Chapter 356: Void Theory

The faint light of dawn pierced the eastern horizon, plating Pompeii Village covered in heavy snow with a layer of holy and hopeful light.

When Luo Yan's party returned to the village with the sleeping child, the miller and his wife, who had not slept all night, were the first to rush out.

When he saw the sleeping boy in Finik's arms, this middle-aged man who had experienced wind and frost could no longer control his emotions, and he and his wife cried loudly together, kneeling in the snow and thanking everyone repeatedly.

Ilara, who had thin skin, hurriedly stepped forward, comforting the couple while helping them up from the snow.

Looking at this kind girl, the poor wife's lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, her trembling lips only squeezed out a submissive "thank you," hiding the shame in her eyes.

The crying woke the child.

The boy looked at the surroundings blankly, and after a while, probably recalling the nightmare of yesterday, he also cried out.

The crying at dawn alarmed the villagers in the village.

Hearing that the heroes had returned, those who had been worried all night also walked out of their homes one after another, surrounding these few adventurers who saved the village.

Their faces were intertwined with gratitude, joy, and a trace of imperceptible shame.

The old village chief held Finik's hand tremblingly and said excitedly.

"Heroes! Saint Xisi is above... you are the heroes of Pompeii Village!"

"No, we actually..." Finik wanted to explain with a red face, actually it was the guard of that Mr. Prince Kelin who did it, but the villagers didn't give him a chance to speak at all.

It doesn't really matter who did it.

What matters is that the nightmare pressing on Pompeii Village finally ended, and they no longer had to worry about that female lunatic running to the village from time to time to kidnap children.

"You actually really killed that witch!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Praise Saint Xisi, praise the Emperor, praise you who made a vow to them, you are true knights... thank you, we don't have to worry anymore!"

On one hand, they were glad that they could be saved and happy that the logging site they relied on for survival was regained; on the other hand, they were full of lingering fear and apology in their hearts.

They knew very well that they had deliberately concealed the information out of selfishness, and only vaguely called it an "undead mage," fearing that these young adventurers would be scared away.

No one cared about them.

That was the only straw they could reach.

Now, the heroes were back, which made them feel relieved, and also allowed this apology to be quietly covered up under the ecstasy.

The villagers took out the black rye bread, treasured smoked meat, and ale at home, and insisted on stuffing them into the hands of these few young heroes.

These things couldn't be sold for much money, but they were all this poor village had.

However, facing the enthusiastic praise of the villagers, Finik and the four felt exceptionally embarrassed.

If it weren't for Mr. Prince Kelin and his powerful guard, they would have been a pile of white bones in the undead army long ago. This heavy praise, they felt both undeserved and ironic.

"No, no, everyone is too polite, we can't accept this..."

Finik scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, smiling and declining the villagers' food. Baret and Leo also just smiled honestly, not knowing what to say.

At this time, the miller walked over and solemnly handed a heavy money bag to Finik.

"This is the agreed reward and a little bit of our heart... for the sake of Saint Xisi, please don't refuse!"

There were some silver coins in the money bag, but most of them were copper coins. Ilara, who had received a good education, counted carefully, totaling 55 silver coins and 74 copper coins.

Finik seriously counted out twenty from it, and added ten of his own "big money," squeezed through the crowd to Mr. Prince Kelin, and handed these thirty silver coins to the latter.

This was the agreed reward.

Luo Yan accepted it happily and handed the money bag to Sarah on the side.

Although thirty silver coins were no different from stones on the side of the road to him, this was the result of his labor, and the meaning was different.

"Sir, what are your plans next?" Baret gathered his courage, stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment, smiled and opened his mouth.

"I don't have any special ideas, let's rest today, anyway, the registration for the apprentice exam is not closed today, I think it's the same if we go tomorrow."

Tafu had fallen asleep in Sarah's arms.

She was even more sleepy than a child during the hibernation period, and the gratitude of the villagers just now didn't pull her out of the dream.

The four young adventurers looked at each other and nodded.

Finik walked to the village chief, politely declined the banquet invitation proposed by the latter, and then joined Luo Yan's party and returned in the direction of the traveler camp.

The villagers watched them leave until their backs disappeared at the edge of the snow, and then dispersed from the village entrance.

From beginning to end, neither Luo Yan nor Finik mentioned the fact that the villagers deliberately concealed information.

The four young people might have understood in their hearts, but they all tacitly chose silence.

The growth they gained this night was probably more than all the way here...

The group returned to the bustling traveler camp, surrounded by a noisy atmosphere, but this atmosphere could not infect Finik and others who had just returned from the line of life and death.

Their mood was still heavy.

After experiencing the cruel battle and witnessing the tragic end of "Green Tooth" Hekajielin from hope to madness, everyone was thinking about something in their hearts.

Academy State...

That holy land they had been longing for for a long time seemed to be covered with a shadow overnight.

Even Ilara, the only one in the four-person team who used magic with her own strength, could not optimistically think that her talent was stronger than that witch.

Just at the entrance of the camp, hunter Leo suddenly stopped.

Finik and others walked forward a few steps before realizing he hadn't followed, and couldn't help looking back.

Leo stood in place, a smile he had never had before on his face. That smile had both reluctance and the relief of letting go of everything.

"Finik, Baret, Ilara... thank you for your company along the way. I... don't intend to participate in the Academy State exam." To the three companions who walked all the way, he said the words he had been weighing along the way.

And at this moment, his eyes were no longer hesitant.

"Leo... you, are you serious?!" Finik was greatly shocked, he walked quickly back to Leo, not believing his ears.

Baret was the same, even rushing forward and grabbing his shoulders, trying to shake this guy whose brain was broken awake.

"Are you crazy?! We've already walked here... just the last step! Why give up now? You are at least more talented than me, right?"

Leo's eyes could even see a squirrel rushing into the bushes fifty meters away, which was undoubtedly a sign of wind element affinity.

Unlike himself, he only made the flame on the water heater bigger when he was dozing off, almost setting the house on fire—to this day he still suspected that it was just his old man misreading the time, actually he just dozed off for too long.

"Yes, Leo, persist a little longer!" Ilara also persuaded anxiously, "Didn't we agree to become magicians together?"

Leo smiled embarrassedly, also feeling that he was a bit cowardly for giving up halfway.

But he didn't intend to change.

His gaze swept over his three sincere companions, and finally, fell on Mr. Prince Kelin and the powerful female guard who had been silent not far away.

Looking back at his partners, he said frankly.

"Hekajielin is not a good person, but she is indeed a genius, you also saw the research results she left in the cave."

The three fell into silence.

Leo saw that no one answered, so he continued.

"Even a genius like her ended up in a non-human, non-ghost state. I suddenly felt that the Academy State might not be the paradise we imagined."

He looked at his hands, hands that had been pulling bows for years and were covered with calluses.

He suddenly smiled and said with relief.

"I seem to... really not have that talent, maybe Saint Xisi sent me to the mortal world, never thinking that I would become a magician. And, I don't envy them very much now. If the opponent is not those skeleton frames, but gray wolves or bears, I have confidence that I will never lose. And I actually don't need to fight undead mages at all, my hometown has never had that thing."

He found himself starting to miss the forest of his hometown, miss the wind blowing past his ears when chasing prey, miss that bowl of sweet pumpkin soup, miss his father's eyes that were strict but full of care, miss the girl who suddenly covered his eyes from behind when he was wiping his long bow... miss that smile that was not beautiful but innocent.

That kind of obscure life once made him hate it to the extreme, but at this moment it made him miss it so much that he wished he could fly back to their side immediately.

Being obscure is not bad.

They saw too many adventurers longing to become famous along the way, only to turn into despicable villains in the end.

Not to mention obtaining Saint Xisi's favor, letting these guys be reincarnated as a pig in Pompeii Village in the next life, that would be Saint Xisi being too merciful.

"... In the end, the so-called extraordinary power is just an 'extraordinary person' riding on the necks of a group of 'ordinary people.' Successful people will maintain this system, and some people who cannot tolerate this system, after gaining power, are just changing to a more barbaric and cruel method to torture those ordinary people who have no ability..."

"I even feel that it would be better if there were no extraordinary people in this world, what magic can do, hands can do the same..." Leo shrugged his shoulders, suddenly smiled freely, "

"Having this grand adventure is already enough for my unremarkable life."

The reason he had longed to become a mage was that he had naively believed he could change this world with magic and become a hero in people's eyes.

But now he understood that one person actually couldn't change anything at all; in the end, one could only decide what kind of life to lead.

Legends belong in stories; only life is one's own.

Fenike, Ilala, and Balete looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

They could not refute Rio's words, for they had witnessed the tragedy of Hekajielin with their own eyes, as well as everything she had done after falling into madness.

Standing to the side, Luo Yan revealed a thought-provoking smile.

This young man had good insight; at such a young age, he had seen through the essence of transcendent power—so-called transcendent power is just a force that gathers the strength of the many only to trample them underfoot; if everyone could use magic, then magic itself would lose its efficacy.

It was just a pity that this realization didn't mean much.

Because the desire to become "transcendent" is itself the most widespread foundation of public opinion in this world, an order born even before the First Epoch.

Don't look at the villagers of Pompeii as if they have no organization; they are all within the system. That was why once Hekajielin went mad, her wand was aimed at them first, rather than causing trouble for the Mage Tower or the local lord.

However, Luo Yan also admitted that Rio's choice was a form of clarity. In a situation where nothing could be changed, "lying flat" was not a bad choice for a smart person.

As long as one didn't harbor ambitions beyond one's own capabilities, one wouldn't be driven around by careerists like himself; whether in the Netherworld or the Empire, there were opportunities to spend one's life in leisure.

Although this was not in his own interest.

"Are you really not going to reconsider? This is your dream, after all." Fenike placed a hand on Rio's shoulder and asked one last time, earnestly.

Rio nodded, his gaze more serious than ever, and gripped the hand that had fallen on his shoulder.

"I have considered it for a long time."

"I wish you all the best in achieving your dreams."

Rio's resolve to leave made the atmosphere of the "Dream Chaser" squad increasingly heavy. The remaining three stood at the entrance of the camp, their expressions dazed.

"Mr. Prince Kelin," Fenike adjusted his emotions, stepped forward, and said to Luo Yan, "We intend to go to the Adventurers' Guild to cancel our mission first, and then... go to the tavern to celebrate last night's victory and see Rio off. Would you like to come along?"

Luo Yan looked at the young people with their complicated moods and smiled, shaking his head: "You go ahead. I'm a bit tired and would like to rest."

Being around him would only make them feel constrained; besides, he wasn't very close to them, just a chance encounter on the journey.

Fenike nodded and continued cautiously.

"Alright, then... shall we wait for you at the tavern entrance tomorrow morning? We agreed to go to the border registration office to sign up together, you remember, right?"

"Of course, I wish you all a good time." Luo Yan nodded in agreement.

Ta Fu, who had just woken up, was full of excitement and wanted to give them ideas, such as going into the camp to find those girls wrapped in sheepskin coats to do the things they liked best.

This little brat was quite interesting; on one hand, it mocked the hairless monkeys for being in heat all year round, while on the other, it was full of interest in mating that clearly went beyond academic discussion.

Just like an elementary school student who had just learned a dirty joke.

It was a pity that, due to its master's order, it could only let out a long "Quack" when it opened its mouth.

Thinking the young dragon was saying goodbye to their group, Fenike and the others were stunned for a moment, then nodded politely before dragging their heavy footsteps away.

Watching their desolate backs, Ta Fu looked aggrieved, as if it had swallowed a fly. Seeing Ta Fu get snubbed, Sarah couldn't help it, her thin lips curling upward.

Her sense of humor was always triggered by inexplicable things.

"We should go too."

Luo Yan smiled faintly, took Sarah and Ta Fu into the bustling camp, and went straight to his tent.

At the tent entrance, the two clay golems still stood motionless, exactly as they had been when Luo Yan left.

Seeing their master return, they respectfully stepped aside, clearing a path for the respected Lord Demon King.

"Sarah, I'm hungry. Make me some noodles."

"Yes, Lord Demon King." Sarah respectfully accepted the order, took the slightly changed-looking Ta Fu outside, and before long, the sound of eggs being beaten drifted in.

Luo Yan sat down at the table and waved his hand, and the tattered notebook found in Hekajielin's lair appeared in his hand.

Opening the notebook, a damp smell of ink and a faint scent of blood rushed toward him.

The first half of the notebook was written in a neat and elegant hand, detailing the orthodox magical knowledge Hekajielin had learned at the Academy, including elemental theory, mental meditation, rune structure, and so on... the lines were filled with longing and hope for the future.

Luo Yan noticed that on the flyleaf of the notebook, there was also a line of elegant handwriting—"Dedicated to knowledge, and to the great cause of magic."

Objectively speaking, her academic attainments were quite good; if one ignored knowledge compatibility, she was at the level to pass into the Demon King Academy on her own merits.

However, when Luo Yan flipped to the second half, the style changed abruptly.

The handwriting began to become wild and twisted, like overgrown poisonous vines, filled with various forbidden necromantic research, complaints about failed experiments, and vicious curses against the Academy. Some passages were even scratched into the paper with fingernails and then smeared with fresh blood... by this time, she must have been mentally unstable, a completely different person from the hopeful young woman before.

But regardless, this notebook was an excellent piece of loot.

Although there were differences between the magical theories of the Netherworld and the Empire, they were the same at the root, merely describing the same abstract object using different languages and grammar.

As an excellent graduate of the Demon King Academy and a mature necromancer, Luo Yan naturally saw through the fatal flaws in her research at a glance—especially the theory regarding soul stitching, which was a complete copy of the Lich's soul ascension ritual, and a copy of the old version from a thousand years ago at that.

This was undoubtedly suicide.

However, in return, Luo Yan also obtained a large amount of first-hand information about the internal courses and knowledge systems of the Academy.

Just as the Netherworld could not learn Holy Light magic, the mages of the Academy were equally unable to freely explore knowledge in the soul domain, so they had to seek another path, looking for explanations that conformed to the teachings of Saint Xisi through theology.

It was precisely because of this that the "Holy Energy School" was actually ahead of the Soul School and the Spirit School in the field of the soul.

This Hekajielin was an apprentice belonging to the Holy Energy School—studying under the Sage Candidate, Professor Uriel Akelai.

When he flipped to the last few pages of the notebook, his movements stopped.

The handwriting here had returned to a slight elegance, as if written when Hekajielin's mind was slightly more stable.

In a reminiscent tone, she recorded some knowledge she had heard from her mentor, which included the Academy's most cutting-edge research direction—the "Void Realm."

"... My mentor inadvertently mentioned during an experiment that the Academy's highest secret concerns the exploration of worlds beyond our own. He told us that our world, besides the earth beneath our feet, has earth beyond that earth, which is called the 'Void.' Before the Void, we are like frogs at the bottom of a well, like cicadas on a tree... everything we have is not worth mentioning before it."

"The Void is not just chaos; in the gaps of the endless sea of chaos, there exist many relatively 'harmless' otherworldly planes, and we are very likely just one of them."

"The mages of the Academy dare not discuss this matter publicly, but they all tacitly agree on this point. They have seen many things in the Void Realm that they had never seen before: boxes made of cement, burning flying arrows, walking corpses with hideous faces, or lizards traveling in silver sailboats... whether there is war or peace there, whether it is prosperous or desolate, whether there are people or not, they collectively refer to these planes not favored by Saint Xisi as the 'Void Realm'."

"When my mentor spoke to the point of excitement, he told us that their ultimate goal is to try to open stable channels to these 'Void Realms.' Although our physical bodies may not be able to pass through that door, we can learn and comprehend brand-new power systems from them that this world does not possess, so as to compensate for or even break through the shackles of the 'Soul Tier' that are destined at birth..."

At the end of the notebook, Hekajielin seemed somewhat excited, as if recalling those glorious years of chasing dreams and exploring the sea of the Void Realm together with her predecessors.

Even though she, having turned into a monster, could never go back.

"... The person leading this research is Professor Uriel Akelai of the Holy Energy School, my former mentor... I hate everyone, but I have never hated him. It was he who led me to push open the door to truth. Even if my soul burns out one day, I hope his theories can bloom on this land, so that our hard work will not turn into insignificant dust."

Luo Yan closed the notebook, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cover. The light of the magic lamp inside the tent flickered in his eyes with intense interest.

"... I didn't expect the ambitions of the Academy's mages to be even greater than I imagined."

They weren't just researching magic; they were actually trying to pry at the foundation of the world's rules.

The demons of the Netherworld had gone far in portal technology, but the mages of the Empire had actually begun to explore "other worlds"... although their physical bodies didn't seem able to pass through.

The only uncertainty now is whether the other side of the Void Realm is another planet under the same starry sky, or another completely different universe.

This might help him understand the essence of the planet Kao.

"Hearing You You, this journey is becoming more and more interesting."

(End of chapter)