Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

"Now that things have come to this, it's quite clear," Nocturne said calmly. "Point A doesn't exist at all. It's a point in time fabricated by the Mu family's ancestor and the Seven Luminaries Emperor. And the time when this fabricated point in time... is after point B."

"But let's put point B aside for now and get to point C first."

"First, we know that there is only one person capable of doing what was done at point C, and that is Wang Qiushui. Besides her, there might be other Primordial Aliens who could do it, but we are 'uncertain' about which Primordial Alien. In other words, if we use Primordial Aliens to explain point C, it would be a deus ex machina. Therefore, I can only conclude that Wang Qiushui was behind point C."

"Is it really Wang Qiushui?" Ye Qu slightly raised her head, looking at the pitch-black ceiling above, and sighed, "The truth has been buried in history. The woman doesn't even know who she is. Perhaps only by actually seeing Wang Qiushui can we be sure. But as it stands, the woman believes that the Seven Luminaries Empire and Wang Qiushui have some agreement, or that Wang Qiushui doesn't want to see the Seven Luminaries Empire suffer. So she secretly took action... Regarding point C, unless we actually see Wang Qiushui and get her personal confirmation, it's impossible to say for sure. It's the most unstable part of this theory."

"So, the next most important, most difficult, and most inexplicable point, which is point B, is where that meteorite came from, and who summoned it?"

Chapter Sixty-Two: An Unexpected Incident

Fear does not exist.

When faced with this conjecture, the most difficult and inexplicable point is point B.

How can fear not exist?

If fear doesn't exist, where did that meteorite come from?

Martial artists and magicians are different. A martial artist is like climbing a mountain; you look up but can't see what the view is like at the top. A magician, on the other hand, is like a race; you may not be able to outrun others, but by looking up, you can see how skilled other magicians are.

In other words, a low-level martial artist can hardly judge the level of a high-level martial artist. However, a low-level mage can roughly sense the level of a high-level mage. And all the mages believe that the meteorite is "beyond human reach." So, if fear doesn't exist, what exactly is the meteorite?

"This question has been troubling the woman, because no matter how she guesses or thinks, she can never find a reasonable explanation..."

There is actually no reasonable explanation for this, because no one known to humankind could have done this. The only explanation is that the ancestral alien race possessed great supernatural powers and summoned such a meteorite.

"Until that moment, the woman suddenly thought of a possibility: Could it be, could it be that actually..."

At the same time, Shenxin took a deep breath and wrote a line.

This was their final breakthrough... a guess that seemed like arguing for the sake of arguing. Yet, this very guess completely connected all the events, making everything make sense.

"Could it be, could it be that actually..."

"Was that meteorite really just a simple accident?"

Was that meteorite a simple accident?

Upon hearing this, even someone as resilient as Himura Danzai couldn't remain seated any longer. He frowned, his previous smile vanished, and he said in a low voice, "Are you joking...? Do you know what you're saying?"

"At that time, the enemy's army was pressing in, and everyone in the Seven Luminaries Empire was in danger. And just then, a meteorite happened to fall, wiping out their entire army. It even happened to hit them while they were marching, in the wilderness, without damaging any of the Seven Luminaries' important assets. Tell me... this was just a simple accident?"

Himura Tanzaku looked up and said, "Are you serious?"

Inside the prison, Nocturne asked and answered his own questions.

"It sounds like a joke, but the woman was definitely serious."

"No one in this world can summon such a large meteorite; people can only place their hopes on the Primordial Alien Race. But even the Primordial Alien Race may not have that ability... So why can't we place our hopes on a so-called 'accident'?"

"Why can't it just be a simple accident?"

Inside the Yorozuya (Odd Jobs Shop).

After reading the words on Shinshin's blackboard, Hishimura Tan's voice rang out, "How could that be an accident? If you tell anyone, who will believe it was an accident?!"

With a calm mind, Shen raised the blackboard.

"You're right. If you tell anyone, 99 out of 100 people won't believe it was an accident. But precisely because no one believes it was an accident, therefore..."

Nocturne looked at the iron gate and said softly, "That's why 'fear' has appeared in the world."

Hisumura Tanzakura's pupils contracted, and Shinshin's body stiffened slightly.

Because no one considers it an accident, fear arises.

Why does fear 'appear' after point B?

While one could explain it as 'we wanted to preserve the intelligence before, but now we can't,' a better, more reasonable, and absolutely flawless explanation is...

There was no fear before, and there will be no fear now or in the future. But back then, when the Seven Luminaries were beset by internal and external troubles, an incredible miracle occurred: a meteorite struck and destroyed the enemy army.

No one believed it was an accident; everyone thought it was a scheme by the Seven Luminaries Empire.

Not only others, but even the people of the Seven Luminaries Empire thought so. But the former emperor of the Seven Luminaries and the ancestor of the Mu family knew that it was just a simple accident. But at this moment, happening here, it could not be an accident.

At this critical juncture, the Mu family ancestor asked the Seven Luminaries Emperor if this might be an opportunity they could exploit. They had two choices: one was to reveal the truth, saying it was the will of Heaven and the goddess, and that those who violated the Seven Luminaries' territory would be punished by the gods; the other was to fabricate a weapon and pretend it was the weapon's doing, thus intimidating all sides and creating a deterrent effect.

The late Emperor Qiyao said I didn't believe in goddesses, and now no one on the continent believes either. I chose the second option, but we don't have such a weapon, and we'll be exposed sooner or later. What should we do?

The Mu family ancestor replied, "Then let's add restrictions to this weapon. This will enhance its realism and also provide an excuse for us to stop using it... For example, this is a weapon that only members of the Mu family can use. For example, using this weapon will come at a price; after a while, I can go mad, or I can die."

Thus, fear was born out of nowhere. The news spread from the Seven Luminaries Empire that the Mu family possessed a weapon formed from the alien ancestor, named 'Fear'.

Not long after, the ancestor of the Mu family went mad.

“Fear stems from the unknown, and the unknown is entirely based on people’s imagination.” Nocturne looked at the heavy iron gate and sighed softly, “But in fact... fear does not exist at all.”

"What everyone fears is, from beginning to end, merely their own imagination."

Both the Yorozuya and the prison fell into a deathly silence.

Yes..

If the meteorite was indeed just a simple accident, then everything makes sense.

But... just so happens, a meteorite fell down?

I simply cannot accept this.

"Regardless... this is just our speculation, Miss Nocturne's and my guess; we can't provide any further evidence."

"In our assumption, fear does not exist, and the Joker should have died in the Black Dragon Capital. So now, there is only one person alive who knows the truth."

"That's 'longing for autumn waters'!"

"Only she remains. If we can confirm with her that there is no fear involved, whether she has made a deal with the Seven Luminaries Empire herself or cannot bear to see the Seven Luminaries Empire suffer, as long as we can obtain information from her, the truth will come to light."

"But unfortunately, like the clown, Wang Qiushui is also long gone."

"Even more so, as a progenitor of the alien race, the Joker's chances of survival are higher than Wang Qiushui's... After all, she's from ancient times, and the possibility of her still being alive today is extremely slim."

"So it's a pity that the real history has been buried, and we, the descendants, can only make crazy and absurd guesses based on some clues that are not really clues. What is the truth...? Perhaps we will never know."

Chapter Sixty-Three Worthless

As the sun set, the two from Yorozuya saw off Shinku and Hisumura Tanzaku.

After settling the accounts for the mission and paying the remaining balance, Himura Tanzaku left with her.

This might mean he accepted the idea of ​​a divine heart... but what else could he do if he didn't?

He could not find anything that did not exist, and even the divine mind could not prove that something did not exist.

Now, perhaps only Wang Qiushui and the clown know the whole truth.

But where are they?

God knows.

It was dusk. Shenxin and Yu Xietian stood on the corridor outside the Wanshiwu, watching the people coming and going on the street.

As dusk fell, the streets were bustling with people. Perhaps they had gone to restaurants, and smoke rose from every household. Perhaps it was because of the height of summer, but men in white vests came out with their rice bowls, chatting and laughing with their neighbors. All sorts of things, past, present, and future, became their topics of conversation.

"Did you know, Yu Xietian, that there's actually someone else in this incident who might know the whole truth?"

Yu Xietian nodded gently and said, "Mu Huai Ren's wife."

"Yes... Mu Huai-ren's wife, Mu Nan-dong's mother."

"At that time, the Seven Luminaries Empire was facing a tense war, and Mu Huai-ren could be conscripted at any moment. Mu Nan-dong was not yet born. Could this secret of being a single heir be passed down? Mu Huai-ren probably couldn't say for sure. So, he might have told his wife this secret..."

This possibility is small, but not nonexistent. Perhaps his wife remained unaware of this secret until Mu Huai-ren was summoned by the Seven Luminaries Emperor. However, after being summoned, Mu Huai-ren might have left some contingency plans to ensure his wife knew these secrets... but it's hard to say.

Speaking of Mu Huai Ren, Shen Xin also sighed deeply.

If her guess was correct, then Mu Huai-ren truly had devoted himself to the Seven Luminaries Kingdom, even unto death, bearing the stigma of a deserter and smearing himself to ensure the deterrent effect of fear. But man proposes, God disposes; the fear was feigned, the clown was real.

One wrong move and the whole game is lost. The Mu family's last efforts were in vain, and they became sinners from then on.

But what role did Mu Nandong's wife play in this incident?

She may or may not have known, but the only thing that is certain is that even if she did know, she did not tell Mu Nandong this secret.

-

"Does your wife know this secret?" Nocturne asked herself, "It's hard to say... After all, it's all just speculation. Perhaps she doesn't know, or perhaps... you left some means to pass this secret down, but in any case, one thing is absolutely certain."

"Mr. Mu, your wife hopes your son will become a dragon among men."

Nocturne said softly, "The Mu family was stripped of their titles and their property was confiscated. Although they had the help of old friends and their lives were generally fine, your wife... may not have been a good mother."

Nocturne said, "Some people are completely crushed when faced with adversity, while others rise against the tide. Suffering is not something to be celebrated. But it must be admitted that a person's upbringing has a huge impact on their entire life... Your wife is determined to restore the glory of the Mu family; she is a good wife."

"She may not know that fear doesn't exist, or she may know that fear doesn't exist. But one thing is certain: she didn't know that you encountered the Joker and thought it was all part of your plan. So she carried this secret all this time... No, even if she had told the truth back then, no one would have believed her."

"She had no choice but to remain silent; silence was the only option."

"Teacher Mu was precocious. He skipped grades in elementary school, middle school, and high school. The old dean of the Royal Academy, under immense pressure, specially recruited a fifteen-year-old son of a sinner into the Royal Academy, where he studied for four years. After four years, he directly became an alchemy teacher at the Royal Academy. A few years later, Jiu Yi took office and promoted him to head of the alchemy department... The head of the alchemy department, that's something that the literature department can't compare to."

"The alchemy department of the Seven Luminaries Imperial Academy is the best in the world. Which alchemy department head in the past wasn't a pillar of the field, and which one wasn't a white-haired national academician? Mu Nandong reached that point under such enormous pressure... He may have some talent and ability, but what he relied on... was actually the hatred in his heart."

Nocturne whispered, “He has always been kept in the dark. Your wife hopes that Mu Nandong can restore the family’s honor and is afraid that he will lose his temper. There are two forces in the world that can drive people: love and hate. Mu Nandong does not know how to love. His heart is full of hatred.”

Nocturne closed her eyes, her expression complex.

"But people can never predict the will of Heaven, and they don't know how things will develop. Perhaps the Black Dragon Emperor understands this deeply. By the time your wife realized that, it was already too late."

"She originally intended to use hatred to drive Mu Nandong forward, but Mu Nandong became an empty shell because of it. His heart was full of hatred, and he was constantly looking forward to revenge. He was a wound-up machine. On the surface, he seemed energetic and tireless. But that was all an illusion. He was already so tired that he wished he could just fall asleep."

"He was brewing wine, a wine called revenge. The more effort and time he put into it, the more intoxicating it became. He awaited his revenge, then drank the wine and was drunk forever... By the time your wife realized this, it was too late; he could not turn back."

"If at this moment, your wife tells Mu Nandong that fear is a hoax, then Mu Nandong's life will completely collapse. Everything he has will be meaningless. He is strong enough to bear anything—betrayal, deception, exclusion, hatred, slander, insults... but he cannot accept this. He cannot accept that the meaning of his existence is false."

"So...she can only die with this secret."

"Heh... perhaps the woman is overthinking it; your wife knows nothing at all."

“Many people outside are cursing you. They call you a deserter and a disgrace to the Seven Luminaries. Are they wrong? It seems not. They don’t know the truth… But what difference is there between the woman and them? The woman is just guessing.”

Nocturne lowered her gaze and said in a low voice, "And ironically... all that speculation by the woman here was in vain."

Yes, it was all a waste of time.