pdf-ebookys Page 218
Page 218
"The spacetime flow... could it be a place similar to countless world lines? And as I learn more about other world lines, and gain knowledge of those world lines, will my own trajectory gradually converge in one direction?"
Although it was just a guess, the more Latis thought about it, the more he felt that this might be the truth, or at least very close to it.
"Thinking about it this way, after gaining knowledge of other timelines, haven't I also been veering in that direction? After learning that the Queen might launch a magic network war, I preemptively harbored thoughts of opposition towards her... No, this is also partly because the Queen herself started searching for me. The Queen can sense the simulated experience, which further influences the current trajectory..."
Latis felt like his head was about to spin, so he rubbed his temples and was about to ask the simulator when he suddenly stopped.
"Wait a minute, isn't asking the simulator a kind of change in my understanding? And the most direct kind at that! Imagine if I knew the truth about the brain in a vat, I might just give up entirely. Although it wouldn't be that bad, it would definitely have a more direct impact on my current actions..."
"Asking for answers from the simulator is undoubtedly the most impactful change to the world line. Although we don't know if world lines actually exist, reality is certainly one kind of world line..."
He thought about it for a long time and finally came to a conclusion:
"Truth is a phased victory, a phased strategy that needs to be based on practical experience. Truth built on thin air is a poison, like informing the Soviet Union in advance that it would disintegrate—it would fatally damage those great things that were about to be born."
After a period of intense contemplation, Latis finally felt a sense of relief, as if he had just shaved his head after getting lice.
He laughed and stopped dwelling on grandiose and unrealistic questions about the truth of the world, turning his attention to the present.
"In short, the simulation still needs to be conducted, but in the simulation, I can consider not participating in too many events, only observing the development of certain key events... Oh, and one more thing."
Latis turned off the simulation panel, thought for a moment, took out the petite stone sculpture of Arte, and tapped her on the head.
A soft, shimmering light appeared on the surface of the stone carving, and Atelier's joyful voice, carrying the quality of an old record, came from within:
"Big brother? I was just about to go to sleep, and I was still thinking about you!"
"...Ah! I miss you too, Arte."
Latis, who had intended to discuss serious matters, suddenly felt a surge of emotion. He exhaled and walked out of the room, looking at the rose branch under the moonlight, which he couldn't tell was the second or third generation. Suddenly, the image of "Animal Crossing" from the simulator advertisement flashed into his mind.
"These guys really know how to advertise; they're clearly targeting a specific need..."
He silently complained to himself, suppressing his longing, and asked with a smile:
"How have you been lately? Have you finished your mission?"
"Soon, soon! I'll be back to see you in a couple of days!" The half-elf seemed to have rolled over in bed, her voice growing increasingly languid. She yawned and said with a hint of sarcasm:
“Brother, Dragon Horn Territory is really… I don’t know what to say! It’s not exactly poor, but it has nothing. I heard that the original lord confiscated a lot of tools and cooking utensils, so the people can only rent them and pay for their daily meals, otherwise they have to eat raw rice…”
"Wow, this is so abstract!" Latis couldn't help but exclaim. He sniffed the fragrance of the roses, gently stroked the stone sculpture's head, and laughed:
"Now the money is truly in the hands of the common people, while the supply side is in the hands of the lord's mansion."
"Fortunately, that lord is already dead."
Artemis spat a few times and said:
"With the lord dead, the village chiefs and town mayors in various places also handed over their tools and cooking utensils after being physically persuaded by the local people. It's just that they haven't cooked for themselves in so long, and the scene was a bit of a disaster... even worse than my brother's cooking skills!"
Hearing the half-elf's snickers, Latis flicked the stone statue's forehead in annoyance and said:
"You're doomed! From now on, you'll have to put chili peppers in all your dishes!"
"Ah!" the half-elf cried out in surprise, and quickly begged for mercy, "No, no, big brother, I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"La la! You don't just know you're wrong, you know you're going to get yourself killed!" Latis cackled.
The two chatted and joked for more than half an hour before Latis realized it was already late at night, and had to reluctantly say goodbye.
"It's late and the dew is heavy. Staying up too late can easily lead to a cold and headache. Ate, you should get some rest. We can have a good chat when you get back."
At this point, Radist slapped his forehead, realizing what he was about to say.
"Speaking of which, I had completely forgotten about it. I was originally going to tell you that there was something I needed your help with when you came back, but I forgot about it as soon as I heard your voice. That's just like me."
"Huh?" Artemis asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Hey, it's a bit hard to explain. I'll tell you when you get back in a couple of days!" Latis said with a smile, leaning against the railing and looking at the moon.
"By the time you return, the crescent moon outside the window will probably have turned into a waning crescent."
"...Ah, perhaps." The sound of a window being pushed open came from the half-elf's side. After observing quietly for a moment, she smiled and said:
"It is said that after the first full moon in autumn, the elves scattered throughout the world will begin their journey back to Herod City to celebrate the Homecoming Festival. Brother, I must stay by your side then; you will be my home."
Latis felt a surge of gratitude welling up inside him again. He looked up at the moon, feeling the lingering affection in the quiet evening breeze. It rose and fell with their intertwined breaths, a feeling that lingered long in his memory.
……
……
After hanging up the call, Latis glanced at the shadow of the robin that seemed to have appeared at the end of the corridor, shook his head helplessly, and silently muttered to himself:
"The birds were eavesdropping..."
However, he knew in his heart that although the robin was usually shy, she was very determined when it mattered. It was better not to tell anyone if he found out that she was eavesdropping on a girl with such complicated thoughts.
Latis refocused his attention and pondered for a moment.
He doesn't plan to conduct the simulation yet because he wants to ask Ateliers to help him test what level she reaches in the simulation so that she in reality can sense it.
For Ateliers, even if Latis didn't tell her the specifics of the simulator, or even fabricate a reason, she would unconditionally believe and cooperate.
“Ate…”
Latis sighed, momentarily at a loss for what kind of response could be worthy of the affection of this adorable little elf.
He thought for a moment, then went inside, took the advanced magic-gathering tower, climbed over the railing and jumped down from the upper floor. He glanced back at the somewhat deserted mage tower and strode towards the outside of the mage territory.
The night is still long; he's going to test something new.
……
……
"Mage Tower 2345..."
Latis shifted his gaze from the mage tower, which looked like it had been painted with some unknown paint, and looked around.
The mage towers here are very sparse, with only two or three within a radius of about 500 meters, making it the outermost outer city of Lundia.
He had passed by the "magic market" that Yashutia had mentioned a few minutes earlier, but since it was already past midnight, there was no one or any stalls in the "magic market".
The "Magic Market" is called a market, but it is actually a shared mage territory formed by several leading mage towers. By now, the owners of those mage towers may have long since passed away, but the Mage Association has still preserved the large mage territory of the "Magic Market" after much consideration. They have simply opened up the unclaimed mage towers and used them as stalls.
However, Latis did not come out this time to observe the "magic market".
"I've been using my priestly abilities to control the magical network around me the whole way, so even if something happens, no cyber police should be able to track me down through the network..."
Thinking this through, Latis couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Despite being a cyber police officer, he had been doing nothing right, and now he was secretly using the backdoor in the magic network to plan some shady dealings…
"Oh well, if I get the chance later, I'll offer some doujinshi to the goddess... Wait, how did I get corrupted by Jennifer?"
He shook his head, dismissing the dangerous idea of offering the goddess a copy of her book, and strode toward the border of the Senhai territory that had already been established.
……
"This is about right..."
Latis stopped in a shrub-covered area, glanced back at the outermost edge of Lundia, which was now several kilometers away, and nodded.
He sensed the concentration of magic energy in the area for a while and couldn't help but sigh:
"After staying in Lundia for so long, even the normal concentration of magic essence feels thinner. It's true what they say, it's hard to go from luxury to frugality!"
After saying that, he took a deep breath and slowly expanded his priestly power to its maximum.
"Hmph... I stretch, I stretch! Alas, the furthest radius is only about five meters... still not long enough! When I use the Heaven and Earth Transformation Technique, even my Bull Brother won't be able to protect me..."
Latis felt a sense of security arise from having the magic energy within a five-meter radius under his control.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and projected his consciousness onto a faint mark on his soul.
He discovered this morning just as he was about to leave Silverway Town. When he first discovered that the interdimensional journey was real, he had already checked all the contracts and master-servant marks attached to his soul.
To ensure nothing was missed, he even checked the hemorrhoids on the soul body, taking a special look to confirm that it wasn't some hidden contract before putting it back.
Therefore, when he performed his self-examination in the morning, he immediately noticed the mark. Although it was very faint and seemed as ethereal as if it were just drifting with his soul, it was as vivid as a firefly in the night to Latis.
The reason he didn't immediately delve deeper into the matter was twofold: firstly, he didn't sense any danger, and secondly, the mark had a familiar scent to him.
He thought about it carefully; it was the scent of a necromancer.
Chapter 228 The Robin Isn't a Child Anymore
"The key to the hidden power of darkness..."
Latis thought for a moment, then suddenly felt too lazy to make it up. After all, the mark might have been left by a necromancer, and saying the summoning phrase like that felt a bit too homoerotic.
"You old bastard, I'll see what you've done to dare put a tally mark on my soul!"
He cursed and forcefully inserted his great consciousness into the small mark left by the necromancer.
……
"My name is Nowuru, a shining new star in the Kingdom of Norard."
"I became an apprentice at seven, advanced to the first-ring mage level at eight, and by the time I was eighteen, I was already a high-ranking mage capable of constructing mage towers."
"When I shone brightly in the King's College talent search, even the heavens wept for me; when I went to the countryside and became a role model for 'governance,' even the chickens and dogs cheered for me."
"Unfortunately, there was Mirth, who single-handedly stole the limelight from all the nobles. Compared to her, all my great achievements seemed to pale in comparison."
"Damn it, these netizens! Don't they know the significance of a 50% population increase in three years under their jurisdiction? Seriously, is it because I'm not good-looking enough? We all have two eyes and a mouth, what's the difference between me and her?"
A friend suggested that biochemistry, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science are the future trend, and that the new era belongs to them. His words were like a ray of sunshine clearing away the clouds, enlightening me completely! Governing is ultimately a minor path; seeking a future for the magical world is the true path!
"Milute, farewell. I will never again be caught up in the cutthroat world of nobility. A true man is born into this world; how can he remain subservient to others for long!"
"So I left King's Academy and entered the field of magical research, becoming a proud magical researcher. Whether it was monster breeding, potion brewing, magical element environment research, or magical materials science, I quickly mastered everything and soon became an outstanding magical scholar."
However, fate is unpredictable. The then-strongest magic researcher, the ferocious tiger of Lundia—Lord Slyke Sun—produced a child prodigy! This prodigy, named Frico, at the mere age of seven or eight, already possessed expertise in cutting-edge fields such as biochemistry, environmental science, and materials science, instantly attracting the attention of the magical world…
"What a bolt from the blue! What a waste of talent! You have such talent, why not become a legend and make a name for yourself, instead of working as a lowly child laborer here? Damn it, I curse Lady Sun, I hope she'll be severely betrayed by her own creation someday."
"Since Lu was born, why was Ke born... Since Lu was born, why was Ke born!"
"A friend suggested that since the technology of the Magic Network is still constantly evolving, it's not too late to switch back to King's Academy. I said, 'Absolutely not! Wouldn't that make me seem like a fickle, opportunistic person? I, Nowuru, will never be that kind of fence-sitter!'"
"But he also said that things are different now. Both the elves and dwarves are in decline, and their former territories are limited to just two states. In a few years, perhaps even I will be able to rule a major city... Hahaha, provided I achieve great things for the expansion of Norard's territory."
"His words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly enlightening me! Yes, yes, so what if one is fickle and opportunistic? A true hero is one who can assess the situation and act accordingly! A great man is born between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long!"
"I didn't have to wait long before the opportunity fell to me. His Majesty the King, hearing that the dwarves had decided to migrate en masse, ordered me to go and persuade them to bring their entire territory into the Norrad domain."