Chapter 584: Pei Shu's Opponent

The Battle Mages did not use tents, but Luo Qi felt that the magic barrier was far more effective than a tent; within the two-hundred-square-meter area surrounded by magic, the temperature and humidity were quite pleasant. Several Mages carefully adjusted these parameters and added various warning measures that Luo Qi could not quite identify. The final feature was added by Wen Lin; when the sun's rays completely disappeared, she added fragrance to the space. Perhaps considering that there was a larger proportion of men here, she used the fresh scent of lemongrass, which was a relatively neutral choice.

While Luo Qi watched her, she was chatting idly with Du Zhengyi. Judging by Du Zhengyi's expression, she might have found the right topic, as Du Zhengyi was listening very attentively.

Luo Qi fed his cat a piece of cat food, thought for a moment, then ate one himself to taste it, and slowly circled around to approach Du Zhengyi and Wen Lin. He found an empty folding chair not far from them and sat down, right next to Shi Qian.

"Want a bean?" Luo Qi asked him.

Shi Qian looked at his cat and shook his head vigilantly.

"Are you familiar with my dad?" Luo Qi asked suddenly. Seeing Shi Qian's expression turn startled, he smiled and added, "You know whose family I'm from, right? Doctor Luo Ruian is also one of Fan Shi's people, isn't he?"

Shi Qian thought for a moment before speaking cautiously, "I know Luo Ruian, but I'm not very familiar with him. Your father is not one of Fan Shi's people; doctors are all neutral. They are doctors, saving lives and healing the wounded. It's just that a Venerable like Fan Shi can make many people feel they have no choice."

"My father is a Mind Archmage first, and a doctor second," Luo Qi said wistfully. "When he manipulated the humanoid Insect Race monster to hunt down Du Zhengyi, you and Wen Lin didn't see it; he didn't look like a doctor who saves lives and heals the wounded then."

"As a Mind Mage, there are many things one is forced to do," Shi Qian said. "Fan Shi later found out that the failure was because of Luo Ruian, and he was very angry. But at the time, no one knew who the so-called Great Civet King that Du Zhengyi was carrying was. It was only after Luo Ruian went missing that we gradually figured out what had happened."

"You're a good person, you have compassion," Luo Qi blinked. "Fan Shi also fled after failing to kill Du Zhengyi and me. You weren't in the Ancient Town at the time, but you saw him after that?"

The corner of Shi Qian's eye twitched. He stared into Luo Qi's eyes, his emotions surging intensely, and his face turned red. "What do you mean? That Fan Shi sent us here? Can't you see that Wen Lin is practically dying to stick herself to Du Zhengyi? What did Fan Shi send us here for? To use a honey trap to seduce Du Zhengyi? Do you think that would work?"

"Don't get excited," Luo Qi said calmly. The wistfulness and pitiful look on his face vanished instantly. He leaned his head back and rested comfortably in the chair. "Actually, I'm the one hoping the honey trap works, okay? What's with that look on your face? Don't misunderstand, I'm hoping Du Zhengyi's good looks can really be effective on Wen Lin, making her determined to climb Du Zhengyi's ladder to get to Pei Shu; that way, we'll all be safer."

Shi Qian was stunned for a moment, then said with some disgust, "Are you always this filthy and double-entendre-prone at such a young age?"

"Yo, adolescent brats are always horny, don't you remember when you were my age?" Luo Qi said leisurely. "Do you know that Fan Shi is just wasting his effort? He could never become the Head Venerable, nor could he topple Pei Shu; he just has commendable courage. It was wise for Wen Lin to give up on him. Actually, as long as one isn't blind, one should know there's no future in following Fan Shi."

"We are just small fry," Shi Qian said. "We don't know about things at the level of Pei Shu and Fan Shi."

Luo Qi looked at him and said, "Indeed, Pei Shu is at the very top, Fan Shi is only at the second level, and you might be at the third or fourth. The interesting thing is that people at each level cannot know about the level above them, while Pei Shu at the top of the pyramid knows everything. There are others, like some Mind Mages, who have the chance to glimpse sporadic secrets of the upper levels. All Mind Mages should not be underestimated; no one knows where they dug up what treasure, only that they know a tiny fraction of some earth-shattering secret. The more information you acquire, the more advantageous it is, but if there is too much information, forming a system, then it is not something one Mind Mage can handle; human power is limited after all."

"No wonder Mind Mages are always so annoying," Shi Qian said. He glanced at Luo Qi and asked in a low voice, "But what exactly are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the composition of our world," Luo Qi said. "Why do you think Pei Shu is so awesome? Hasn't Fan Shi complained to you about it? I want to have a conversation with the great, rebellious Fan Shi, but that's not possible, is it? It would be good to talk to the people around him, too."

"Why don't you go talk to Wen Lin? I see you like her a lot too."

"Which eye did you see me liking her with? Just because you like a woman, you think everyone in the world likes her? Why is your filter so heavy? Besides, we all know in our hearts that Wen Lin has no depth, no heart; other than climbing higher, she won't think about anything else," Luo Qi said.

"I don't like hearing you say that about her."

"I didn't say that wasn't a charm! An ambitious woman is more dazzling than a plain one, isn't she?" Luo Qi said frankly. "Besides, I'm just saying what's in your heart. Admit it, you're much better than those men who distort all women into symbols. You understand Wen Lin better than others; if she doesn't choose you in the future, it will be the loss of her life."

Shi Qian shook his head, but Luo Qi could see it was a sighing gesture. They were silent for a while. Luo Qi returned to his topic, "I want to know how Fan Shi views Pei Shu. He is the person closest to Pei Shu on the pyramid, and they are opponents. Sometimes, the one who understands a person best isn't a friend, but an opponent."

"Fan Shi has said a little," Shi Qian finally said. "Once, when he was holding a cocktail party at his residence, he complained to some people. He said Pei Shu has three most important groups: one is the Mind Mages of the First Laboratory, and one is the Experimental Mages of the Fifth Laboratory."

Luo Qi kicked a stone at his feet; his cat jumped off his lap and ran into the grass after a groundhog. "And the third? It wouldn't be Du Zhengyi, would it?"

"Du Zhengyi is not a group; he is practically a part of Pei Shu," Shi Qian said, his gaze drifting back to Du Zhengyi. "However, I think Fan Shi's estimation is incorrect; Du Zhengyi is not a part of Pei Shu, he is just himself."

Luo Qi smiled, "Of course, you really know how to judge people."

"Fan Shi complained that Pei Shu is like a cheating chess player; if everyone played chess with him by the rules, they would never beat him. Fan Shi said Pei Shu always sees through everything—just like you said—and not only can he see through everything, Fan Shi said he can always make the best choices, is always far-sighted, and is always playing a grand game with the highest winning percentage. I used to think these were just Fan Shi's complaints; my status is too low, and since my butt isn't in that position, I don't need to worry about that extra concern. But since you said that merely grasping information isn't enough, and it's hard to make correct judgments or predictions in a complex system, that's close to what Fan Shi meant."

"Can Fan Shi's third group help him analyze the future?" Luo Qi asked. "But I heard that the future is unpredictable."

"I'm not sure, but Fan Shi is convinced that the Calculation Mages are Pei Shu's third group, and this group doesn't socialize externally like Mind Mages. Calculation Mages have no business dealings with the outside world, rarely publish their insights on Magic, and rarely even contact their families. Once a person becomes a Calculation Mage, they basically spend their whole life working at the Calculation Institute; even their immediate family members don't really know what they are doing."

Luo Qi fell into thought; he remembered his aunt, a Calculation Mage who left home, and Guan Xinyue's Gugu, another Calculation Mage.

"Of course, you don't have to believe this; most Mages don't, thinking these are conspiracy theories. However, Fan Shi said that whenever a critical moment arrives, Calculation Mages appear to provide some important data. Outsiders think they are just monitoring major social changes through numbers, but Fan Shi believes they have some more secret work; otherwise, they wouldn't need to be that busy. He believes Pei Shu's wise and martial foresight comes from the calculations of the Calculation Mages; it is they who use Magic to calculate and predict the future. It is precisely because he is convinced that Pei Shu can foresee any organized and premeditated resistance, murder, or betrayal, that only unorganized, unpremeditated, and unsystematic actions can defeat Pei Shu, such as sudden assassinations or other throat-locking actions close to assassination."

Luo Qi's gaze turned to Du Zhengyi. When they first met, Du Zhengyi told him that time has no Magic, and neither backward travel nor forward prediction exists. "Is only Chaos everything?"

"Speaking of the opponent issue," Shi Qian said, ignoring his muttering, "Aren't the Lotus Burners a more evenly matched opponent for Pei Shu? I think Fan Shi, compared to them... is like a clown. Do you think the Lotus Burners are a sign that Pei Shu has lost control of the world?"

"Humans often say that many problems don't have a perfect solution, only a relatively optimal one; I appreciate this humble way of cognition. So even if Pei Shu can always take wise choices, it doesn't mean he is a god; omniscience doesn't necessarily mean the next step is omnipotence. Perhaps the Mage World has already delayed the appearance of the Lotus Burners, or perhaps the fact that the Lotus Burners are now exposed and we have detected them is exactly that things are progressing smoothly, and the current moment is the best result," Luo Qi said. "Speaking of which, there is also a powerful Mind Archmage among the Lotus Burners, corresponding to Pei Shu's magnitude, who also to some extent dominates the progress of events; he is practically like another Pei Shu."

"Then I wish you good luck, and that you also have the chance to have a talk with this opponent of Pei Shu."

Luo Qi returned his malicious wish with a smile. "What's there to fear about meeting? A kid like me, everyone loves me, and monsters love me too."

Shi Qian looked at him suspiciously. "No one will like you; you are a monster yourself."

Luo Qi didn't mind, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair, looking leisurely at the bright stars in the zenith. "How lonely the wise are!"

(End of chapter)