

Had the examiner pulled his kid gloves off, none of them would still be alive…

This was something they found hard to stomach; after all, they were used to the success and prestige that most geniuses enjoy. However, they had been defeated unceremoniously by this examiner. They had no idea that in order to gain admission into Da Xue, they would have to meet the standards of Voidwalkers, which was much higher than the standard of normal humans.

However, a few candidates managed to overcome their dejection, leaving behind a thirst to learn and a drive to improve. The John Brothers, who had both passed the fourth challenge, were amongst these few.

These twin brothers hailed from a high-class family loyal to the Southern Duke, who, in turn, passed the ownership of an ore-mining business over to the family. Due to their upbringing and training, the brothers possessed an exceptional grip on the basics of martial arts. They cooperated with each other so well that they seemed to communicate telepathically.

The John brothers were the only candidates to pass the fourth challenge. They had coordinated their attacks so well that even the Hitman Walker had to acknowledge their potential.

"I just can't wait to be in Da Xue!" John Sr., who was down on one knee, exclaimed. There were no bruises on his body. The brothers had used their weapons to defend themselves against the Hitman Walker's attack, but they were still sent flying; however, they were able to right their posture in midair and land in a dignified manner, unlike the other candidates.

"Agreed! Learning under instructors as good as this examiner is a dream too good to be true. Thanks to Lord Duke's recommendation, we were able to see a renowned martial artist in action," John Jr. replied. He helped John Sr. up, and they both gazed at their examiner with determination burning in their hearts.

'Who is this Soul Armature? Was he a 'Hitman' when he was alive? We have read so many history books listing many heroes of old, but we have never come across the bibliography of an unmatched expert who insists on calling himself a 'Hitman'...' This was the thought that crossed the brother's minds.

Unfortunately, this was not a question that they could ask him, so it would continue to remain a mystery to them. In truth, their instructor really was a hitman. However, he was so bad at his job that his best skills were no fit for it.

"These boys have potential," Baiyi said in the Void. "Their performance is the best amongst the candidates. Unfortunately, like the others, they had greatly underestimated the Hitman Walker's powers. This prevented them from passing this challenge."

"Did you not think that the Hitman Walker was a bit too serious with them?" The Archmage, who had opted to remain with Baiyi in the Void, asked.

"Well, to be fair, he probably expected these candidates to find a unique way out of the situation. Unfortunately, his hint seemed too subtle for them," Baiyi ruefully remarked.

The 'unique way' he mentioned was enlisting the help of another examiner; after all, Mr. Sorry was the only person who remained within the red circle after three minutes had passed. The candidates had been so focused on the Hitman Walker that they had forgotten all about Mr. Sorry. If a candidate had hidden behind Mr. Sorry — or even persuaded him to help — they would surely have survived the onslaught for longer.

Although that may seem like cheating, it was still a solution. The Hitman Walker would have approved of it, too, because the ability to take everything into consideration, in a bid to achieve one's goal, is an unmatched talent.

Unfortunately, the candidates' thought process was still limited, and they were yet to realize the feats that could be attained when one thought outside the box.

212 candidates had participated in the Martial Arts enrollment exam; 38 candidates managed to score three points, and only 2 candidates managed to score four points. No one got a perfect score of five points. The passing rate was only one-fifth of the total.

One had to take into account the fact that candidates had been screened before the enrollment exam to make sure that they possessed basic knowledge of the course they wished to enroll in. The exam was so advanced, those who passed were considered extremely qualified and deserving of their spots.

In the exam hall for Magic, no candidate managed to score all five points. 44 candidates had scored three points, and only 3 candidates had scored four points. This result was far better than the Martial Arts exam, but this could be because the Scholar Walker's challenges were cliche — standard challenges that could be found in other academies. Her challenges were no different from situations mages faced daily, except they were slightly more difficult. This being the case, Baiyi believed that further observation of their performances in the future would be needed.

One by one, the exams came to an end. In the Alchemy exam, 30 candidates had scored three points, but no candidate scored higher than that. 'Could it be that the Alchemist Walker's standards were quite different from his counterparts?'

However, there were other courses that had it worse: Archery and Theurgy. The total number of candidates to score three points in both classes was just 39. They had the worst pass rate of the entire exam.

It was obvious why Theurgy had it rough, but for little Nydore, she had not gone out of her way to be unnecessarily strident. The archery skill she possessed suited her physique, making it suitable only for fairies, so humans would find it very hard to meet her standards.

Baiyi did not consider Archery a problem, though. He could just enroll some of the fairies from Eom Village into the class; this way, they could take the class alongside the humans who had scored three points.

The exams for non-major courses, like Literature Studies and Business, which Baiyi frankly did not give much of a damn about, had also completed their exams. As these courses had nothing whatsoever to do with battle, they did not receive much attention; only a small number of candidates sat for the exams. In these two courses, 56 students combined had scored three points and above.

Although Baiyi did not care much for these courses, the students that enrolled in it were still important. Not only would they serve to increase Da Xue's income, but Baiyi would also need them to help him spread his message as far as possible. Hence, he had to ensure that even his non-battle orientated students were treated just as good as the rest.

Altogether, 500 students had made the cut for Da Xue's first academy session. This number included the students that Baiyi had before — like Mia and the others — some Eom Village fairies, and the unicorn foals. Compared to universities back on Earth, the number of students in Da Xue was embarrassingly low. However, this was just fine because Da Xue's standards were much higher.

After the disqualified candidates left, the street quieted down. As the new students focused on their registrations, Baiyi left his pocket dimension. He arrived in the company of another Soul Armature. Its armor was a royal gold color, making the Soul Armature look lofty but noble. This was the Archmage, and he was inhabiting a brilliant armor that had been specially prepared for him.

The Master and his protege stood in front of the academy's special entrance, admiring the huge slab which had 'Da Xue' carved on it.

"Now, our preparations are complete. Our next goal is to make our voices heard — starting from here," Baiyi said softly.

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© Why Did You Summon Me - Sixteenth Basket of Mantaos - Ongoing 201 To 400. Why Did You Summon Me - Sixteenth Basket of Mantaos - Ongoing 201 To 400

Origin: http://samlib.ru/c/chernij_a_w/whydidyousummonme-sixteenthbasketofmantaos-ongoing201to400.shtml

Создан: 09/04/2020, изменен: 09/04/2020, 3121k

Стихотворение: Foreign+Translat

Series: @Other