Chapter 209: Not Mortal, But God (23)

Meidaxilin Cheng.

The Bu Ye Gong Imperial Horse Ranch.

Since the ranch is built within the palace, it naturally lies at the city center.

The royal horse ranch is, of course, enormous, covering more than two hundred thousand mu.

On this vast ranch, a pale‑gold pure‑blood Heaven horse carries the Empress, who is clad in dark‑blue breeches and vest, and she walks gracefully with dainty steps across the spacious pasture.

A black‑horse, black‑clad knight follows the Empress's right‑rear side, who is none other than General Jia Di Ya, just returned from Levinde.

The Radiant Empire lies far to the south, so spring arrives early; the ranch's grass is already a fresh green, and under the warm sun a gentle spring breeze brushes the faces, making the two noble ladies feel very comfortable.

After a moment of silence, Empress Zhuo Ya spoke: "Sister, I have read your report; it was thrilling, and both the demons and the legendary mage were unexpectedly powerful."

"Your merit this time is great; Grandfather will reward you handsomely."

By blood, Knight Jia Di Ya is Empress Zhuo Ya's cousin, so in private settings their conversation is rather informal.

Jia Di Ya felt a slight joy, but her expression remained solemn: "Your Majesty, I am honored to receive Grandfather's reward; it is my supreme glory."

She paused, then said softly: "But compared to the reward, I am more worried about the demons."

"The demons' strength has already exceeded the Empire's capacity to respond; perhaps we should send envoys to the Navat Republic again to seek its support."

It is a reasonable and proper suggestion, yet a faint bitter smile appears on the Empress's face.

"Sister, you know, Grandfather has already been there, even went again half a year ago, and indeed gained much experience against the demons, but much of that experience we cannot replicate."

Jia Di Ya said softly: "Your Majesty, I mean, not only to seek experience; when needed, we could even ask them for help."

"Ask for help?"

"Yes, request that they dispatch a legendary mage to aid us."

"A lofty legendary mage like Luobin could provide us with tremendous assistance at a critical moment."

The Empress listened attentively; after Jia Di Ya finished, she furrowed her brows slightly: "Speaking of Luobin, I must discuss him with you in detail."

She tugged the reins to change the horse's direction, then said softly: "When Grandfather first heard of Luobin, his initial feeling was strange."

"Because Luobin claims to be connected to the Navat Republic, yet Grandfather had just been to Navat not long ago and never heard of such a powerful legendary mage."

"You must understand, even for a legendary mage, regardless of method or whether the target demon is strong or weak, being able to finally slay a demon is an extraordinarily remarkable feat."

"Therefore, even in the Navat Republic, this person should be an immensely lofty and great being."

"Yet such an outstanding figure leaves no trace of past deeds, and no one has ever heard his name, which feels very odd."

Jia Di Ya listened carefully, then said softly: "He calls himself a demon hunter and also travels across various planes."

"I think the demons aren't foolish either; knowing such a strong hunter is pursuing them, they will surely devise ways to kill him."

"So, to protect himself, Luobin deliberately concealed his name and true identity?"

Empress Zhuo Ya nodded slowly: "That possibility does exist, but another possibility also remains."

Jia Di Ya was startled: "How so?"

Empress Zhuo Ya's face showed a deep gravity: "Demons are exceedingly cunning. Knowing they have been exposed, they look for ways to escape."

She paused, then said: "The battle inside Levinde's royal palace may be a performance staged by the demons."

"A play?" Jia Di Ya was momentarily confused.

"Yes, a play—acting out a death‑vanishing scene to evade attention, allowing them to slip back into the mortal world and resume a silent invasion."

Jia Di Ya understood, and her face instantly showed an unacceptable expression: "Your Majesty, you mean Luobin is actually a demonic incarnation in the mortal realm?"

"That possibility exists."

"No, absolutely not!"

Jia Di Ya denied the speculation without hesitation.

She, with a defiant face, said: "Your Majesty, I have personally experienced Luobin's power; he pulled me back from the brink of madness."

"At that time the demons' influence in Levinde was already massive, not only controlling the royal family but also beginning to spread among the populace."

"No one could stop the demons then, so they had no need to stage such a play."

She grew increasingly agitated, and finally, unable to suppress her tone, shouted: "Your Majesty, not only I, but every warrior of the Sixth Special Operations Unit would never accept the notion of a play!"

Empress Zhuo Ya, somewhat surprised, glanced at her cousin: "Jia Di Ya, we are merely speculating various possibilities; you need not attach subjective emotions to this."

Jia Di Ya also realized she was losing control, took a deep breath to calm herself, and said: "Your Majesty, I have lost composure."

Zhuo Ya nodded.

"The possibility of a play is indeed extremely slim, almost impossible."

"But Luobin does carry many inexplicable doubts."

"Beyond his identity, there is also his power."

A few days ago Grandfather contacted Yasding of Navat and relayed the various power traits you described; Yasding likewise had never seen, nor heard of, a similar legendary mage.

"That Yasding is no ordinary person; he is a candidate for the Guardian Archmage and possesses considerable knowledge of legendary powers."

"He told Grandfather that without the aid of faith‑based power, mortals might ascend to legend, but they could never retain strong combat ability while maintaining legendary power."

"In other words, Luobin's performance does not resemble a mortal; it is more akin to a Void Deity Demon."

Jia Di Ya carefully recounted past dealings with Luobin, and finally shook her head: "Sister, I am 100 % certain Luobin is definitely a mortal."

"I have dealt up close with Void demons; those demons can speak and communicate with us, but it is all mimicry and calculation, with no emotional resonance."

"But Luobin is different; I was in close contact with him for about five days."

"He loves gourmet food and fine wine; despite his advanced age, he still likes to stare at pretty girls' chests and occasionally makes a teasing remark."

Speaking of this, Jia Di Ya felt her cheeks warm slightly, because that old mage had also made a veiled teasing comment about her, saying her figure was wonderful and her future husband would be very happy.

Thinking of that, Jia Di Ya sighed inwardly: "Mortals truly are imperfect; such a powerful, lofty legendary mage even has personal flaws."

Returning to the main topic.

"In short, these details are things non‑human beings lack; even if they try to fake them, they cannot."

Zhuo Ya still listened attentively, and after hearing she laughed, "Sister, you should write these details into the report as well." Jia Di Ya shrugged, "I will. I'll submit a report that records all the details and impressions of my contacts with the demon and the legendary mage."

She fell silent, then added, "But one thing does puzzle me, because the demon repeatedly addressed the legendary mage as Duke Weilan, and did so naturally, not as if lying."

This remark made Empress Zhuo Ya also fall into thought.

The two continued riding around the horse arena; after a long walk, Empress Zhuo Ya said, "We cannot rule out the possibility that Duke Weilan will ascend to become a legend."

"Your Majesty, I heard Grandfather once analyzed Duke Weilan's blood and confirmed he is an Eight‑ring mage?"

"If the duke truly is a legendary mage, then he naturally has the ability to conceal it from Grandfather in his blood."

Jia Di Ya was somewhat shocked, "But if that's the case, he would have the power to easily unify the Nature Alliance."

Zhuo Ya also frowned, "Indeed, and it would be extremely hard to stop; once he unifies the Nature Alliance, he will become the empire's most terrifying opponent, even more fearsome than the Holy Elves Empire."

"What do we do now?"

"It's only speculation; we must verify it. I have already sent Ailin to confirm."

Jia Di Ya immediately shook her head, "Ailin is only a Four‑ring mage; she can be easily toyed with by a legendary mage and lacks the ability to verify."

Zhuo Ya smiled lightly, "No, no, no, don't underestimate Ailin. Her power is indeed low, but she is very sensitive to men."

Jia Di Ya spread her hands, offered no comment, and skipped the truth question: "If the duke truly is a legendary mage, what shall we do?"

The Empress sighed, "Honestly, I don't know."

"A void demon with no foothold in the mortal world is that hard to deal with. A demon that rose in the mortal world, already controls a Grand Duchy. If we truly anger him, he might come to assassinate, and we may not be able to stop him."

Jia Di Ya said, "What if Grandfather also ascends to legend?"

The Empress slowly shook her head, "Impossible, because that requires an enormously massive faith power. The faith provided by our Radiant Nations' nine hundred million believers is far insufficient; even tripling it might not be enough."

Then Jia Di Ya didn't understand.

"So, looking at it this way, Duke Weilan's faith power is even more lacking; it is highly probable he is not a legendary mage."

Zhuo Ya nodded in agreement, "That's correct."

Coincidentally, just as she finished speaking, the radiant artifact on her wrist flashed, and a message came from the central secretariat.

Empress Zhuo Ya glanced at the message and immediately laughed, "Ailin has sent a message; she confirms Duke Weilan has been staying in Weilan recently and hasn't gone anywhere."

In other words, Duke Weilan cannot be a legendary mage.

Jia Di Ya listened, puzzled, "How was that confirmed?"

The Empress smiled, "Ailin and Duke Weilan have become close; they hang out whenever they can. These days she can see Duke Weilan almost daily, and they have had several secret talks in the duke's study chamber."

"In short, she and the duke are getting along very well; she's likely to be pregnant with the duke's child soon."

Jia Di Ya was speechless, "Ailin is absurd; she rejects such a handsome husband at home and runs off to Weilan to be a lover."

Zhuo Ya spread her hands, "Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"The duke not only looks good, but also wields the Divine Spear; I used to think it was a rumor, but seeing Ailin's behavior shows it's real."

The female general was stunned for several seconds before reacting, "People can't survive by relying on a spear, can they?"

"Indeed they can't, but it's better than nothing."

Perhaps to confirm Duke Weilan's safety, the Empress was in high spirits; she galloped across the arena, and Jia Di Ya immediately spurred her horse to catch up.

After a few laps around the arena, the Empress whispered, "Having ruled out various possibilities, the biggest remaining one is that Luobin the mage is neither a legendary mage nor a demon, but a god."

"Or more precisely, a god acting as a mortal world's emissary."

Jia Di Ya raised an eyebrow, "Aren't gods and demons both void beings? What's the difference?"

"Certainly there is a difference."

"Demons are chaotic and evil beings; gods are orderly and benevolent beings."

"Demons treat mortals as tools."

"Gods treat mortals as servants, even friends, companions; they are willing to engage with mortals and understand everything about them."

"At the same time, gods also have countless believers in the mortal world, and their mortal emissaries often preach there."

"For all these reasons, a god's understanding of mortals can even surpass that of most mortals themselves."

"That explains why Luobin resembles mortals so closely."

Jia Di Ya accepted the explanation, "Alright, although I'm still a bit disappointed, this possibility isn't bad."

"Disappointed? Why?"

Jia Di Ya thought for a moment and said, "Because I feel entrusting the fate of us mortals to a non‑human from the void is dangerous."

"We mortals should control our own destiny; whether the void beings are kind or evil, it has nothing to do with us."

"But as long as they dare to have improper thoughts about us, we have the ability to beat them down."

The Empress looked at her cousin with admiration, "Hearing you say that puts me completely at ease. Honestly, I was a bit worried you might be swayed by that Luobin mage."

Jia Di Ya laughed, "Sister, I'm not that fragile."

The Empress also laughed, but silently sighed, "It's hard for mortals to master their own fate."

Yet, being the Empress of a vast empire and the most outstanding among the Radiant Gods, Zhuo Ya quickly gathered her thoughts.

"Wait, when the mages of the Seventh Alchemy Institute discover a way to store magical power, even souls, then we mortals will have the qualification to oppose gods and demons."

Jia Di Ya, however, had little confidence: "They have already spent at least two thousand tons of gold coins, and a full one hundred and twenty years; can they really breakthrough?"

That sum of money is so huge it could almost buy a kingdom of the Nature Alliance.

Zhuo Ya gazed into the distance, speaking softly, "Honestly, I don't know whether they'll succeed."

"But if a device that stores magical power truly exists in the world, we will surely be the first to find it!"

"And once discovered, our Radiant Empire can be renamed the Radiant Divine Kingdom!"

(End of chapter)