Chapter 477: Ruins 21

The storm will take at least two hours to pass. During these two hours, they can only stay underground, waiting for the storm to end and waiting for the attacks that could happen at any moment. Huge tremors come from the surface from time to time; even without looking, one can imagine the scene of houses collapsing above. This superstorm is gradually turning the ruins of this city into a massive pile of rubble.

After dealing with the trickiest Teleporter, the entire Sandbox system seems to have become cautious, and Du Zhengyi lowered his defenses. Xiang Qian has never really cared; she waited a few minutes before lighting a cigarette. She truly does not care; this place is not particularly dangerous to her because she is not as timid as Du Zhengyi.

She handed a cigarette to Du Zhengyi, but he did not take it. She flicked the cigarette, insisting on giving it to him. "No need to be so tense; finding a balance between work and rest is the way to survive. In our line of work, boredom is more lethal than a High-Reaction Mage. Trust me, the next round of attacks won't come that quickly; this is a Strategy Examination Hall, and adjusting attack patterns takes a lot of time."

"Have you ever thought about why the adjustment speed here is so slow? It feels like a chess match; sometimes it takes a day to make a single move," Du Zhengyi asked as he took the cigarette.

"Never thought about it. This is an inherited Magic Sandbox; who knows what the Ancestors were thinking at the time? Maybe they just liked designing it this way." Xiang Qian exhaled a puff of smoke; her eye corners were covered in wrinkles, but her gaze was bright.

"Luo Qi is a person with very strong curiosity." Du Zhengyi began to smoke slowly, frowning as he exhaled the smoke. "He keeps chasing me with questions. Some things I can say, some I cannot, and some even I don't know. He views the Magic World using the human way of experimentation and logical deduction, wanting everything to have an explanation."

The bored Old Mage said perfunctorily, "That's quite rare."

"So, I'm worried that once he can handle things and realizes he won't die for the time being, he will start to get curious about the Magic Sandbox system. He might start exploring and looking for the magic core." Du Zhengyi held the cigarette in his hand, gradually becoming lost in thought.

"That's a bit dangerous, and also a bit boring."

"He was originally a low-ability mage who couldn't sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor, so it's understandable even if his behavior and traits are more like a human's. There is another big problem," Du Zhengyi said suddenly. "Liu Ziyu is a Technical mage who explores everywhere; as long as Luo Qi suggests it, she won't object. If it weren't for the two of them being together, the Communication Magic wouldn't have failed now."

"Speaking of which," Xiang Qian glanced at the "Luo Qi" who was staying quietly to the side, "When we arrived, wasn't it doing something under the stone tablet? I remember there was nothing mysterious under that stone tablet."

"I do remember the surface of the stone tablet having been scraped," Du Zhengyi said.

"When I was young, that stone tablet had already been smoothed over," Xiang Qian said indifferently. "Maybe someone had carved 'I was here' on it before, and Qionglin felt it wasn't very elegant."

"Since there is a stone tablet, it must be for recording history. Luo Qi understands human habits very well; he must have wanted to see what was carved on the stone tablet. What he is pursuing might not be the magic principles here; what he is curious about is likely the history of this human city," Du Zhengyi said, his cigarette already completely set aside.

"When I was young, this place was already like this," Xiang Qian emphasized.

"Don't you find it strange?" Du Zhengyi asked softly. "You have lived for at least one hundred and fifty years, right? When you first came here, it was around the human year 1900, yet what is presented here is the appearance of around 1980; you can tell from the cars."

"Why should I find it strange?" Xiang Qian said with the cunning and toughness peculiar to an old person. "Not seeing what shouldn't be seen is the principle of the Magic World. Child, do you have any opinions on this?"

Du Zhengyi did not answer.

Xiang Qian continued to speak while smoking, "Perhaps the Progenitor Mages predicted the future long ago; even Calculators can figure out some clues about the future through Calculation Arrays. Who knows what capabilities the Progenitor Mages had?"

"Perhaps," Du Zhengyi said.

"Luo Qi is a strange child; he has been brainwashed by humans. No elite mage would be like him. All elite mages are discovered in childhood; the most remarkable mages are sent into Qionglin during their childhood, and those of lesser standing also receive great attention from schools and are accepted into mainstream society very early," Xiang Qian said. Her words were full of attack, yet her tone revealed indifference. She slowly blew smoke rings, and Du Zhengyi could even hear a trace of elusive mockery in her voice. "Do you know? Actually, Mind Mages and Battle Mages are both special groups among mages; this is very interesting. Although Mind Mages are fragile, they are the spear, while Battle Mages are the shield. Although sometimes Battle Mages are also the nemesis of Mind Mages, only we have the ability to heavily seal ourselves to prevent the infiltration of Telepaths."

"Is this why they don't trust Luo Qi?" Du Zhengyi asked.

But she smiled, "It's a bit of everything. Fortunately, you are about to die, and there is the Gushan Guard with a Contract in place; otherwise, they would trust Luo Qi even less. To be accepted by the Magic World, one must first prove their value. Luo Qi is currently proving his right to survive. So, what exactly are you in such a rush for?"

"If Luo Qi heard you say that, he would call this some kind of social communism," Du Zhengyi said gently, as if he did not mind her bluntness at all.

"Even if you said the whole thing, I wouldn't understand it," Xiang Qian said. "I am old, about to retire, and about to die."

"How many mages are still hiding their identification with and understanding of humans?"

"Perhaps some mages without value and some mages who can hide their inner thoughts," Xiang Qian said, tapping her temple. "You had better advise your little friend to act normally and be willing to work for Qionglin."

"Did they send you to tell me these things?"

"Only Liu Li."

They were silent for a while, then Du Zhengyi suddenly said, "I am dying soon, so it doesn't matter if I live with a bit of personality. Luo Qi is a smart person; he will soon understand Qionglin's intentions."

Xiang Qian gave a dry laugh.

"When you were young, was this already a Strategy Examination Hall for testing Battle Mages?" Du Zhengyi suddenly asked again.

"Of course."

"But this place was originally for testing Mind Mages," Du Zhengyi said. "Is it possible that once it identifies the existence of Telepathy Magic, it immediately locks onto the primary target for attack?"

"But it still behaves like a Strategy Examination Hall here."

"What if the so-called strategy is playing a game against a consciousness? Could that consciousness be a soul left behind in the Sandbox?" Du Zhengyi asked.

"That would be a consciousness that has existed since ancient times," Xiang Qian said uncertainly. "Have you ever seen such an Old Soul?"

"Of course I haven't," Du Zhengyi said expressionlessly. "But since the possibility exists, it must exist, right?"