Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 133 The Real History? Ulterior Motives!

What is depicted on the mural?

This prompted five men and three socially awkward individuals to all swear.

The content is actually not complicated; it can be summarized in a single sentence.

However, while the narrative style of the murals leans towards realism, the presentation effect is quite flamboyant, creating a very strong first impression.

The twenty murals tell the story of a man who pleads with his god for food and water to save his dying daughter during a severe drought that has resulted in a complete crop failure, but to no avail.

The man was a loyal priest of the gods; his soul left his body, entered the divine realm, and met the gods.

The kingdom of God is full of fruit trees, and the land flows with milk and honey.

The gods are celebrating lavishly, with all sorts of delicious food and wine available for everyone to drink.

The man suppressed the urge to swallow, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, performing the most devout ceremony.

He begged the gods to grant him water and food, to save his daughter, and to save all believers in the gods.

Unexpectedly, the supremely merciful God in the covenant not only remained unmoved and ignored the man's pleas, but also coldly declared: "You should know that suffering for your God is your only mission. Except for death, your faith and prayers will bring you nothing."

So-called loyal faith is nothing but a fart in the eyes of the gods.

So-called believers are like chives in the field.

As long as He reigns supreme in His divine position, He will continuously gain wave after wave of believers.

The man was mocked and gained nothing. He was kicked out of the divine kingdom by the gods and thrown back to the mortal world.

The man's daughter, nestled in his arms, died in agony from extreme hunger and thirst.

The man was overwhelmed by extreme pain and anger.

But the tears could not fall.

The water in a man's body is also nearly dried up.

After burying his daughter, the man resolutely abandoned his once unwavering faith and scorned the divine emblem he had once treasured.

The resentment of all human believers who prayed to the gods but received no favor or response, and who betrayed the gods before their deaths, gathered around the man and the divine emblem beneath his feet.

A miraculous change occurred.

The man acquired the supreme power belonging to the darkness.

The rejected divine emblem transformed into a god-slaying sword, which recognized man as its master.

The man picked up the god-slaying sword and charged towards the god's kingdom without hesitation.

After a fierce battle, the man killed the god who had the power to save them but ignored the thirst and starvation of his believers.

Since then, men have been transformed into divine judges.

Any deity that ignored the prayers of believers and had the ability but did not act was classified as an evil god by the man and eliminated one by one.

How could the high and mighty gods tolerate such a rebellious ant?

A protracted war broke out, lasting for a thousand years.

The gods fell, and the men died.

All of humanity perished in the war.

The very origin of the world has been severely damaged and is on the verge of destruction.

In short, the gods did evil, and the world suffered the consequences.

What was it that made the five guys and the three socially awkward guys break down?

You have to feed your dog bones too.

As a superior being (a deity), how could he so disregard the prayers of his inferiors (believers), being so stingy with even the most readily available responses and blessings? If he doesn't die, who will?

Such a ruler would have been overthrown and killed long ago in the wizarding world.

Even the origin of the world cannot be considered innocent.

The fact that such deities could be born, and that they were on the verge of destruction, seems to be the price they had to pay.

After looking at the murals, the outspoken Buck couldn't help but complain, "This is it? We're supposed to save the world? We might as well just destroy it!"

The other four guys and the three socially awkward individuals didn't necessarily agree with Buck's idea, but none of them spoke up to refute it.

Clearly, they couldn't immediately find a reason for themselves to save the world.

Link had a different opinion.

He was only shocked by the content of the murals; he didn't completely believe them.

Whether the murals depict real history, mythological stories, or exaggerated historical events, remains to be seen.

One-sided accounts are not easily believed.

The same story, from the perspective of the deity, can also be told as the believer's insatiable demands.

The world's resources, or the resources possessed by the gods, have been exhausted through past blessings and responses.

Enraged by their unfulfilled desires, believers began to kill God.

That makes sense, doesn't it?

Of course, this story is purely in Link's head; he wouldn't dare tell it aloud.

Considering the mortal enmity between the wizarding world and the world of gods.

The academy arranged for this small world, seemingly brought to the brink of destruction by the evil deeds of a deity, to serve as the venue for the grand competition between the two regions.

It is entirely understandable that this was intended to instill in wizarding apprentices aversion to gods and the world of the gods.

It's not impossible that the academy embellished the content of the murals.

Link suspects that there are many other places in this small world, similar to the sandbar in the river, containing artifacts that describe the history of why this world is on the verge of destruction.

In this way, the academy can enable more wizard apprentices to understand the history of why this world was on the verge of destruction, that is, the background of the mission.

And the original sin of the gods.

To guide the minds of wizard apprentices, making them feel aversion, disgust, and hatred towards gods, the pantheon, and the world of gods.

Setting aside those irrelevant distractions, Link began to ponder the impact and inspiration brought about by the mural's content.

There are 3 main quests. 1 "Choose a Faction" has been completed, and 2 "Factional Conflict" and 3 "Save the World" are in progress.

There are 7 side quests. Quest 1, "Investigate the truth behind the world's decline," can be completed if the content of the mural is true.

Task 2 "Draw a world map", Task 3 "Collect water samples and analyze composition", Task 4 "Collect soil samples and analyze composition", Task 5 "Make various plant specimens", Task 6 "Make various animal specimens" - Link has been making progress in his search for Jasmine.

任务7「寻找世界的可持续发展策略」，和支线任务2、3、4、5、6环环相扣。

How can we talk about sustainable development without understanding the world's ecology?

Looking back now, side quest 7 and main quest 3 are closely related.

Having saved the world, shouldn't we provide it with a sustainable development strategy to prevent it from teetering on the brink of collapse again?

Thinking about it this way, everything makes sense.

Therefore, the key to everything is how to save the world.

Link snapped out of his reverie and said, "When it comes to a mission, there are no personal preferences. Focus on completing the mission and don't let your mind wander."

"Yes, boss."

Buck scratched his head, sounding a little embarrassed.

He was just focused on expressing his own emotions and didn't consider that such words could easily shake the team's morale.

"What's the next step?"

Jasmine then asked, "Are we still going behind the bronze gate?"

"certainly."

Link gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

The secret passage and murals are clearly appetizers, desserts before the main course.

The real feast is yet to come.

"You all need to exit the secret passage first."

Link once again directed the team members to the safe area, and he himself stood next to the iron gate, ready to close the gate if things went wrong.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best.

A single thought can unleash a torrent of thorns.

Originally intended for attack, the Wood-type 0-ring sorcery fell into Link's hands and has been used for various miscellaneous tasks.

Several thick thorns climbed up the bronze gate, tightly wrapped around the doorknob, and then pulled it open to both sides.

A creaking sound rang out.

The bronze gate slowly opened.

Link is focused and ready to react at any time.

However, apart from the air becoming a bit stuffy, nothing unexpected happened.

The bronze gate was open, revealing a simple circular tomb chamber.

There was no gold, no jewels, and no valuable burial goods.

In the center of the tomb chamber, there was a thin wooden coffin.

A skeleton sat at one end of the coffin, its left hand resting on the coffin, its right hand supporting a large black sword.

The skeleton's posture suggests that even in death it is guarding the person lying in the coffin.

Based on the content of the mural, everyone guessed the identity of the skeleton and who was lying in the coffin.

As for the greatsword, the moment Link saw it, he used Lesser Mist Rain to create a dense fog that concealed its form.

The reason for doing this is very simple.

The greatsword continued to emit a devilish whisper.

As soon as people's eyes fall on it, they can't help but want to pick it up and then chop and kill.

Link resisted the temptation by using his highest level of "Brain Occupation Technique" at full power.

Others do not have any mental defense mechanisms.

They all stepped forward and took a few steps.

Link only regained his composure after concealing the greatsword with a thick fog.

Of all the people, Jasmine was the most terrified.

Fortunately, she resisted the urge to explore the bronze gate alone yesterday.

Otherwise, she might have already become the greatsword's puppet.

With a long sigh of relief, Jasmine said, still shaken, "Let's not go in."

"Um."

Link stored all the details of the tomb in his memory palace and closed the bronze door without hesitation.

Apart from the greatsword and the skeleton that appeared to be the god-killer, there was nothing else unusual in the tomb.

It seems that the purpose of the tomb is to corroborate the content of the murals.

It makes one believe that the murals depict the truth of this world's impending destruction.

Of course, these are just Link's guesses.

Perhaps entering the tomb, touching the skeletons, opening the coffin, and picking up the greatsword will trigger a different scene.

For example, a god-killer who has come back to life and is furious that outsiders have disturbed his daughter's peaceful sleep.

Tomb raiders deserve a terrible death!

Link prefers stability, preferring to abandon some potential clues rather than take unnecessary risks.

Since we're not going to explore the tomb, shall we leave now?

"Dig in a few other directions."

Link's choice is to tough it out on a few teammates with earth elemental affinity and see if he can find any other relics.

This test lasted a full hour.

Aside from a large amount of earthwork, there was no harvest.

Not to mention any relics, not even a hair was found.

This phenomenon indirectly confirms Link's speculation about the significance of the secret passage, murals, and tomb.

These are very likely "props" that the academy deliberately left behind to inform the participants about the mission's background.

"Take a rest. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow."

After all that work, it was late at night, so Link stopped the exploration and told everyone to get some rest.

The group returned to their previous resting place.

"How is the situation?"

After gesturing for the others to set up camp and rest, Link walked up to Darton and Lynn and asked them a question.

"Lani Taylor and the others caught up with us, found the remaining rope, and then left."

Dalton reported on a rather unusual place.

Lynn added, "Before leaving, Lanny glanced this way several times, as if she had guessed that we had landed on the sandbar."

"Okay. Thank you for your hard work. You can take a rest first. I'll keep an eye on the surveillance footage."

Link took this to heart, calmed the two down a bit, and then beckoned, "Buck, Ezio, you two come here for a second."

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

Buck and Ezio immediately put down the tent parts they were holding and came over.

"Tonight, you two, Dalton, and Lynn will take turns keeping watch, one hour each, is that alright?"

Link asked politely.

He doesn't always act like a big shot; most of the time, he fully respects the five gentlemen.

"No problem, I can stand guard for not only one hour, but two hours is fine too."

Buck thumped his chest loudly.

Ezio didn't say much, he just nodded vigorously to indicate his agreement.

Once the night watch order was arranged, there was nothing else to do.

Link dismissed the four men and then focused on two things at once.

He pondered the problem while watching the real-time reconnaissance footage of the circular flying saucer and the reconnaissance puppet.

Jasmine carried over a folding chair, unfolded it, and sat down next to Link.

She didn't disturb Link's deep thought; instead, she leaned forward, rested her chin on her hands, and quietly looked at Link's profile.

There was no particular emotion in his eyes; they were quiet and clear, like a babbling brook.

After a long while, Jasmine lowered her hands, straightened up, but feeling uncomfortable, she half-lay down again and lazily asked, "Link, what are you thinking about?"

Link had already noticed Jasmine's arrival and caught her gaze out of the corner of his eye, but he hadn't reacted yet.

Upon hearing Jasmine's question, Link replied, "I'm thinking about how to complete the faction quest."

"Any progress?"

"have."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Can."

Link carefully considered his words before saying, "The murals show that all of humanity in this world has become extinct."

But we have witnessed firsthand that other organisms also exist, including plants and animals, and quite a few of them.

The academy's faction mission is to save the world, not to save the creatures within it; there's a big difference between the two.

After a brief pause, Link voiced a question that had been resolved: "Previously, I didn't understand why I was categorized as part of the righteous camp."

I have been destroying the ecological environment ever since I entered this world.

Now I understand, the reason is not complicated at all.

"What is it?"

Jasmine played the role of the straight man, keeping things going and preventing Link from having to do a solo comedy routine.

"It's because I didn't have any intention to cause damage."

Moreover, I've been doing side quests, collecting water and soil samples, and making plant and animal specimens.

The tower spirits used by the academy to monitor the competition may have used this to determine that I have a tendency to save the world, which is why they categorized me as part of the righteous camp.

"And what about me? I didn't do any side quests."

Jasmine seemed to have found a loophole in Link's story and questioned him.

Link chuckled and countered, "You didn't intentionally cause any damage, did you?"

"I dug so many tunnels, how can that not be considered intentional sabotage?"

Jasmine wasn't convinced by Link's explanation and continued, "What about those who were categorized as the 'enemy'? What were their reasons? Was it simply because they didn't do the side quests? Or because they intentionally damaged the ecosystem?"

Link had actually thought about this question seriously just now.

He offered his guess: "Both are possible. But I think the most likely scenario is that the academy needs to divide into two camps, so some people will inevitably be assigned to the opposing camp."

Jasmine burst out laughing.

Isn't this just stating the obvious?

"By the way, didn't you say there was progress? Tell me more about it."

After laughing for a while and joking around, Jasmine got down to business:

"How can we save the world?"

(End of this chapter)