Chapter 123: Smart and Foolish

Along the way, the person under the hood only curiously glanced at Luge once; seeing him beside Lorigo, they said nothing more.

This was Luge's first time setting foot in the Starry Sky Family's castle, and indeed it was far grander than that Fendis Family's. Curiously, they were not stopped at all; as they proceeded into the castle, the atmosphere grew even stranger, with fully armed family knights lining both sides, each knight's armor bearing the Starry Sky Family's emblem on one corner.

The greatest difference of this castle was not its grand scale, but that from the very beginning of its construction, a separate area had been designated there, where the Starry Sky Family had only the duty of care, not the right of management; the teleportation array leading to the Upper Realm was located there.

Gradually, along both sides of the road, the figures of family knights disappeared.

A square so spacious as to be luxurious for a castle appeared before the three of them; in the middle of the square stood a magnificent human-shaped statue, and without thinking one could guess it was likely an ancestor of the Starry Sky Family from the Pioneering War.

Behind the square, two roads branched out.

Luge looked at the two roads, presumably one of them led to the dreamland he had long awaited.

A round of applause rang out!

On the steps of the statue's base, a person who had originally been standing there with head raised admiring the statue now turned around and lightly clapped.

This person's appearance was seventy percent similar to Lorigo's, taller by a head, face slightly longer, the difference in eyebrows and eyes was not great, but it was precisely these small differences in detail that made their temperaments vastly different at first glance; this man, whose complexion was somewhat pale, had eyes that were exceptionally bright, with a kind of flamboyant confidence born of sickness.

The pale-faced man clapped, revealing a gentle smile.

"I have truly waited for you for a long time, my dear sister, and my foolish younger brother."

The man looked at them smilingly; Luge, who had been dazedly watching the scenery to the side, was directly ignored.

"What, seeing your elder brother able to stand, are you not happy for me?" the man said, his smile growing even broader.

Luge noticed that Lorigo's complexion changed several times, her lips trembling slightly; Luge himself was very calm, because he could feel that Miss Dasuo Ya Fanxing remained composed. That showed there was no need to worry.

He recalled his previous speculation about Wizard Apprentices: as they grew older, many Wizard Apprentices had vague memories of their hometowns, and even less affection for them.

So now, Dasuo Ya Fanxing looked at her own Eldest Brother with an attitude of extreme confidence, even smugness, as if looking at a clown.

Although this Eldest Brother looked as if he had already expected her to appear, and had even frightened Lorigo so that her complexion began to look bad.

"My brother, you really thought I didn't know? Those magic stones you've been constantly drawing from the family over these years—you're not even an Extraordinary," he said, raising his arm before him, "were they just to hire those mercenaries for your bumbling expeditions? Even if you're a generous fool, how could they possibly be used up? Over these ten-plus years, the family's accounts have all been managed by me; I long suspected you were secretly sending them to her, to this renegade who actively severed ties with the family."

When this Starry Sky Family elder brother said this, he seemed beside himself with rage, but immediately laughed again.

"I almost forgot," he said, slapping his own forehead, "I no longer have the qualification to accuse you. Hahahaha."

The man laughed and moved his arm again, as if the movement was very comfortable.

"Look, I can now move my arm so freely." He showed it to Lorigo.

Lorigo's lips turned white: "You've done this kind of thing, making me feel like a stranger... Why has the family become like this? Why have you become like this?"

The man laughed again, then roared: "Because of you, of course because of you! You and Vandil, you're both useless; I'm about to die, and Father is too old! And you, you all, fundamentally cannot lead Fanxing City, cannot lead the family."

"Do you know why I and Father have dealings with Twin Moon City? Do you know why over these years we've made some decisions you can't understand?" The previous roar had put some color back on the man's face. "Fanxing City was also a target of Twin Moon City a few years ago, but I only did one small thing to make them give up the idea: that was to invite them to the family secret ground to see Fanxing City's Light Stones—we too are going to extinguish the sun! My foolish brother! Loss of Light is likewise a fate we must face!"

"Under these circumstances, I don't think you can lead Fanxing City—a cowardly ordinary person, a reckless and stubborn Knight. This Light Stone can probably illuminate this land for several more decades, perhaps only ten-plus years; after Father and I die, you will still meet a miserable fate!"

After getting excited, the man lowered his voice again: "Since this is so, why can't I save Fan City? I can lead Fanxing City in war, can make Fanxing City rise against the trend. Of course, as long as you sacrifice your lives to save me first, I can certainly do it; and you are merely ending the tragic fate destined to arrive a step earlier. I will live on carrying your hopes and beliefs; I can tread the Supernatural Path further, complete my long-standing regrets, and under my leadership Fanxing City can also spare many deaths..."

Luge looked at Lorigo beside him; this fellow had already widened his eyes, falling into an extremely twisted expression. Luge couldn't help but nudge him with his elbow; this fellow abruptly turned his head, the anger in his eyes nearly spraying onto Luge's face.

Lorigo controlled himself to close his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes: "Lord Raslot Fanxing, perhaps you are not as excellent as you think, and we are not as foolish as you think. The other Underground Cities are not so easy to conquer. You, who lie in bed all day, should have read through all the books and various records collected by the family. In Underground Cities that have lost light, the greatest casualties come from deception, from the sudden arrival of Loss of Light."

"The Nobles refuse to give up the illusory things they've held for hundreds or even thousands of years, harboring fantasies and making all sorts of mad decisions. The sudden arrival of Loss of Light threw the entire Yuanwo Domain into chaos: crops in the fields died, dense populations could not be satisfied by hunting, penned Underground Beasts could not get stable food, trade collapsed, order fell into chaos, Extraordinaries lost control in the darkness... Actually, as long as the Nobles could let go and give them time to choose, the people in Underground Cities, in Ground Cave Areas and Abyss Cave Areas, would naturally find their own way out... They are all very smart... not as foolish as you think..."

After finishing, Lorigo took another deep breath to calm the anger in his heart.

Clap! Crackle!

Luge clapped beside him with a smile; this applause was naturally for dear Lord Lorigo.

(Chapter End)