I'm really a serious wizard.

Chapter 249 Lookalike (Two-in-One)

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Grandma Fiona's sentimentality reminded Ron of her friend who had suffered a terrible fate at Versailles.

More than a thousand years ago, a genius mage who lost the competition for the presidency of the Mage Association and went to other continents.

It can't be such a coincidence, right?

Ron pondered to himself, while subtly shaking the cat paw bracelet, trying to gather more information.

"Junior, don't just stand there dumbfounded, quickly ask Chrisel about her situation."

The sound of excitement and sadness echoed in his ears again, making Ron realize that Grandma Fiona's falling out with her "best friend" wasn't just about Versailles.

After gathering his thoughts, the young pope tilted his head, feigning curiosity, and asked:
"Is that Lady Chrisel a distinguished mage?"

"Of course!"

Vivian replied without hesitation.

"Your Holiness, you may not know that Ms. Chrisel not only invented a simple communication device, but was also the founder of the Radiant Federation's magical devices."

"She invented countless things in her lifetime, including the Creville we are on, as well as the magical energy storage crystal technology, the magic network that spans the entire Federation, and the climate control magic tower."

"Moreover, Lady Chrisel is a natural leader. During the catastrophe over a thousand years ago, goblins, trolls, elves, orcs, and vampires all obeyed her. How admirable!"

The vampire girl became more and more excited as she spoke, making Velex's eyelids twitch.

Sister, I haven't even gathered enough information about the other side yet, how come you've already revealed your own secrets?

And how could it be left to such a smart guy?

Thinking of this, Verex quickly interrupted:
“Your Holiness, every era has its heroes. Ms. Chrisel is indeed very great, but it is a pity that talented people do not live long.”

"According to historical records, she ultimately perished at the end of the 'Black Tide,' seemingly perishing together with an extremely powerful monster, thus cementing her reputation as a hero."

So fierce?
Ron's overly rich imagination gave him a powerful ability to fill in the blanks.

Even just hearing these brief descriptions, he could imagine how magnificent the scene must have been.

A powerful mage, in order to protect civilians from harm, resolutely burned himself at the last moment, saving the entire continent!
But just then, Ron heard Grandma Fiona's voice again.

"Nonsense! Chrissy is the most cowardly and timid person. How could she possibly do such a thing?"

Hmm? You're not jealous, are you?
Ron's eyes showed a hint of suspicion.

"Hey, junior, what are you thinking? I see a meager amount of trust and a shameful suspicion in your eyes!"

The arrogant senior's voice paused for a moment, then returned to normal:
"Hmph, Chrisel is indeed a coward."

"Back in the day, when she and I were both participating in the mage trials, and we were traversing forests teeming with magical beasts, guess what this guy did?"

"She somehow found a pile of powerful magical beast's excrement and smeared it all over her body to avoid danger."

"If it were me, I'd rather die than do something so stupid!"

“Chrisel would never put herself in danger. Her only goal in life is to live a long life. No one knows how to escape better than her.”

Smearing feces all over your body—that certainly shows you know how to escape.
Ron's lips twitched, and he unconsciously thought of Mr. Sid's invention and Ms. Wind Chime's magic of turning into feces.

What do you call this? You call it great minds thinking alike.

However, the Radiant Federation is an alliance of various races, which is quite peculiar.
The young pope had hoped to glean more useful information indirectly, but due to Verex's tight security, he did not obtain much intelligence.

However, there was one thing that greatly interested Ron.

Although they are located on different continents, the Radiant Federation also has the concept of "deep" and the existence of "high walls".

These two things seem to affect the entire world, not just a single continent.

"According to the Federation's statistics, the world that was accompanied by the terrible disaster is receding little by little, and even its impact is becoming negligible, which is why we were able to follow the route and come here."

After nearly an hour of friendly conversation, Verex bowed slightly and said:

"Your Holiness, please allow my sister and me to take our leave, as other guests are waiting for us."

"Making guests wait too long is impolite."

When Ron heard the young vampire say that, he unconsciously touched his chin.

His sapphire-blue eyes gazed at the other person, and finally he chuckled softly and asked:

Who are you planning to see next?

"Hmm, it's probably Mr. Gandalf, the first investigator of the Wizarding Guild."

Verex replied gracefully.

The young pope opened his mouth, but in the end, he sighed:

"Then please say hello to that guy for me. He definitely won't make things difficult for you."

Making things difficult for us
"Your Holiness, do you have a very good relationship with the higher-ups of the Mage Association?"

Vivian's bloodshot eyes widened, and she asked curiously in return.

"Yeah, we're so close we're practically inseparable."

-

The audience with the Pope went very smoothly, and Ron's easygoing nature left a deep impression on the two Federation envoys.

For the brother and sister, although they were unable to ascertain whether the gods actually existed, the information they gained was sufficient to handle the mission.

"Brother, what do you think of that pope?"

"Don't you think he's very handsome and cute? He's even more delicate than those elves. If I didn't know he was a boy, I probably would have mistaken him for a pretty girl!"

As soon as she closed the wooden door to the study, Vivian couldn't help but admire her brother beside her.

My silly sister, the point isn't whether he's good-looking or not.
Verex sighed helplessly. After the two of them were far enough away from the study, he whispered:

"He is a very visionary and very intelligent person."

"And he was overly curious about Ms. Chrisel."

"Brother, what's the big deal? Any normal person would be curious about that lady, right?"

Vivian rolled her eyes, glanced at her useless brother, and then said softly:

"However, some of the history that the Pope mentioned was indeed very interesting, and it clearly showed that there were actually 'legends' in the Kingdom of Oran."

"Moreover, he wasn't among them, nor was the Empress, nor was the president of the Mage Association."

"My God! Brother, that's the title of an ancient and powerful being. Legend has it that such a powerful being could destroy an entire city-state by himself!"

As she spoke, Vivian unconsciously circled around, her blood-red eyes gleaming faintly.

"But a single Amos fission bomb can easily destroy a city-state. Sister, is individual heroism advisable?"

Upon hearing this, the vampire girl's expression stiffened, and she glared at Verex, saying:

"You have completely shattered my illusions about great mages, and those are ancient legends, not engineers in the Federation who can produce fission bombs as long as their magic power meets the standard."

"Their art styles are completely different!"

During their conversation, the brother and sister soon spotted the mission's guard waiting outside, as well as Archbishop Tina, who looked unusually gentle.

"Gentlemen, was your conversation with His Holiness the Pope pleasant?"

“It would probably be more pleasant if we didn’t have to bow,” Vivian replied indignantly.

Bishop Tina, without revealing any flaw in her statement, chuckled and said:

"That was just a joke, although it was indeed a bit too much."

"However, I can tell that you two siblings seem to be carrying a heavy burden of pressure and harboring secrets. This isn't good for your mental well-being."

"Necessary adjustments are indispensable. There are still many joys in life, so there's no need to worry about things for a while."

So you just treat me as a source of amusement, right?
Vivian resisted the urge to roll her eyes, nudged the smirking Velex beside her, and very rationally skipped the topic. "Bishop Tina, we're going to see that investigator from the Mage Guild next. Would you like to lead the way?"

"Of course, since I'm the one who fished you out of the sea."

Tina nodded slightly, then pointed to the carriage stopped in the middle of the stone road.

"Please get into the carriage, gentlemen. The investigator is waiting for you."

-

As an envoy connecting two continents, knowing how to speak appropriately to different people is a fundamental professional skill.

But when the brother and sister arrived at the Stardust Society's stronghold and saw the young man dressed in a mage's robe with a silver-black longsword at his waist, they fell into a state of silence.

"Please have a seat, what are you standing there for?"

"I don't have many rules here, no need for formalities."

Upon hearing this, Vivian immediately leaned close to her useless brother's ear and whispered:

"Brother, are they twins?"

"Well, there is a possibility."

Verex's expression had become extremely serious.

Pope Ron's foresight and wisdom already qualify him as a sage, and now there's another guy who looks exactly like him, and he also seems to be in a high position.

The Kingdom of Oran is teeming with talented individuals!
Thinking of this, Verex couldn't help but force a smile and politely said:

"Ahem, forgive my rudeness, Lord Gandalf, you look remarkably like that Pope."

Yes, we are indeed very similar.
The blond boy, resting his chin on his hand, didn't offer any explanation, but instead smiled warmly and said:
"Guests who have come from afar, there's no need to be so polite. We're just here to talk and get to know each other."

"By the way, the Radiant Federation sounds like a nation organized by different races. I'm curious if you have a mage association there."

"Back then, all communication between associations was cut off, making it impossible to know the specific situation."

How did he know that the Radiant Federation was a nation united by different races?!
Can you really guess just by the name?
Verex was rendered silent for a long time by Ron's frankness, and without thinking much about it, he nodded slightly and said:

"Within the Federation, the Mage Association is a thing of the past, but we still often remember them fondly."

"However, before we crossed the ocean, we heard that some elves wanted to revive traditional magic and formed a small circle of classical magic clubs."

Upon hearing this, Ron nodded thoughtfully, fulfilling the president's request.

"If you have any questions, I will try my best to answer them if I can."

"Lord Gandalf, your style is truly swift and decisive."

Verex said politely, then his expression turned solemn as he said:
"To be honest, I have always had great respect for the profession of mage. They are knowledgeable and know secrets, unlike us vampires who can only choose the blood magic passed down from our ancestors."

"I do have a question I'd like to ask..."

"Mr. Gandalf, do gods truly exist?"

"What I mean is, are the gods still alive?"

?

"What do you know?"

Ron raised an eyebrow, sensing that Verex's words had a hidden meaning.

In his understanding, deities, being beings that resemble rules, should not have a lifespan limit.

Unfortunately, the only two gods on the continent of Oran perished within a thousand years, dying silently.

If you think about it carefully, it's absolutely terrifying.

"Lord Gandalf, you only need to answer yes or no."

"To be honest, this involves secrets within the Federation that even I know very little about."

Verex shrugged, looking like he didn't know the answer either.

Hmph~ If you dare ask me that question in front of Pope Ron, I'll see if I chop you in half alive.
The mage Ron inwardly scoffed, suppressing the urge to don the papal robes, and mumbled:

"As you said, some gods have indeed fallen, but others have not."

Ron was telling the truth; at least the mistress was alive and well.

That's it...

Velex nodded thoughtfully, then casually asked:

"Your Excellency, are you familiar with the 'Temple'?"

Which temple?

Could it be the one tied to Hainlet and his descendants?
To be honest, Ron wanted to keep the Queen's secret from her, since he had to keep it from his own people.

However, considering that the legend of the "Temple" was already well-known along with the name of Heinleit, he nodded.

"know."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ron saw Verex's eyes light up.

Upon seeing this, the blond boy immediately asked:

"As far as I know, you shouldn't know about the 'Temple.' Can you tell me where you learned about it?"

Verex's breath hitched, but he quickly regained his composure and said softly:
"You should know about high walls, right?"

"That wall that blocked the calamity was not naturally formed; it is said to have been created by the gods."

"Frankly speaking, there is not much basis to these myths and legends, but it is already incredible that such wonders exist."

"The Federation conducted in-depth research and paid a huge price in terms of casualties in order to obtain some information from the feedback from the wall."

That part of the information was about the temple.
Ron silently added to what the other person hadn't finished saying.

Although both Catherine and Fiona had mentioned to him that the temple was not so simple, its divine status alone was enough to show this.

-

The conversation with the investigator went very smoothly, and both sides tacitly avoided the topic of the temple.

They also exchanged information about the different customs and traditions of the two continents and the customs of various races.

Finally, Ron received another "cell phone," and overall the exchange was quite pleasant.

It was already three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and the brother and sister were riding in a carriage to the Baron's manor to meet the last messenger.

Unlike the previous popes or investigators, this time they were to meet with an envoy sent by the Queen, a truly important figure who could influence diplomacy.

It was nearly evening when the carriage approached the Baron's manor.

Even at dinner time, Vivian still saw the previously arrogant Baron Perrick standing obediently at the gate of his manor, looking like he had been waiting for a long time.

Hmph~ You tricked us before, are you enjoying being punished now?

Seeing this, the vampire girl felt a little pleased and unconsciously raised her chin slightly, deciding that she must complain properly later.

Of course, this is not a childish complaint to an elder, but rather a seemingly casual remark about the Baron.

"Gentlemen, you've come at the perfect time. His Majesty's envoy has just arrived as well."

Baron Perrick, unaware of what he was about to encounter, bowed with a smile.
As if nothing had happened, she led the brother and sister to the study.

As soon as they opened the door and saw the king's envoy wiping his sweat inside, Vivian and Verex were dumbfounded once again.

"Brother, are those three triplets?!"

"No, Vivian, I think they are very likely some kind of forbidden human alchemical creation!"

(End of this chapter)