Chapter 52: The Other Side of Coldness

In the deepest darkness, where outsiders could never know, there existed such a space.

Inside, it teemed with stitched monsters, twisted limbs, and warped flesh.

In this space, describable only as fallen, corrupted, and sinister, two figures moved leisurely, utterly out of place amid the surroundings.

If anyone saw this scene, they would feel an unreal sensation.

The white-haired boy, with a gentle smile, was faintly draped in a veil of radiant light; no defiling thing could approach his body.

The rotting mist parted automatically before him, the filthy black blood recoiled beneath his feet and returned to its state after he passed.

The dark elf, however, felt entirely different.

She was the very architect of all this, yet her very existence clashed with this place.

It was a strange feeling.

Extreme purity.

Even an otherworldly detachment.

None of these creations could leave any trace upon her.

She moved without defense, walking straight through the mist, barefoot stepping over carcasses, treading into blood pools—unsullied.

The corrosive mist could not harm her skin, as if it were ordinary water vapor.

Her bare soles stepped directly onto rotting flesh mixed with shattered bone, yet not a drop of blood or pulp clung to her tender feet.

Born from mud, yet unstained; washed in clear ripples, yet unadorned.

Like a white lotus… hmm, a black lotus.

Yes.

It was as if a lotus had bloomed from the twisted flesh itself.

Though surrounded by a scene worthy of hell on earth, both figures remained calm.

They spoke with composure, ignoring everything around them.

“You’re unlike most humans I’ve met.”

“Humans see me as an evil demon; even mages, after learning of my research, call me an extreme madman.”

Svan Ni walked ahead, guiding the way, speaking with deep emotion: “No, not just humans—you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Even in the Shadowlands, most dark creatures regard me as something terrifying.”

“Even within my own family, those who delight in tormenting others cannot understand my thoughts—they only see my research as rituals to please dark gods.”

Hmph!

The Dark Elf Archmage let out a scornful scoff: “That notion is so foolish, I can’t even be bothered to explain it to them.”

“No one—not even those who feign agreement—truly understands my research.”

“I bought these materials with money; even if I didn’t, others would buy them and send adventurers to hunt them. Why do they single me out as evil?”

“Just because I’m a dark elf?”

Svan Ni ’s expression grew cold; she gave a light huff:

“I understand.”

“My methods and thinking are destined to be rejected and misunderstood; I don’t care what they think.”

“I don’t need their approval.”

“I don’t need it!”

Perhaps because she had gone too long without speaking, or perhaps because Herbert’s attitude stirred something in her,

this reclusive archmage, usually so resistant to communication, unexpectedly became loquacious, speaking at length to herself.

Herbert, in turn, played the role of a good listener, quietly hearing her out and offering occasional responses to draw her on.

“Mm, I understand you. The path of seeking knowledge is always lonely.”

“Being misunderstood is the fate of geniuses.”

“If you yourself know clearly, why seek others’ approval?”

Yeah, pouring on the motivational Jitang was it.

Herbert had figured it out: this archmage’s inner self was nothing like her icy exterior suggested.

Did Svan Ni truly “not care about others’ opinions,” as she claimed?

The answer was obviously no.

If she truly didn’t care, she wouldn’t keep bringing it up.

People are like that.

The more they care inside, the more they pretend not to care on the outside.

That way, even if they ultimately fail, they can casually say, “I never cared about this anyway.”

In Svan Ni ’s heart burned a fierce passion for her research, long denied and opposed by others.

Years of rejection had made her withdrawn; she had hidden her flame away, unwilling to share it with anyone.

His presence—and his genuine understanding—gave her the chance to finally let it out.

Like tossing dry wood onto a dying bonfire, then dousing it with a bucket of gasoline.

The flames erupted violently!

Out of control.

Herbert watched Svan Ni ’s profile and nodded silently.

Though her face was equally cold, her true form showed far more expression than her avatar, revealing subtle shifts in emotion.

A cold lotus?

No—it was a fire wrapped in paper.

“No one has ever, upon first meeting, accepted my research… like you have.”

After speaking at length, Svan Ni ’s fervor gradually calmed. She stopped walking and turned her head toward the boy beside her.

“… ”

She seemed to realize what she had just done; after a long silence, she continued: “Archmage Herbert, thank you for listening to me.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

Herbert smiled lightly and shook his head, sincerely: “Archmage Svan Ni , you needn’t thank me—I’m genuinely interested in your past.”

Even setting aside any attempt to win her over, Herbert was deeply curious about this dark elf.

He wanted to know what experiences had led her down this extreme path of flesh and blood.

If some believe flesh is weak and must be transcended through mechanical ascension, then Svan Ni was their extreme opposite.

She believed the body, through relentless breakthroughs, could surpass its limits and reach divine heights.

Yes.

To Herbert, this so-called fallen elf, forbidden scholar, shadow archmage, was far from complicated.

Forget all the nonsense.

In plain terms, she was just a master of body cultivation…

A full-fledged archmage with an indestructible physical body, skilled in fists and kicks—wasn’t that perfectly reasonable?

Reasonable.

Extremely reasonable!

After this long conversation, Herbert felt their relationship had successfully shifted from “hostile” to “above neutral, not yet friendly.”

“By the way, Archmage Svan Ni , I’d like to discuss something with you.”

When the timing felt right, Herbert raised his request:

“About those who want to help you escape—could you agree to it?”

?

Svan Ni : Huh?

(End of Chapter)