Chapter 178: An Unrefusable Choice

Hearing Li En's request, the snake happily coiled up.

"I truly did not mean to trouble you, but because I already 'do not exist.' On the level of causality, I cannot interfere with any event. If you wish to accept my help, you must pay a price."

The stirred causality, under the snake's guidance, can allow both sides to reach balance once more.

This is probably the snake's way of speaking, but Li En believed not a single word of it. To easily believe any word of a snake capable of starting a world war would be a disrespect to the snake's "great achievements."

"Speak, what fun do you want? Don't trouble people too much, or I won't do it." Li En, full of caution, raised his hand; the high knight test was considered passed.

But if he messed it up, he would likely become a sinner who blasphemed the Princess, directly becoming a great amusement in the snake's eyes.

"Hehe, rest assured, rest assured. This time I will change the game; I will let you have a sense of participation."

The snake blinked. Time and causality were never linear before him, yet the dense web of causality was completely visible before his eyes.

Very boring, very boring.

A snake life where one knows the answer instantly upon looking, like an exploration game with the whole map unlocked, is truly too boring.

"How about this? I will give you a chance to choose, letting you take the lead."

The snake pondered for a moment and made a judgment.

To make the causal lines more chaotic, more unobservable black-box nodes were needed, yet one could not toss out major events excessively and kill the person before him. Last night, while drinking with a friend, he had just learned that the situation of this Demon Tide was too terrible; at this time, it would not be good if the Thousand-Faced Dragon died.

"By the way, doesn't Lord Lord Lord Kuku have seven disciples? You can choose one, confess to them in public, and express the vow 'I am willing to spend the rest of my life with you.' By the way, this time you cannot tell anyone about our agreement; you must pretend it is your own choice."

Li En was stunned. What was this? Some kind of bullying confession game?

Didn't you say that I, Li En, am yourself? Couldn't you spare yourself a little?

But the snake on his shoulder had twisted into a ball; he happily noticed that after he spoke, the causal lines twisted into a tangled mess.

Everything before him was in a mess; he smiled very satisfied.

"As expected, as expected, I need you, this unobservable variable that jumps out of fate and causality."

The snake was very satisfied; he could no longer see the future. The disciples of the Thousand-Faced Dragon and the Thousand-Faced Dragon itself had directly stirred up this patch of future.

"I refuse." Li En gritted his teeth and refused; this would completely disrupt the interpersonal relationships he had painstakingly built.

"You will not refuse." Even without looking, the snake knew how Li Ensu would choose.

Exchanging a mere farce for key information on qualitative-level power; how could the very "consequentialist" Li Ensu refuse?

Li En fell silent, weighing various possibilities.

"I recall Lord Lord Lord Kuku's disciples include males, right?"

Li En hinted at something; if he said something like "friends for a lifetime," he should be able to bluff his way through.

"Of course, you can say it to him." A more pleasant future appeared before the snake's eyes; he could no longer hold back his smile.

Li En hesitated; he instinctively felt danger and, after a moment of hesitation, asked.

"He should be of normal orientation, right?" Li En had seen that male alchemist and felt he was somewhat subtly effeminate.

"He is now." The snake responded affirmatively.

But did the implication mean that once Li En said "friends for a lifetime," he would not be?

If it were anyone else, Li En would think it was empty deception, but this fellow could truly infiltrate the mind and modify the subconscious!

If he took a gamble, the other party's sexual orientation might change; this was truly a trap.

"Actually, you could completely set up a trap yourself: confess first, then imprison that female apprentice, kill the witnesses to silence them completely. Wouldn't that also fit my conditions?" The snake seemed to offer a second option, which actually seemed perfectly fitting.

"Absolutely not." Li En loudly refused, and his agitated heart instantly calmed down.

Li En looked at the snake with uneasy eyes; at that moment, he even felt he was about to break his oath and fall, just like a Paladin; if he deviated from the path of崇善 (崇善), he would be completely ruined.

One must say, is it truly fitting of the snake? With just one sentence, Li En felt his inner wavering.

Pursuing profit and results too much might also be one of the weaknesses of Li Ensu that was seen through.

"You can refuse. Perhaps the next Heroic Soul will be much easier to talk to and can give you what you want most." The snake seemed to kindly persuade, but he knew how Li En would answer; this was the greedy "Li Ensu."

"No, my time is limited... Tell me." Taking a deep breath, Li En still made his decision.

He needed power, and considering the snake's seniority, he should be able to provide information beyond that of ordinary Heroic Souls.

This was the best choice; there was no reason to reject this possibility due to some interpersonal relationship issues.

Immediately, the snake's smile twisted; the fun he saw was increasing more and more.

"You will not be disappointed."

The snake's information was quite simple and direct; his resume meant he would not lie in the transaction.

"Your greed is perfectly normal. Most races possessing magic have their own genius individuals; over a long time, they have also found their own solutions."

This is the snake's advantage over ordinary Heroic Souls; his resume can provide as many choices and possibilities as possible.

The snake did not describe a specific solution; he only mentioned the situations of various races. The situation of each race is different; their martial arts and magic have their own characteristics, so the solutions naturally differ completely.

The Orcs are very bad in this regard because their history is short. It is very difficult for Li En to find a suitable solution path while searching in Werewolf society.

"Your Mage District's guards, the Arcane Knights, are typical. A Great Knight level yet only around Second-Ring spellcasting ability; their main attack magic is actually cantrips. It is truly pathetic."

The Arcane Knights serving as guards of the Mage District also prove that they are not considered terrible within the Orc Kingdom.

Heavy armor restricts mobility and the conduction of elements and mana; therefore, reduce the spell tier, use low-ring spells as the main combat axis, and simultaneously practice heavily to get used to casting while wearing armor.

I have only these few cantrips; if I master them completely, wearing armor won't affect me much.

Their main attack method is actually "Magic Sword." If one considers attaching the elemental energy of a cantrip to the blade as a Magic Sword (in reality, there is no bug like Thunder Sword), the low total elemental energy of the cantrip makes the damage of that Magic Sword extremely subtle.

Li En's current Dragonfire Sword actually has enough strength to rival a Great Knight-level Arcane Knight. He could don armor, change the color, and seamlessly blend into the Arcane Knight squad. This, from one side, shows that the Arcane Knights, in the current environment, truly have no upper limit.

Werewolves also have many similar magic knights; their strengths are all quite subtle, and many are "Beasts" wearing armor.

"Using the innate abilities after evolving the race as magic, and using the Orcs as Beasts, is also possible, but you probably won't like it."

Li En listened to the few paths of the Werewolves and kept shaking his head.

They are easy to walk, but their upper limit is too low, and there might even be zero improvement (Li En's Magic Sword and future Dragon Breath are already stronger than theirs).

"Modern Elves have their own Elven Magic; the armor of their Sword Dancers is also hollowed out; their strength is truly terrible. They mainly use dodging to avoid damage; this is also very unsuitable for you."

Elf magic-and-martial dual cultivators are often special spellcasters who contract with the "sword"; their magic may be dedicated solely to serving the sword, so they cannot truly be counted as magic-and-martial dual cultivators, but rather as practitioners of a path specifically carved out for sword-chanting.

Both their armor and sword must be specially crafted, and their entire system of magic is dedicated; Li En can take this path as a reference, but it is extremely not recommended.

"During the Ancient War, sword-chanters and sword-dancers with impressive literal statistics were wiped out in batches, 堪称 the most expensive and luxurious cannon fodder in history; they were far too fragile." And in the snake's voice was full of disdain.

Reality is not a game; no matter how high your agility and reaction speed, evasion has its limits.

Once forced into a direct clash, or on a battlefield with little room to dodge, they shatter in batches like eggs.

The snake has witnessed with its own eyes: a red dragon sweeping across the battlefield, its dragon-fire covering the sword-dancers' sector, leaving nothing but a field of charred corpses within seconds; or a herd of mammoth war elephants trampling through, against which elf sword-chanters could offer no resistance whatsoever.

"If you ask me, ultimately, their bodies are simply too weak; they cannot wear heavy armor, and to remain as light and agile as possible, they carry no protective gear at all. In terms of actual combat, this aspect is far superior even among the elf knights they look down upon." Beasts need no magic; they possess their own innate abilities and the "Beast Secret Arts" system, and their physical bodies may well be the best armor.

Giants actually do wear armor, and it is formidable; they, in turn, no longer need magic, for their innate abilities are powerful enough.

Among the dwarf units of giant bloodline, their rune-mages are, in fact, heavy-armor spellcasters.

They cast spells through prepared rune-stones and secret patterns; in a sense, they are like heavy-armor priests who tear scrolls, and heavy armor naturally does not hinder their spellcasting.

These are merely the common magic-and-martial dual-cultivation units of the Prime Material Plane; as the snake spoke, it cited many races Li En had never even heard of.

"You have seen the Machine Clan, right? She and her Creator-Clan form a two-in-one combat combination; she can transform her own flesh into armor and protective gear to shield the Creator-Clan during battle."

"Treants and sprites might be able to help you; their elf contracts could be quite suitable."

"Elementals' bodies are their armor, and their abilities can also be of assistance."

"Oh, and there are also demons, various Purgatory weapons and protective gear... never mind, you are a Paladin."

The snake did not give a direct answer; instead, it presented Li En with the magic-and-martial dual-cultivation methods of various races. Ultimately, every race seeks to maximize their overall combat power as much as possible.

They wear heavy armor to enhance survivability; casting spells while armored is to ensure stable spellcasting ability while safeguarding themselves.

"The most important thing you must determine is not simply casting spells while armored, but why you wish to cast spells while armored, and why you pursue magic-and-martial dual cultivation."

"Ultimately, what you seek is immediate combat effectiveness. Certain long-eared fighters who battle as if dancing—the so-called magic-and-martial dual cultivation—are a negative example. Except for a very few top-tier experts, elf sword-dancers and elf sword-chanters typically wear only chainmail or even leather armor; with thin protection, low offense, and melee combat, they are堪称 the lowest-tier magic-and-martial cultivators."

Pursuing the fusion of elemental and physical power is quite normal; dragons are the typical example in this regard, and in fact every race has its own solution.

Li En needs heavy armor because, ultimately, his primary class is Paladin—a combat profession that requires facing opponents head-on in direct clashes, a contest of who dies first. If a knight wears no armor, they must rely solely on their flesh and blood to endure; dying in such a case is entirely normal.

"This combat style is actually quite similar to that of dragons."

The mighty evil dragons are kings of the hunt, yet they are also masters of combat.

Red dragons are masters of flight, specializing in high-speed diving bomb attacks (dragon breath); black dragons are masters of underwater ambushes, aquatic combat, and swamp warfare; blue dragons excel not only in ambushes across various terrains but are also generally adept at military strategy and war games; even green dragons, notorious for their habit of intrigue and deceit, are skilled in traps and jungle ambushes.

Who is missing? Uh, white dragons below the Ancient White Dragon—let's just consider them beasts and expel them from the dragon registry.

The snake swished its tail, and phantom images of evil dragons appeared in mid-air.

The red dragon's sudden diving pounce (dragon breath) is like a fighter jet breaking through defensive lines.

The black dragon's sudden upward surge from underwater to pounce is like a shark leaping up to tear at its prey.

The blue dragon is like an antlion, suddenly bursting from the sand to bite.

Even the green dragon is skilled at waiting for prey among great trees, then suddenly shifting from stillness to motion to deliver a killing strike.

"Have you noticed? They are somewhat like sharks, or perhaps Tyrannosaurus rex; all are experts at pouncing and killing prey."

Sudden acceleration and explosive power, completing a full-speed pounce in an instant.

During the process of launching a full-power pounce, protection is nearly nonexistent; the opponent's counterattack is simply ignored, a contest of who dies first.

"So your meaning is that I should learn from them?" Li En, who possesses a Dragon Bloodline, seemed he could also take this path.

Scales would continuously harden, and body muscles would grow stronger; then why not simply don dragon skin or use one's own dragon skin, withstand the opponent's attacks, and kill them outright?

"No, this path will lead you to certain death; you and they have an essential difference." And the snake seemed to be waiting for Li En to jump into a dead end, only to burst out laughing.

"Dragon skin is not as hard as you think; a novice cannot pierce it, but for powerful beings, breaking the skin is not difficult; even Ancient Dragons can have their defenses easily breached by high-tier divine artifacts."

Hearing this, Li En was somewhat confused; then why are dragons still so powerful?

"The key point is not hardness, but size. They are large enough."

This is the root reason they can pursue a frontal assault route; they are heavy-armor units and simultaneously super-gigantic units. The older the dragon, the larger its body; an Ancient Dragon can lift an adult dragon with a single claw.

Even if you can breach their defense... can a needle kill a giant beast?

Even if a limb is severed, it is not a fatal wound; a dragon with a severed limb is like an ordinary person who has lost a hand, still able to grit its teeth and continue fighting.

"Dragons possess immense vitality, and as children of the elements, their bodies are filled with elemental energy. You may break the skin and cut the flesh, but the deeper you go, the greater the resistance."

Unless you shatter the dragon heart and dragon brain, or directly behead them, do not expect to easily slay an adult dragon.

Their prey is mostly far smaller than they are, so they simply forgo armor and kill outright.

But Li En is, after all, a humanoid; even if he evolves the dragon-scale armor of an adult dragon, a good sword wielded by an opponent can still pierce through it.

He lacks sufficient "strategic depth"; if one of his heart, liver, or lungs is pierced, he may as well wait for death.

"Therefore, for you in human form, enduring attacks directly is far too costly. What you need is special armor... here are several possibilities."

The snake first introduced the contract with sprites; these otherworldly beings can provide "Fairy-Tale Items" and "Illusory Items," such as a lamp that never extinguishes, or a small doll that dances on its own.

If one finds the Fairy King, one could also contract "heavy armor with absolutely no weight" or "a shield that automatically blocks opponents' arrows"—these illusory things.

"The drawback is that when encountering certain magic-breaking abilities... snap! The dream ends, and your armor is gone."

The second option is even more feasible. Dwarves are not without fine goods; top-tier enchanted mithril armor, imbued with enough special rune-stones, has minimal interference with magic, and such armor is also very light and highly resilient.

"The only problem is the extreme cost, and it is basically very hard to find. It is said that someone once used such a set to exchange with the 'Ancient Dwarf King' for an underground city."

To meet Li En's needs would likely require a historically significant "Divine Artifact Dwarf Armor," which is basically impossible to obtain.

The third option made Li En feel somewhat tempted.

"Elementals; you see them in the Prime Material Plane as material forms, but in truth, many are energy beings. Their flesh-and-blood, materialized bodies can be used to craft protective armor."

Using crystallized elemental forms as armor offers extremely reliable strength, and it also enhances corresponding elemental magic; it can be called perfect.

The drawback is that they are easily detonated by opposing elements... this can be resolved by processing the outer shell.

Obtaining materialized elemental crystals of sufficient purity is not a simple matter; perhaps one would need to seek out and slay an Elemental Lord.

The fourth option is actually the method of the elves, not the conventional sword-chanters, but the higher-level ancient elf magic.

"Elemental magic was taught to the Orcs by the ancient Elves. They actually held something back."

They form contracts with Elemental Lords, processing their power, crystals, and even their very forms into various divine artifacts and demonic tools.

If one could find an ancient Elf King, they could also craft a set of divine artifact armor for Li En.

"The fifth is even simpler: relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. You are a multi-headed dragon, right? Next time, find a Crystal Dragon of sufficient age; the hardness of that creature is far superior to any diamond."

The sixth is the Giants; they can forge truly divine artifact armor.

The seventh is a bug-like race Li En had never even heard of; their biological armor can create elemental voids.

Li En was stunned; it seemed every single one was feasible, and the effects were quite excellent.

However, every single one involves an alien race; I fear I cannot handle any of them myself.

"How about you recommend one?" Li En was at a loss; he guessed the snake was just waiting for him to say this.

"Sigh, truly a picky customer. I have a 'bug' package here; I don't know if you're interested, but it's a bit expensive."

(End of this chapter)