Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Chapter 444 Lyle

“You are the bone, the foundation upon which everything is built. Nia is the flesh, the authority that holds power. The omen is the spirit, the divine command. Bone, flesh, and spirit—this is all you are, the balance that divine power has constructed within you, conforming to the definition of necromancy.”

Sunlight could only filter through the narrow windowpanes, which were then blocked by the thick, deep purple velvet, leaving only a small patch of light. The scholar sat in a crooked rocking chair, opposite a wooden table that resembled a work of art, while Lyle's body was half-buried in a large pile of pillows.

The surrounding walls were covered in charred marks left by magical destruction, but Lyle knew that on the other side of the brick walls lay pure silver. This tower should have been a gleaming silver house, but a mischievous child had used magic to turn it into his own art studio. Looking at the stains left by the temporal energy, the scholar's face held a nostalgic expression.

He casually drew a spacetime rift, took out a perfectly brewed cup of black tea from the other side, and placed it in front of Lyle.

“Ariana Earl Grey tea, Anna and I recommended it. Perhaps this cup will make you feel better soon after you refine her recipe.”

Lie picked up his teacup, savoring the familiar taste, and sank back into those soft pillows, feeling utterly insecure as he leaned back. Fortunately, these soft, fluffy things were surprisingly safe.

"Teacher, a chair makes me feel safer."

“Carlos didn’t like chairs when he was a child; he thought they interfered with the freedom of his bottom.” The scholar pointed directly to the pillows. “You can do it yourself, Lyle. Let me see your strength.”

Under the scholar's soul-flaming gaze, Lyle raised his right leg. In the shadows overlapping with Lyle's own, rampaging tentacles coiled around the pile of pillows, like cotton unfurling. Led by the black and red tentacles, the cotton fibers blossomed from within, transforming into flesh and blood. When his right leg was fully resting on his left, Lyle sat in a high-backed chair constructed of flesh and bone, its symmetrically positioned eyeballs gleaming like jewels.

“The dragons will surely be pleased with the excellent transformation of flesh and blood. In fact, if we trace the origins of spirit possession, it can be considered a weakened version of the knowledge of evil gods, which is closer to it.” The scholar shrugged his shoulder blades. “When you have a wide enough exposure, you will find that many disciplines have commonalities, because their origins, the source of the mystical side, are all the knowledge of evil gods.”

"Maybe I can become Andre's number one all-around professor?" Lyle joked.

“The purpose of a professor is to impart knowledge, and I’m afraid you can’t do that. Others are not qualified to inherit your knowledge, not even me.” The scholar placed his hands on the table, his serious expression relaxing slightly. “You have grown even more perfectly than I imagined, Lyle. You are my most outstanding creation in these fifty-two years. To be honest, I should have excluded Carlos.”

“I interfered with your growth because of my own purposes.”

"Omen was originally your future. Because of the miracle that awakened your talents, and the process of reproduction and embryonic development, Lyle, Nia was meant to replace you. Your relationship was like the embryo and nutrition in an egg. She was the larva, and you were the food. Omen was the future after growth. When the dragon brought you here, I was blind to your true nature, thinking you had only experienced a slight atavism. What happened next was beyond my expectations. You gave Nia a soul, giving her what she originally needed to take. She depends on you, and your similar inner self made you her half, no longer just food. The original main body became an accessory, while nutrition took over."

"So, when Nia took shape, the power of the gods gave birth to the Omen, the Corrector of Errors. And then..." the scholar chuckled, "I intercepted it. I sealed the Omen, allowing a consciousness named Lyle to gradually grow, hoping that one day in the future, when the Omen and Lyle merge, you will take the initiative."

"Although the plan took an unexpected turn, the ending was a pleasant surprise."

“Nia became your strength, and the ominous sign became your shadow, though it interfered with you to some extent.”

“Evil gods are immortal; this is a shared belief among us dragon priests. As former guardians, we have paid a heavy price to prove it. I am the more eccentric one, perhaps because of my background as a mage; I am skilled in using power.”

"Why not create an evil god who favors us?"

"This is my personal reason."

"Thank you for your selfishness, teacher. You saved my life. I can't even imagine the future you described. I'm extremely satisfied with the present."

“What you see is not necessarily good, Lyle. Just as now, the ominous sign is willing to become your shadow, and in that future, you will not resist it either. You are one, and ‘eating’ and ‘being eaten’ are merely humanistic concepts. That future is not necessarily bad for you. At least, there will not be a being called Sheriu who has the ability to take away your future.”

"Half of your talent has been taken away."

The scholar's tone clearly conveyed regret and anger.

"What kind of impact would that have on me?"

"Do you remember the magic lock assessment? It was about classifying power levels."

"Remember, there are ten power levels, with the tenth level being the ultimate."

"You have had half of your talent taken away, so you can only reach level five at most now. Above level five, you are [empty]."

"...It seems like good news to learn that Sheriwu can only reach the fifth lock."

The scholar tapped on the table, looked at the graffiti on the wall, and tried to regain some of his thoughts.

“Lyle, have I ever told you that the magic lock is an outdated power assessment mechanism?”

I've heard a little about it.

"The Magic Lock Training is a power system that we Dragon Priests and dragons researched together. It is still the mainstream power system in the current world and can be considered a legacy of the previous era. However, it is not the absolute or the only power system."

"So, the dragon was defeated by a new power?"

"No, the dragon was defeated by its own power. We set up the ten locks according to our own ideas, which is ridiculous now. Our enemies proved us right. The ten locks, the ultimate in the world."

“Mr. Raymond…”

"It is truly a shameful thing that the pinnacle of the Dragon Priest power system is actually the 'Dragon Disaster' who slays dragons."

"This was not my only mistake, but the mistakes that followed left a deeper impression on me."

"I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The spellcasters of the Magic Lock System are called [Ascended Ones]."

"And the remaining two paths."

"That is, the [Agent] representing the 'Path of Heaven' and the [Breakthrough] representing the 'Path of God'."

"Agents are the world's representatives of a certain law, wielding the [rules] and becoming absolute authorities in a certain field. Yes, that sounds familiar. The creator of the Agent power system is Apocalypse. All the professors in the Advanced Magic Research Society are Agents. They control the [rules] and become the embodiment of the rules. As you can see, they are very powerful."

"However, the Proxy path also has its flaws. You have to be very smart, extremely smart, because Proxy can be replaced. As long as someone else's research on the rules surpasses yours, you will be replaced, like an outdated old relic losing everything you once painstakingly invested. You will also bear corresponding responsibilities, because your dissemination of knowledge will increase your power over the rules. Furthermore, you are the mouthpiece of the rules; the power of the rules themselves represents your power. This is precisely why advanced magic research chooses to study macroscopic power. But the stronger you are, the more difficult it becomes. The stronger you are, the more dangerous it becomes."

"In fact, I have never encountered an Agent other than the Lich race. The Higher Magic Research Society supports the entire Agent power system."

"The Breakers have always existed. The only condition to become a Breaker is to become chaos. No longer bound by rules, no longer disturbed by patterns. This is the rule for the growth of evil gods. This word actually has its flaws, but I really can't find a better word than 'rules' to describe this chaos with potential order. This path is the divine path that exists for you, for Sheriu. As for the method to walk this path, it is to become chaos. Of course, you don't need to find the path."

“You are inherently chaotic. In fact, whatever choices you make, your future is already set, Lyle. Whether you do research or engage in more mundane tasks, the forces within you will compel you down this path.”

"Sheliwu too."

"For others, the end of this path is to become a vessel for God."

"For you... but in reality, what road doesn't lead to this end?"

"We just collapsed before we reached the finish line."

"Of course, I have an even more interesting analogy to help you distinguish the three roads."

“If we compare spellcasting to a transaction, then the ‘Promoter’ is like becoming a wealthy person, using more money to buy more goods; the ‘Agent’ is like becoming the bank behind the transaction, using public funds to buy goods; and the ‘Disruptor’ is like becoming an annoying nobleman, using stingy money to buy excessive amounts of goods, or even not paying at all.”

“Although you are destined to become a Breaker, Lyle, I still suggest that you complete the Breaker Ceremony after you have advanced to the fifth level of the Lock.”

"The first lock signifies budding, the second signifies growth, the third signifies maturity, the fourth signifies joining the group, and the fifth signifies a powerful individual."

"And the concept of a great individual happens to overlap with the concept of God."

"As for the domain after the sixth lock, the king after the seventh lock, the leader after the eighth lock, the concept of the ninth lock, and the incarnation of the tenth lock, they all connect the individual with the group."

"The fifth lock is the best time for those who break the mold."

"Based on existing experience, we call those who break through at this stage..."

"The Perfect Breaker, the Divine Remains."

Chapter 445 The Bored Young Master

Cassandra's Night.

The dim light cast shadows on the walls, transforming the scene into a cold, urban nightscape. A yawning sheriff, carrying a tallow lantern and wearing a thick overcoat, wandered the streets and alleys. The sound of his leather boots crunching through the mud blended with the snores from inside the houses, creating a symphony of peaceful slumber.

At night, a stranger arrived to cause trouble.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed behind the visitors. Awakened, the residents of Cassandale lit their lamps and peered through their slightly ajar windows at the noisy intruder. But they found nothing; only the calming wind and muddy footprints on the ground proved that someone had passed by.

The lights that lit up created a strange illusion, as if a knight were bringing light to the citizens.

But the residents of Cassandra had no time to discuss the identity of the person who had taken the paladin's job; drowsiness, like a recurring tide, swept away their wakefulness once more.

The sheriff saw the troublemaker hurrying past, but after she entered the courtyard, she simply pulled down her hat brim and pretended not to see him.

The dark figure turned into the Church of Dawn.

the next day.

Cassandra woke up as usual.

Kevin felt terrible.

Because of his terrible sleeping posture, Kevin rolled off the bed, causing one side of his bed to collapse. The rolling bedsheets fell with Kevin, the soft pillows absorbing the impact but not much of a shock to the lucky young master. However, the four-poster bed collapsed, and the left wooden post, like a snobbish concubine seeing her husband fall, chose to escape and then knocked unconscious the maid who happened to open the door to wake Kevin.

The dutiful maid finished her work before falling unconscious, and her panicked screams became Young Master Borui's alarm clock.

But what Kevin found unpleasant wasn't this little episode in life. Everyone at Boley Manor, including Kevin, was used to his good fortune; the poor maid would be compensated, her misfortune turned into a reward for good luck.

As a member of the nobility of marriageable age, with handsome looks and good manners, Kevin had a strange feeling that his father had assigned him a job called matchmaking.

Young women streamed into the gates of Baron Borey Manor, captivated by Kevin's melancholic face, their infatuation revealing their own flaws. Kevin had met suitable women before, but each encounter ended with a sense of disappointment. The kind of woman he liked wasn't ordinary. With these thoughts in mind, Kevin gradually grew weary of the matchmaking events arranged by Baron Borey.

Fate favored him, but fate, like him, was a coward, pretending not to exist in front of Baron Borui. Your father is still your father; fate can't save you.

Back then, he went to Hamletshire to escape arranged marriages, and that fantastical journey was indeed quite interesting. He even became the nominal heir to Hamlet, acquiring the status of an earl. As a result, he had even more potential suitors, and their ranks had changed from below baron to below earl. Earl Kevin was about to cry.

Later, under the guise of inheriting the title of Earl of Hamlet, he held a wild party, staying up all night every night in an attempt to ruin his health. As a result... as a result, Kevin looked at the face of the man in the mirror, who was radiant but had a painful expression, and wanted to cry but had no tears.

His friends, who used to play wildly with him, are now bedridden, and even their fiancées come to visit the manor.

Thinking of continuing to do some shady things with Lyle, Lyle ended up falling in love and moving to the Naslan family's place.

William has long since disappeared to pursue love.

I'm all alone, and occasionally I participate in hunting activities to reduce the number of able-bodied male nobles in Cassandra, thus increasing my workload.

Kevin even did something crazier: he deliberately committed a crime to get Mr. Ralph to arrest him and put him in solitary confinement. Only Ralph would dare to do that; other sheriffs would politely send him home to be beaten by his father. Those were truly some very happy times.

But Mr. Ralph has now gone to Narnia to work as a police inspector, and I heard there's a female sheriff who's pursuing him.

I, Kevin, am utterly devastated by this suffering.

Kevin now goes to the Church of the Sunrise every day, taking the opportunity to relax for a while through prayer.

But is the Holy Light truly my safe haven? Lately, I feel the conflict between the Kingdom and the Church is intensifying.

As Kevin ate his food and listened to the butler rattling off the names of noblewomen and the party locations like a menu, he felt utterly disillusioned.

“Father Karen told me that I was a good prospect and that he intended to have me convert to the Holy Light!”

"The Baron told me that if the young master does not leave any offspring, you should not have any thoughts. Moreover, your status absolutely precludes you from joining the Holy Light; this is a requirement you were born with."

Kevin didn't find the food appetizing anymore.

"I will still go to church to pray today..."

"Young master, the carriage bound for Viscount Ashara's residence will be there to pick you up in two hours. Please do not be late."

He took the spoon out of the broth and waved it in the air like a white flag, saying, "I understand."

Kevin looked at the newly pasted flag on the wall, bearing the coat of arms of the Hamlet family. He thought to himself, "How I long, how I long to experience another adventure."