blogombal Page 164
Page 164
[The wise man Salk was a burly, gray-haired man draped in a bearskin. He didn't look old, but he was actually in his seventies or eighties.]
[The moment you get close to him, the risk warning on your account starts flashing. You break out in a cold sweat and ban your account. The wise man looks at you with a puzzled expression, then reveals a knowing look.]
Inside the camp, you see several catgirls playing on a monster fur rug, including the fluffy silk you saw in the previous simulation.
Of course, there are many other children with different bloodline abilities in the spacious camp. At a glance, you can roughly see the characteristics of snow leopards, snow wolves, and Tibetan foxes on the children. It is conceivable that this wise old man has been training and growing with the children on this icy plain.
"Five children have already received the goddess's blessing and gained the ability to practice magic." Outside the camp, Salk handed you and Zerris two cups of hot, salty milk tea, sitting on a rock as he spoke:
"This is milk from an Iceborne Bullosaurus; it's very helpful for nourishing the body and cultivating bloodline abilities."
"This sounds familiar... Can this even be drunk? Damn it, what kind of milk isn't milk? Boil it down!" You scrunched up your face, mentally complaining, before promptly chugging it down in one gulp.
[Setting down your cup, you look at the astonished Zerris and the wise man with admiring eyes, and scratch your head in confusion.]
"He's got real bloodline warrior material," the wise Salk said with a smile, stroking his sparse, gray beard.
"As expected of the extraordinary person I chose," Zerris muttered, grabbing the scalding hot cup to warm it before setting it aside, and saying with a strange expression:
"The Bull Dragon is an oviparous monster, and this milk is taken from the nutrient fluid inside the eggs of female Bull Dragons. Moreover, the fresher the egg, the more effective the milk will be."
He watched your face turn from blue to purple in an instant, and said with a forced smile, "In other words, this milk is from a male Brute Dragon..."
"Stop!" You took a deep breath of the frigid air from the icy plain, your face pale. A complex internal struggle began in your mind. Between spitting it out and not spitting it out, you chose to laugh heartily, grinning and saying, "It's okay, you're what you eat!"
You snatched the milk tea from Zerris's side, slurped it down in one gulp, then let out a burp at the horrified Zerris before leisurely returning to your seat.
Zerris's face was ashen, feeling as if he had suffered a ton of mental blows. He was speechless at this self-destructive act of killing eight hundred enemies while only managing a twitching smirk as he looked at the wise man and said:
"Besides confirming the code of conduct and obligations of our country's traveling monks in your country, the reason I've come to see you is that this graduating student from Queen's Academy has some questions for you."
"Oh?" Salk stroked his bearskin, looking at you curiously.
"...It's like this." You organized your thoughts, looked at the kind-faced wise man, and said seriously:
"Twenty years ago, regarding the decline and fall of the elves and dwarves, do you know any clues?"
Zerris frowned, clearly not expecting you to want to ask these kinds of questions.
The wise man Salk paused for a moment, then stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Should I know something? Twenty years ago, twenty years ago..."
Then, he looked at you and asked meaningfully, "What do you know?"
[You were about to answer when he made a pause gesture. Then, to your bewilderment, he stood up, leaving a completely dumbfounded Zerris behind, and led you to an open area with sparse magical energy. Only after you could no longer sense the connection to the magical network did he speak, "You can speak now."]
[After thinking it over, although you're not yet clear on the Wise Man's true stance, his actions are undoubtedly aimed at avoiding the eyes and ears of the Magic Network. In your eyes, he shouldn't be considered a completely mutually beneficial entity with the Magic Network. So you briefly recounted what you knew.]
"Oh, so even the Dwarf King doesn't know the specifics? No, he might just be keeping quiet about the reasons he suspects..." Salk didn't doubt your explanation. He crossed his arms, letting the cold wind seep into his bearskin coat, and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Then I'll just share some of my guesses. After all, our era has passed, and people's lives are pretty good now. We don't need to let our likes and dislikes influence your future decisions."
"Regardless of who you perceive as good or bad in the future, once you're in a high position, you must think carefully before acting. After all, your choices not only affect you and those around you, but also the general public in the world."
[Only after issuing the disclaimer did the wise man begin his narrative.]
"Twenty years ago, I was just an ordinary bloodline warrior, spending my days fighting, capturing, and eating monsters. Although I was already one of the strongest warriors in the various greenhouses of Andora, I hadn't given any thought to my country's situation, let alone earned the title of 'Sage.'"
"As fate would have it, in my later confirmation, it happened around the same time that records of the decline of the dwarves and elves appeared, and I received a revelation from the goddess."
"At the time, this didn't make me think about the two races. It was only after working hard for the Magic Network's commissions for a few years that I suddenly realized what kind of help this was for the Kingdom of Andora. That's why I made agreements with the Magic Network through one commission after another, and finally reached the current model."
The wise man Salk gazed at the bustling camp, a kind smile appearing on his face. Then he turned to you and said seriously:
"I dare not say whether the magic network contributed to the decline of the two races, but as far as I know, the dwarves sought help from the God of Light, and it's understandable that he didn't respond. However, the elven city of Herod also sought help from the Church of the Goddess atop the floating island when it was besieged, but received no response either."
"By the way, do you know the Black Hat Warlocks? A rabble made up of people from all walks of life." The wise man suddenly changed the subject, turning to this term you hadn't used in a long time:
"Although they commit countless atrocities, they are surprisingly organized and have a clear purpose. What's intriguing is why such an organization fighting against the magic network wasn't quickly annihilated by the Norards? You must understand, the mages of Norard are incredibly powerful; if Andora and Anium hadn't lacked a magic network, Norard would have already achieved unification."
"Let's not talk about this anymore. I don't understand politics. Let's change the subject." The wise man chuckled, stroking his beard as he spoke, leaving you completely bewildered.
"During the past ten or twenty years of wandering on the ice plains, I inquired among travelers from all directions and finally learned what I believe to be the most important event that happened twenty years ago."
"What is it?" You were tormented by this incomplete conversation, feeling utterly exasperated. You felt he was as hateful as those novelists who kept cutting off chapters in their stories from their past lives. Speechless, you looked at this old man spouting riddles and vowed never to speak to "wise men" again.
"Twenty years ago, the young Cindy Whiteley, now Queen Whiteley, first displayed her magical talent." The wise man exhaled, burying his hands in the bearskin, seemingly finally feeling a chill on the icy plain. He shook his head and said heavily:
"It was an extreme affinity for magic energy that no one had ever shown before. As soon as she began to meditate, the magic energy around her would become so active that it would form a visible cloud of magic energy. When she cast spells, it was said that the entire magic network of the imperial capital trembled for her..."
"Later generations said that anyone who looked into her eyes would receive the favor of magic, and anyone who received her embrace would have their magic last forever... This was the great Queen Whiteley, the greatest heart in the Kingdom of Norard."
Thus the wise Salk lamented.
Chapter 178 Without breasts, everything is lifeless.
[You and Zerris didn't stay on the Ice Plains for long before preparing to return to St. John's Castle to meet Queen Whiteley and officially restart the Anium magic exchange program.]
Although this isn't your primary goal in life, you still want to take this opportunity to get to know the Queen.
From the wise man's vague explanation, you gleaned a few points: First, he knew nothing; second, he and the Magic Network had a cooperative relationship; third, he thought the Queen must be incredibly powerful.
"What does the Queen's awesomeness have to do with me?" you couldn't help but think to yourself. "I've already beaten her by a ton of bricks, even though her boobs aren't that big."
[That's what you say, but you haven't let your guard down. After all, although she's not as powerful as you, she's still enough to win people's hearts. Don't you see, in taverns all over the Kingdom of Norard, there are disgruntled wandering mages singing the Queen's name?]
[But in this life, having learned from the dwarves' tales that training begins with honing your skills, you've embarked on a decade-long journey of sharpening your sword. When your brilliance finally shines, you'll dare to till even this very land—though this is a tribute to the legendary Titan, you've begun to feel honored to be born a Titan.]
On your way back, you encountered the snow leopard man again. The moment you logged into your magic network account, he came running, drawn by the scent. You couldn't help but admire the dedication of the magic network's henchmen. Then, witnessing his brute-force attack, you very conscientiously banned your own account.
[The snow leopard wore an innocent, bewildered expression. He stopped what he was doing, rolled around on the ground a few times, hesitated for a moment, and was about to leave when you calmly opened your account.]
[“Eh?” The snow leopard stopped in its tracks and charged at you without hesitation. You grinned, then banned your account again, watching it spin and cancel its after-animation animation, your face tensing tightly.]
After repeating this several times, the snow leopard's brain completely broke down. He uttered the words "Born of a mother" and ran off on all fours.
"Off-road snow leopard, diagnosed as simple-minded." You couldn't help but laugh out loud. Opening the chat area only made it worse. In just a few minutes, the readers who had been following your account had given you five or six resurrection matches. Finally, they got angry and started spamming the chat with harsh words like, "If you're going to imitate us, do it properly, otherwise we'll imitate you even more than you," which was quite amusing.
[After regaining your composure, you begin to worry. It seems that as long as those useless spells exist, the risk warning above your head will remain indefinitely, making you a blatant red name in the eyes of the cyber police. It's alright in the simulation, but in reality, you certainly can't hide like this; you need to think of a better way to avoid this situation.]
[Not long after, you arrived at Siyuan Flower Castle. As soon as you stepped out of the teleportation array, you sensed something unusual. You discreetly examined it for a while to see what was different, and after analyzing it in conjunction with the wise man's words, you discovered that the magic network here did indeed feel different to you.]
[Perhaps due to the higher activity of magic energy in the capital, your magic network signal, while strong, seems unstable. You didn't pay much attention to this in previous simulations, but this time, after taking it more seriously, you've indeed noticed many differences.]
[Firstly, the magic radar seems less sensitive in this area. You tried casting a spell, and it took a short while before you received a notification and saw fluctuations in the magic radar, which looks like there was a delay after using a VPN.]
Secondly, you always feel that although you have access to the Magic Network, it seems somewhat incompatible here. To give an analogy, the Magic Network here is a bit like a Windows virtual machine under other operating systems; it has all the functions, but there's just something off about it.
"They couldn't have kidnapped my graphics card after we entered the Fortress of the Fallen Flowers, could they..." You looked at the sky, then at the sea, confirming it was still "Ah, this light, ah, this water," and finally, barely managing to relax, you let out a sigh of relief and complained:
"What's with this lingering feeling of being forced to mine Bitcoin...?"
[In the palace, you met Queen Whiteley. However, as you saw in the previous simulation, she was quite young, and her magical energy was very active, but otherwise, she didn't seem as terrifying as the legends suggested.]
"Your Excellency Jeris, Your Excellency Latis, I have reviewed your proposals. The magic exchange student program is commendable, and the business plan is quite detailed. Your Excellency Jeris, this was primarily your work, wasn't it?" The Queen leaned back on the armrest of her throne without any airs, gently twirling the documents in her hand as she asked with certainty.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Zerris nodded slightly, saying confidently, "You can fully trust my honed business and political acumen."
"Of course, you once had a good apprentice." The Queen nodded, then looked at you slightly and asked:
"Lord Latis, I have heard of your miraculous speed of advancement. I wonder if you have any secrets you could share with the vast mage community of Norard?"
Your lips twitched. You had prepared a stereotypical recitation of the royal family's glorious achievements, but the Queen's question... You wiped your sweat, suddenly realizing you couldn't answer! Should you truthfully reply, "Just skirting the edge is enough to go fast and far"? No way! How would future sorcerers record your life story?!
"...It's like this, magic, magic..." you start rambling incoherently, sweating profusely, "Magic is like milk produced by a cow, you can always squeeze out a little more, so the secret is to drink more. Small amounts of milk refresh the mind, large amounts keep you tireless, and strong amounts grant immortality..."
Seeing the Queen's astonished expression, you cleared your throat and continued, "The Magic Net is like an abyss. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. The farther you are from the Magic Net, the farther it is from you, and you can't cultivate with it. So you need to get as close to the Magic Net as possible, even treating it as the Holy Grail, so that the Magic Net is always by your side..."
"...That's enough." Zerris couldn't help but cover his mouth and say, looking down. He really couldn't bear to see these things appear in Norard's future court records; it felt like the entire history book was tainted.
The Queen suddenly laughed, nodding as she looked at you, and said with a smile, "You're quite right. I will make sure the nobles remember your experience, Your Excellency Latis."
"...It really wasn't necessary, was it?" You hesitated, trying to salvage your reputation.
"No, it's absolutely necessary." The Queen's voice was filled with pleasure as she looked at you and asked:
"Your Excellency Latis, as is customary, Sixth-Circle Mages who serve the Royal Family and preside over important events will be granted the title of newly promoted noble."
"After the first round of diplomatic negotiations concludes, you will be granted the title of Viscount, at which point you will be entitled to your own surname. You can then begin to consider what surname you want for your future children."
You scratched your head. This time, her attitude towards the Queen was completely different from the previous simulations. It seemed that although you had previously earned the honor of being a Master Malou outside, you were still just a Malou in front of the Queen. Only after standing in a high position could you earn her respect.
[“Last time it was because Zerris had already started the diplomatic plan, and I only joined halfway through. This time, it's become that I started the plan with him…” You understood the difference in your mind and realized that as you grew rapidly, these people would probably treat you differently every time you met in the future.]
"Titania, that's the surname I've chosen for myself." You thought for a moment, then said it anyway. After all, according to the Dwarf King, Emperor Pova had ascended to heaven seventy or eighty years ago, and probably nobody remembered that surname anymore.
Queen Whiteley raised an eyebrow, glanced at you while stroking her chin, and said, "Very well, from now on, I will await your triumphant return."
After bidding farewell to the Queen, Zerris went to organize the mage party, while you, after some thought, went alone to the residence of Princess Slingk that you remembered.
Upon seeing the long-haired golden girl again, your suppressed mood in the capital suddenly eased considerably. Slingk was also surprised to see you, but after learning your purpose, she smiled faintly:
"Lord Latis is setting off for a faraway place again. What a free and exciting life! I wonder when I'll have the honor of experiencing that thrilling journey with you..."
You scratched your head, wondering if she had any different thoughts after witnessing the rebirth of the Dawn Tree together. You hesitated for a moment, but your intuition told you that Slinger wouldn't hide anything from you, so you asked directly.
"Ah, what psychological changes did I experience after witnessing the ancient tree's rebirth?" Slinger sat on a garden chair in the courtyard, subconsciously twirling the ends of his curly hair with his fingers, and murmured to himself:
"If I had to name a noticeable change, it would be that my mindset seems to have suddenly become a bit more elevated, and I often dream about experiencing the moment when the ancient tree was reborn with Lord Latis again, hehe... Is that a change? Even so, that image is almost etched into my mind..."
She looked up, smiled slightly, and said, "Thanks to you, I've begun to feel that life is great and sacred, like a flower blooming in the morning light. I will also try my best to bloom. If one day I can display the colors of life, I will definitely invite you to come and admire my blossoming."
[Do you find yourself easily speechless when talking to Princess Slinger? Is this the legendary natural-born Slinger abstraction?]
[While waiting for the mage party to gather for a few days, Princess Slingk took you around the capital, and you also took the opportunity to visit the Taubet Manor.]
[The Tauber Manor is currently neglected due to Zerris's frequent absences and is not as tidy as it was when you sent your daughter there in the previous simulation. You scratch your head, thinking that this manor was actually a gift from Zerris's apprentice, and that Zerris didn't even know he and his apprentice had a daughter. You feel a sharp headache coming on.]
"Damn, men are so unreliable!" you exclaimed sincerely, completely unaware that you were also included in this sentiment. "Slow-witted men are so erratic and unpredictable!"
On the eve of your departure, you wanted to have dinner with Slink again. There's a dish in the capital called "45°C Stargazing," which you've heard is incredibly wicked. You're curious to see if Slink, who can eat lamb stomach offal without batting an eye, can actually stomach it.
However, as you try to leave your hotel room, you find the door moving further and further away. At the same time, the oppressive force of the magical network suddenly and overwhelmingly descends, rendering you unable to move.
Fortunately, it was probably just a psychological illusion. You overcame the inexplicable fear that welled up inside you, took a deep breath, channeled your magic power, and activated your spellbook to create a magical shield. Then, you straightened your collar, scratched your groin, and, after confirming that your yang energy was still very strong, continued striding towards the door.
The moment your hand touched the doorknob, the door suddenly opened, and a strange woman appeared outside.
Her hair was neatly braided, her gaze deep and unfathomable, adorned with a Mona Lisa-like, almost imperceptible smile. Your gaze lingered for a second on her dignified and elegant face, but her smile triggered your PTSD related to the riddle-solving person. You suppressed the urge to foam at the mouth and quickly looked down.
The woman's back was straight, her figure well-proportioned and classic. Her perfectly tailored dress shimmered with a magical glow, creating a faint, enchanting mist in the air. Your gaze swept over her vaguely visible, slender legs, then suddenly froze, fixing on her chest.
"Lord Latis..." Before the woman could finish speaking, you widened your eyes, raised your finger, and shouted:
"You must be Her Majesty the Queen, right? Based on my exceptional eye for judging people, I've only ever seen your 110-85-38G bust size on Queen Whiteley!"
The woman's eyes widened, and she fell into a long silence. You, too, snapped out of your daze and froze. A bead of cold sweat slid down your forehead. You finally realized what you had just said—you had brazenly exposed the size of a powerful mage of unknown strength!