Chapter 310: The Crown of the Mundane and the Divine·Ordinary People

Luosi Guwu nodded: "What you want to eradicate is the staff's blind faith in 【genius】."

"I'm just listing my doubts; as for the answer… they will figure it out themselves." Laatio said lightly, "Seeking with a negative mindset is also a kind of seeking; it can likewise help us reach the correct endpoint. For a group of ordinary people to attain enlightenment, this is a necessary process."

"Compared to scholars, you are indeed more like a 'doctor'."

"Well, farewell. I hope we'll have another chance to meet all the geniuses in the future. I believe then, it will be just like today……"

Laatio lowered his brows, glanced at the spiraling spirit fire in the container in his hand, then suddenly let go—before the crisp sound of the container hitting the ground could spread, the azure flame, like a living thing, climbed up his entire body.

"A farce, all sorts of worries. In the end, it's nothing more than……"

"Ordinary people bring trouble upon themselves."

He placed his right hand over his chest, gave a salute to Luosi Guwu, then turned and vanished into the flames without looking back.

"……"

After the matter ended, Xing also received a commendation message from the Black Tower, but she didn't care about that; she wanted to know how Aisida was doing now.

Upon hearing that Aisida had recovered well enough to get up and work, she also felt a little relieved; the only regret was that she still hadn't found the 【phase spirit fire】.

"Forget it, I'll just consider it a favor owed by Ruan Mei, and it's even more valuable—let's leave it at that." The Black Tower didn't seem to take it to heart.

"We still need to thank Mr. Laatio." Xing added.

"Who is that?" the Black Tower suddenly asked.

"Xing (・◇・)?:"Huh?""

"Black Tower (・_・?):"Huh?""

——

Harry Potter.

Inside the Hogwarts headmaster's office, silverware hummed softly, spinning out pale blue smoke. Dumbledore gazed at the sky through his half‑moon spectacles, almost able to imagine the confused expression on Black Tower Lady's face before she voiced that question.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Dumbledore said softly, tapping his fingers on the desk, "A human who never got a glimpse of 【wisdom】 became the central figure of this crisis under a genius's gaze, truly saving lives from the clutches of the 【Extinction Gang】."

Snape stood in the shadows, his black robe nearly blending with the wall. "But in the end, he never even had his name remembered by Black Tower Lady."

"Ha, that doesn't matter either." Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed, "Severus, he's a teacher; a teacher's duty is to educate students. He may not meet the 'genius club' standard in research, but in teaching he is a genuine genius."

"It seems you appreciate his teaching philosophy."

The phoenix Fawkes let out a soft cry beside him, and Dumbledore smiled as he gave it a candy: "Yes, he teaches people how to think, not just to accept knowledge. Compared to 'monotonous' indoctrination, guiding students to think and comprehend in difficulty is far more vivid—just that this scale is hard to gauge."

"That makes sense." Snape said dryly, "Do I need to remind you that most Hogwarts students can't even remember the simplest potion recipe? Their basic knowledge isn't solid, so your so‑called 'difficulty' would probably crush them on the spot."

"That's why Hogwarts' teaching needs to be changed—push the correction too far." Dumbledore looked out the window at the gathering clouds, let out a faint sigh: "... The weather's about to change, Severus."

——

"Meanwhile, elsewhere."

""【Star of the Banquet】Pinokangni, the cradle where beautiful dreams sink, the resting place of the timid.""

""The family has set a banquet, guests invited to attend. The golden blood of 【Destruction】 will flow together, offering the grand sacrifice to Him.""

"In the dim manor, Netherfire Duke Afurelite sat upon the throne, his fingertips pinching a white flower; its petals, under his gaze, gradually curled and blackened, turning into fine ash that drifted down."

"The burning goat skull drooped, its hollow eye sockets flickering with chilling flames. He silently watched his children, a low laugh echoing through the manor."

""Children of flame… this is your rite of passage.""

——

Chainsaw Man.

"Again, again it's this guy, ahhhhh——!!"

"In Hayakawa Aki's apartment, Power lay spread‑eagled on the sofa, her feet planted directly on Denji's face; when the image of the Netherfire Duke appeared on the sky, she bolted upright with a "whoop", screaming as she fled into the bedroom."

"……Why is this guy so afraid of the Netherfire Duke?"

"This wasn't the first time such a scene had appeared; beside him, Hayakawa Aki sighed and set upright the teacup that Power had knocked over while fleeing."

"I recall her saying this guy's even scarier than the primordial demons of hell…… In short, just looking at him is unthinkable—no wonder, since Power's a demon too." Denji scratched his head, "By the way, what kind of place is Pinokangni? Star of the Banquet…… is it the sort that holds parties every day?"

"I remember Topa saying earlier that it's the 'family's' turf, though we don't know which faction the family belongs to. Besides, Pinokangni is also the next stop for the Astral Express."

"Oh?" Denji perked up, "Doesn't that mean the Astral Express is going to clash head‑on with the Netherfire Duke?"

"I can't rule that out." Hayakawa Aki didn't deny it, "Looking at the Netherfire Duke's intent, he's planning to cause a big scene in Pinokangni; come to think of it, the company also intends to get involved—so the whole Pinokangni might have four forces at play."

"Even just thinking about it a little, Hayakawa Aki finds it chaotic."

"But given the reputation of the 【Extinction Gang】, the remaining three factions will likely band together to prioritize wiping out this Netherfire Duke. To dare launch such a grand 【Destruction】 campaign, this duke probably hides more unknown motives and plans beyond his means and power."

——

""Akash, my most sentimental child, I ignite your eyes, teach you to pluck strings and make music; you shall play a four‑stringed instrument to sound the banquet hymn, silencing the chants of 【Harmony】.""

"As a burning eyeball appeared on screen, a warm, low male voice drifted forth: "Exactly as intended, Dad.""

""Dubula, my most clever child, I ignite your body, grant you swords and axes; you shall cleanse iron sickles with sulfur, bestowing pain upon 【Joy】, letting the actors' blood and tears flow into the River of the Dead.""

"A golden apple withered, revealing its purple‑rotted core; a dutiful girl's voice said: "As you command, Father.""

""Katrina, my bravest child, I ignite your heart, fill you with boiling blood; you shall blast open the vault of 【Preservation】 with fury, melt their gold, and forge statues for our benefactor.""

"Metal melted in the flames, as if the scent of sulfur could be smelled through the sky. A brisk, triumphant female voice laughed: "No need to say more, old man!""