Chapter 418: Mercy? You? Demon King?

In the side hall of the Wang Gong of the Kingdom of Lei En, the air was solemn and grave.

You couldn't smell the unique scent of parchment and ink mixed together in the high tower of the Academy Union, nor could you see the complex star charts and magic arrays hanging all over the walls. Instead, there was the smell of ancient oak and steel, as well as bright red tapestries embroidered with glory in gold thread.

Portraits of past kings cast silent and majestic gazes from the walls; they wore heavy armor, held war hammers or long swords, and their eyes were as sharp as hawks.

Every object here was silently telling the long history of this kingdom, as well as the royal power built on glory and martial arts.

And in such a place full of murderous aura, sat a thin and small magic apprentice, looking out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

His name was Lyon, a mage of the Source Magic School, and also the youngest disciple of the Grand Sage.

Many people saw the Grand Sage's care for him and thought he was a distant relative of the Grand Sage, or even the Grand Sage's illegitimate child, but only he himself knew that things were actually not that complicated; the Sage Lord just liked his magic talent.

Of course, having said that, sometimes he himself would be confused about what his so-called talent was. He asked himself that his ability might be a little stronger than his peers, but it shouldn't be strong enough to make the Grand Sage look at him.

This favoritism and cultivation occasionally made him feel uneasy.

Just like now, he never thought that one day he would come to this land that valued martial arts alone as a messenger of the Academy Union, shouldering such a major diplomatic mission alone, or even shouldering... uh, the future of humanity?

Lyon smoothed the wrinkles on his Source Magic School mage robe over and over again, trying to make himself look more steady in this way.

However, the more he exerted effort on meaningless things, the worse things often became, but the mage robe that was originally quite flat now looked even more wrinkled.

To calm his heart that was beating wildly, and also to divert his attention, Lyon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The scene of receiving the mission in front of the Grand Sage a week ago appeared clearly in his mind again...

That was the Huang Tong Pass standing in the eastern border of the Empire, the howling wind rolled up the yellow sand, slapping the magnificent city walls built by the dwarves like ghosts crying and wolves howling.

The threat of Chaos was approaching from the direction of the Dimensional Desert, but his respected teacher, Grand Sage Duoliuke, did not look at the outside of the pass where the yellow sand was raging, but looked far toward the Kingdom of Lei En, his eyes unprecedentedly worried.

"Lyon," the Grand Sage's voice was a bit drifting in the wind, but it entered his ears incomparably clearly, "I don't worry that the Huang Tong Pass will fall; the legions of Chaos can never break through the Empire's barrier from the front, and those monsters entrenched in the desert can never step over this majestic pass."

His voice paused, but the subject changed.

"However, what worries me is the Kingdom of Lei En behind it. Since ancient times, the strongest fortresses have often started to disintegrate from within."

Lyon only remembered that the Grand Sage's tone was very heavy, as if he had already foreseen that tragic future.

A moment later, the respected old man handed him a token engraved with the seal of the Source Magic School and urged him solemnly.

"... You go to the Kingdom of Lei En, hand this token to their King, Xioden Devalu, and tell him for me."

"The corrosion of Chaos has quietly sneaked into the land under his command that prides itself on honor and loyalty, like a plague."

"Doing something now is not too late."

The memory ended, Lyon opened his eyes, but the sense of tension in his heart increased rather than decreased.

How could he make a proud king who took chivalry as the foundation of his country believe that there were despicable traitors among his people?

This seemingly full of concern advice sounded more like a vicious insult...

Just when Lyon was worried about this, the door of the side hall was pushed open silently, and an old man dressed in the costume of a palace steward walked in.

His expression was as serious as a stone carving, as if he were a statue that had come to life. He nodded slightly and announced in a decent tone without any emotion.

"Messenger of the Sage, our Majesty is ready, please move with me to the Audience Hall."

"Okay... okay!"

Lyon stood up from the chair suddenly, but because the movement was too urgent, his knee hit the tea table in front of him, making a muffled sound.

He couldn't care about the pain, but couldn't help but grin, and his face flushed with embarrassment under the steward's examining gaze.

It was said that he didn't even know the etiquette of the nobility.

The Academy Union clearly had so many nobles from the Kingdom of Lei En; he really didn't understand why the Sage Lord wanted him to come.

"The Wang Gong of the Kingdom of Lei En doesn't have so many magic props; we are used to using the most traditional tables and stools, rather than injecting magic into them."

The steward coughed lightly, changed to a gentle tone, and handed a step to this young magic apprentice, "I am sorry for not taking care of you properly."

"No, nothing like that, it was my own carelessness."

Lyon waved his hands in a flurry, squeezed out an embarrassed smile, and explained.

"Also, actually we don't inject magic power into tables and stools... we generally use magic power on bookshelves or windows."

The steward raised his eyebrows lightly, and a smile that was hard to detect appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh? That's really interesting. If there is time later, we can chat about it. As for now... please follow me, don't let His Majesty wait too long."

"Okay, okay!"

Lyon took a deep breath, and the anxiety and tension in his heart eased a little.

After organizing his emotions, he quickly took steps to follow the steward, and every step he took felt like stepping on his own wild heartbeat.

Passing through long stone corridors and arches, the two soon arrived at the Audience Hall of the Wang Gong.

This wide stone hall was as towering as a church, and sunlight shone through the long and narrow stained glass windows, casting mottled light and shadows on the red carpet.

Dust shadows illuminated by sunlight floated in the dry air; there was no magic or mysterious aura, only the solemnity and gravity belonging to power.

On both sides of the red carpet stood knights in light armor, as well as nobles and courtiers in gorgeous clothes.

They were either whispering to each other or expressionless, and their sharp gazes were all focused on the lonely figure in the center of the hall, and they were looking curiously.

Messengers of the Academy Union were rare in the Kingdom of Lei En, especially this one who was a messenger sent by that legendary Grand Sage.

On the throne, King Xioden Devalu, like his courtiers, was also examining this young messenger from the Academy Union.

This young man had a neat short hair of flaxen color, his features were delicate, and his eyebrows were clean. Those sky-blue pupils were like the mage robe of the Source Magic School he was wearing, shining with the wisdom and pure light belonging to a scholar.

However, apart from that, there didn't seem to be anything more special.

At least with Xioden's vision of having seen all kinds of storms, he couldn't see anything more worth his time from this young man.

However, apart from that, the token representing the Grand Sage's identity was real. As the King of the Kingdom of Lei En, he should give this friendly messenger the courtesy he deserved.

"... Young mage from the North, you have worked hard on this journey." Xioden spoke slowly, his voice was a bit hoarse, but still full of energy, "Is Grand Sage Duoliuke still healthy? The wind and snow in the north must not be as warm as the sunshine in the south."

Lyon bowed deeply and answered respectfully.

"Thank you for your Majesty's concern, the Grand Sage is still healthy, and he asked me to send his most sincere greetings to you and the great Kingdom of Lei En. The wind and snow in the north are cold, but the passion of the Academy Union to explore the truth is as hot as the chivalrous spirit of the Kingdom of Lei En to defend honor."

This appropriate response made the King nod with satisfaction, and a majestic smile appeared on that old face.

"Very good. Tell him to take care of his health; his wisdom is the wealth of the entire Empire, and also the strongest shield of His Majesty the Emperor."

"I will tell him for you."

Lyon nodded respectfully and promised.

Seeing that the King was in a good mood, he immediately seized the opportunity to get straight to the point, and brought out the Grand Sage's prophecy together.

"Your Majesty, besides sincere greetings, the Grand Sage also asked me to bring a... piece of advice to the respected Majesty."

"Oh?"

Xioden raised his eyebrows, and said in a generous tone, "Being able to get inspiration from the Grand Sage's wisdom is the honor of us ordinary people, let's hear it."

Lyon lowered his head and conveyed the not-so-beautiful prophecy to the respected Majesty in as tactful and respectful a way as possible.

"The Grand Sage felt when he was at the Huang Tong Pass that the shadow of Chaos is approaching your beloved kingdom... he asked me to tell you, please be careful."

Xioden was stunned when he heard this, and then let out a hearty laugh, and the courtiers standing around were also couldn't help but smile.

The shadow of Chaos is approaching...

This sounds like a proverb to scare farmers.

Any knight of the Kingdom of Lei En knows clearly, when did the wind and sand of the Dimensional Desert stop blowing to the west?

That laughter echoed in the hall, dispelling some of the heavy atmosphere.

Xioden raised his sleeve to gently wipe the foam on his beard, grinned at Lyon and said: "Young mage, thank you for the Grand Sage's reminder. But you don't have to worry, the Empire's Huang Tong Pass is as solid as a rock, and the minions of Chaos can never step into our land."

Seeing that His Majesty didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at all, Lyon couldn't help but feel anxious.

Especially thinking of the Grand Sage's melancholy eyes, he subconsciously raised his volume, and his clear voice sounded particularly clear in the silent hall.

"Your Majesty... please don't be too superstitious about the majesty of the Huang Tong Pass. The Grand Sage told me that since ancient times, solid fortresses have been broken from within. Chaos cannot cross the natural chasm of the Wan Ren Mountains, but they will extend their claws to your subjects!"

As soon as this was said, the courtiers were in an uproar.

"Presumptuous!" An old knight with white beard and hair pressed the hilt of his sword and shouted angrily, "Do you mean that there are traitors who have abandoned honor among the knights of our Kingdom of Lei En?"

"I, I didn't mean that—" Lyon hurriedly raised his hand to explain, but was sternly interrupted by the old man holding the sword.

"This is such an insult! I want to duel with you! Compete... swordsmanship!"

Lyon: "???"

"Hmph, mages of the Academy Union always like to alarm people, I think it's the cold wind in the north that blew their brains out," another court minister in gorgeous clothes sneered, using a light tone to tell a severe accusation, "Of course, it doesn't exclude that they want to use this to interfere in the internal affairs of our kingdom."

"The Grand Sage is not that kind of person!" Lyon argued eagerly, but he was ultimately too young, how could he spray better than this group of battle-tested courtiers?

"Just a kid who hasn't been weaned, the Grand Sage sent him to pass such absurd words, he really lived back."

"Your Majesty! We can't pretend we didn't hear this kind of insult! I suggest you write to the Holy City immediately and leave it to the Church Tribunal for arbitration!"

"Enough!"

King Xioden raised his hand, and the hall returned to silence instantly. The smile on that face had disappeared, replaced by a hint of obvious displeasure.

However, this old-fashioned noble was a decent person after all, and he didn't bother to make things difficult for a young kid, let alone write to the Church for this fart-sized thing.

So he just said to this young messenger.

"Our messenger has come from afar, and must be tired, and needs to rest... Mr. Skyler, take him down."

The palace steward who brought Lyon in bowed to salute.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Seeing the palace steward walking toward him with two guards, Lyon, who didn't know this was a step, was stunned, and argued eagerly.

"Your Majesty, I'm not tired! Compared to rest, the threat of Chaos is imminent, we should discuss countermeasures immediately!"

"Countermeasures?"

Hearing these words that didn't go through his brain, Xioden's mouth suddenly split into a smile full of oppression, and he raised his hand to signal the palace steward who was about to take Lyon away to stop.

The wide Audience Hall was silent, leaving only the majesty of this King alone.

"The people of the Kingdom of Lei En are simple and honest, and everyone values honor, and there will never be any rat who sells his soul to Chaos! This is our most reliable defense line! As for you saying I am superstitious about the majesty of the Huang Tong Pass? Ridiculous, when did I say my reliance was there?"

This kid who hasn't been weaned really doesn't understand anything.

Anyone who has understood the history of the Kingdom of Lei En wouldn't say such things; there is no one on this continent more devout, more traditional than them!

Even if one day the Empire abandons its faith, they, as the "hometown of knights," will never abandon their yearning for the Holy Light!

Xioden's withered body leaned forward slightly, staring at Lyon with a pair of turbid eyes, and said word by word.

"Since you say Chaos has corroded my people, then you go find it and show me. I will give you a horse and let my servant follow you."

"You'd better be able to find it, otherwise I won't pretend I didn't hear what you said today, let alone treat it as a joke."

Intuition told Lyon that if he refused, he probably wouldn't be able to walk out of this Audience Hall.

He swallowed his saliva and nodded tremblingly.

"Yes... Your Majesty."

He wanted to say that he was just a messenger, but now it seemed that it was useless to say anything, and he could only blame himself for being too impatient and his mouth not being smart enough.

Xioden leaned back on the throne slowly and waved to his palace steward.

"Take him down."

He actually didn't want to make things difficult for this young man, but as a king, even if it was to maintain his majesty, he had to give this kid a profound lesson.

Xioden planned to wait for him to come back with his tail between his legs, hold a "celebration banquet" for him, and after the humiliation, let him go magnanimously to show his mercy.

Of course, it would be better if this kid slipped away.

Slipping away like a clown after failing to play god is the best lesson for those arrogant mages.

"Yes..."

Skyler bowed respectfully, looking at the magic apprentice standing in the hall like a wooden man, and sighed slightly.

Perhaps he was also old and confused, not as quick-thinking as when he was young, he suddenly couldn't understand the Grand Sage's wisdom a bit...

On the other side, in the sky over the Northern Wasteland, a uniquely shaped airship was moving slowly in the noisy airflow.

Logically speaking, this "small boat" traveling between the mountains should be abnormally bumpy.

However, at this moment, the cabin was calm, let alone ups and downs, not even a slight shake could be felt.

This was of course not because of Alberto's outstanding design, purely because there was a mage with Diamond-tier strength sitting on this "Voyager" ship.

At this moment, Luo Yan was sitting leisurely by the window, tasting the black tea that Sarah had just brewed for him.

Compared to those flower teas with various seasonings in the Academy Union, he really enjoyed this pure and simple taste more, especially since the cat he raised always grasped his preferences just right.

By the way, currently this airship is in a "driverless" state, invisible airflow is like transparent big hands, supporting the direction rudder and control levers in the cockpit.

Everything is under Luo Yan's mental power and magic power control.

Although Alberto enthusiastically recommended some experienced apprentices to him, Luo Yan looked at the young guys who were so excited that they were incoherent, so he politely declined his proposal.

This bear-like appearance is not as good as doing it himself.

And, the Prince's business is not suitable for unrelated people to know.

Although he was driving this airship for the first time, his operation was unexpectedly handy, and there was no sign of "capsizing."

And Diamond-tier strength gave him an almost infinite fault tolerance.

Even if this airship fell apart in the next second, he could wave his magic wand to let the entire cabin float in the sky safely.

As for the bumps brought by high-altitude airflow, it didn't exist from the beginning.

A layer of invisible shield had already shrouded the airship, which could not only prevent migratory birds from accidentally hitting the air bag, but also perfectly avoid the violent airflow impact in the high sky.

He didn't want to leave a panicked and embarrassed back to his dear apprentices; Prince Kelin's mask was a dreamland he had painstakingly woven for those young men and women.

Of course, having said that, Mr. Alberto's design was still very perfect, and it wouldn't reach the point of falling apart.

With slight improvements, it should be able to be promoted in the Jiana Continent!

Not far away, Tafu, who couldn't stay idle, curiously pressed her face against the porthole, excitedly overlooking the endless snow-capped mountains below.

This little guy was still clutching the handrail tightly when she first got on the ship, stiff like a stone, but now she had completely relaxed.

As for Sarah, she stood in the corner's shadow as always, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep, as if she had entered a "hanging up" state.

Although she said she hated the dazzling sunlight, Luo Yan always felt that she might be afraid of heights.

When she was in the Academy Union, she didn't like to get close to the window.

Seeming to have seen enough scenery, Tafu suddenly retracted her gaze, looked at Luo Yan who was drinking tea leisurely, and said in her usual malicious tone.

"Hey, you flew away so silently, without even a farewell ceremony. Aren't you afraid of hurting the hearts of those little apprentices who worship you?"

Luo Yan looked at the endless sea of clouds outside the window and answered with a smile: "Leaving without saying goodbye is not necessarily a kind of mercy."

He couldn't let them know that he still had a home in the distant south.

And it was the Demon King's Labyrinth.

"Pfft pfft pfft, mercy? You? Demon King?"

Tafu made a strange laughing sound and said meanly.

"I guess that blonde little girl named Ophelia doesn't think so; she's probably drawing circles in her room cursing you, while secretly wiping tears."

Hearing this, a meaningful expression appeared on Luo Yan's face, and he paused for a moment and said.

"If this can make her feel disappointed with the illusory mask of 'Prince Kelin', so that she can grow up faster... then it's not a bad thing."

Tafu was stunned and couldn't help but complain: "How come in your mouth, everything can become a good thing."

Luo Yan smiled without saying a word.

Congratulations, Tafu, you finally discovered the secret of becoming a god.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

"Speaking of which, don't you feel regret?"

Tafu said lazily.

"Regret what? I ate quite happily, and watching the show was also quite happy. You hairless monkeys can really make things happen; such things would never happen in the Zeta Empire!"

Is that so?

Is it possible that it's because you are just a "magic apprentice," and still a preparatory student, and can't even find the door to the Labyrinth Trial.

Actually, even if such a big thing happened and the impact was so bad, the only ones who really experienced this trial were the three thousand apprentices of the Grand Sage's Tower.

Apart from the Grand Sage's Tower, there were hundreds of mage towers on the snowfield, and there were twelve large mage towers that formed their own factions.

In the face of this huge base, this little wind and wave was not worth mentioning at all.

Luo Yan smiled faintly, didn't stimulate Tafu, but said in a gentle tone.

"I'm not talking about life, but the Void. Do you remember the airship model we saw at the border of the Academy Union? The mages of the Academy Union should have obtained a Void related to your hometown, it's just a pity that the two Voids I obtained were not."

Tafu scratched her head.

"... Isn't this a good thing?"

Luo Yan laughed and said.

"Seems like it."

It was a pity that he couldn't persecute Tafu's hometown.

Always listening to the little ghost bragging, he was quite curious about what the hometown of the legendary "Dragon God" looked like.

At this moment, Tafu suddenly opened her mouth and squeaked.

"Hey."

"What's wrong?"

"If the mages of the Academy Union... accelerate the world behind the Void, does it mean that the time difference between the two worlds has completely changed?"

Seeming to feel that her expression was a bit abstract, Tafu racked her brains and changed to another way of saying it.

"I mean... if they keep pressing the fast-forward button, will one day, the Zeta Empire suddenly 'pop' and disappear?"

This gave her a deep sense of frustration, as if all her efforts in the first half of her life were completely meaningless.

From the beginning, they were murals carved on stone slabs. Their past and future were destined from the moment the universe was born.

As if all things that hadn't happened were things that had already happened.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment, looking at those eyes full of confusion and answered.

"This sounds like two questions. First, the time when the two worlds meet is not infinite; we don't always see the ending on the other side of the Void. It's just that when our mental frequencies happen to have similarities, we accidentally catch a glimpse of you in another universe."

Tafu couldn't help but pfft.

"Mental frequencies are similar to yours? Yours? Pfft pfft..."

This laughter was a bit deliberate.

Luo Yan smiled faintly, ignoring the mockery and panic of the noble advanced civilization, and continued in a calm voice.

"The second question, what we can drag is just the progress bar, and the interference we can impose is only to amplify a certain voice in your hearts, and cannot directly determine your future and past."

"If I were to make a further guess, the space-time observed by the Academy Union is probably the parallel space-time A after you are gone. If you go back, you will naturally enter space-time B 'where you exist'."

"As for which time point is the node of the branch, it depends on whether you really go back, and when you go back. And this timeline is probably something we can't observe, and discussions outside the horizon have no meaning."

After a pause, he continued.

"However? With you like this, is there any need to go back?"

Tafu was stunned.

She lowered her head and was silent for a long time, and finally muttered.

"I didn't say I was going back... I'm just asking."

Luo Yan nodded gladly and didn't continue this topic that made the little mother dragon feel heavy.

Actually, there was a third question; he heard her subtext, but didn't answer.

The concern that Tafu didn't say in her heart was actually the truth of this universe, at least the truth of the universe under their feet—time actually doesn't exist.

The Solipsists who were infinitely close to the end had already told him the answer.

However, even so, life is still real and truly belongs to oneself.

And the feelings of the present are also.

Since you are no longer a god, then be a good mortal, or a mortal dragon.

For the vast majority of souls, living in the present is the most important and meaningful thing.

The cabin returned to silence, with only the breeze of the airship passing through the clouds, accompanying them as they flew from the harsh northern country to the warm south.

After a long time, Sarah, who had been silent, suddenly raised her stiff neck and asked curiously.

"Are we just flying directly to the Principality of Campbell like this?"

"Of course not."

Luo Yan smiled, put down the teacup elegantly, and said something that made both Tafu and Sarah's faces change wildly.

"This is Mr. Alberto's first airship in the true sense, strictly speaking, it's just an experimental product."

"I didn't expect this thing to really be able to carry us all the way to the Principality of Campbell." ===== CHAPTER 419 =====