Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Chapter 761 Lyle's Great Defeat

"The ladies of Nathlan sent their greetings through me." The Frostwalker, Ivan, loosened the reins of his ghost horse, removed his hat in greeting, and sat upright in his carriage, conversing with Lyle. Fine, downy snowflakes fell from the carriage roof, and small phantoms gathered in twos and threes, sitting around the edge of the carriage, reaching out their tiny hands to catch the shimmering snowflakes. Nia didn't join them; she had done this many times before. Now, she nestled against Lyle's back, a smug and disdainful expression on her face, typical of a little adult.

Lyle felt a little bad and smiled awkwardly, "I'll be back soon after I'm done here. I'm really sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."

The aloof Ivan smiled politely. "It's my job, and I'm happy to work for Naslan. Besides, I have other messages to convey to you." The ghostly hand gently stroked the horse's neck, and the spirit horse hummed contentedly, releasing a puff of icy mist.

"I came to Posuva also to help the warrior, Vol, calm his mind. The curse this land has placed on him needs to be suppressed regularly. Vol has discovered that there are many wandering Posuva refugees who sometimes wander into Vol's territory like panicked rabbits. Vol asked you how to deal with them."

"The refugees of Poswa?"

"Yes, refugees after the fall of their country, pursued by war, can only wander in their homeland for survival."

Who is hunting them down?

"Their former compatriots."

Lyle recalled the devastation he had witnessed when he first arrived in Posouva, a country already dead, yet war thriving on its corpse like a new life.

"But why ask for my opinion?" Lyle asked, somewhat confused.

Ivan lowered his head slightly, so slightly that Lyle could barely notice.

"Although we have some ability to make our own judgments, we have a habit of following our master's orders."

Previously, Posuwa only had Vol, who could make decisions unilaterally. But now Lyle is also in Posuwa, and Naslan's subordinates, who often communicate with Ivan, are also aware of the necromancer's identity.

Lyle was somewhat unsure, as he was a researcher, not an administrator.

“I’m curious how Wall would exercise his autonomy if I weren’t there.”

The answer from Frostwalker Ivan sent a chill down Lyle's spine.

“Wol will eliminate the invaders. Although it damages the positive image of the Naslan people, my colleague is not a calm and kind person.”

"Even if they weren't hostile?" Lyle found it hard to accept.

"Wall's ability is to devour souls; he can seize the souls of others to become powerful."

"This is wrong." What kind of behavior is this? It's treating human life like dirt.

The polite Evan revealed another side of Naslan to Lyle, the evil and malice that a vengeful spirit should possess.

“Our wish is to make Naslan, our people, stronger. Mr. Lyle, to make the people strong by any means necessary is… loyalty.”

Lyle's silence caught Nia's attention, and she touched Lyle's cheek with her tentacles, creating a dimple on his soft face.

"There must be a better way." Lyle's sense of justice made a final stand.

Ivan smiled, a sincere smile tinged with the poignant sadness unique to ice and snow.

“I believe it will happen, but that’s Mr. Lyle’s way. We are not as talented or powerful as our master; we can only contribute to the tribe in our own way.”

Lyle looked at the coachman and could only utter a sigh, "You really love Naslan, Ivan."

"Of course I love. The accident that caused the master's death made the mistress bear the resentment of all of us. We experienced the mistress's early madness, and we knew then that even vengeful spirits can feel pain. They can suffer, and naturally they can love."

The imposing coachman roused Lyle, restoring his optimism and positive attitude, much like the warm feeling he had when he first spiritually connected with the Phantom Clan.

"Trust me, Ivan, make Vol release those refugees. In exchange, I will use my abilities to make Naslan stronger." Lyle felt confident in his worth; the results of giving Ariana and Helena physical bodies were undeniable.

Ivan accepted the deal and left, stepping through the frost under Phantom's reluctant gaze. Lyle looked at the somewhat dejected children surrounding him and patted their heads comfortingly.

"Such a big reaction? You've all seen snowflakes before, haven't you? Doesn't [Xi Ji] bring down ice blocks from the mountaintop every day? You can also have the Great Illusion simulate snowfall."

A small phantom, depicted as a toddler with its body and hair tangled with flowers and leaves, shakes its head.

"No, adults all have jobs. Those little animals and flowers that need help need adults more than we do. We can't trouble the adults."

Lyle raised an eyebrow, squatted down to look the assertive little guy in the eye, and joked, "Is it okay if I cause you trouble?"

The little phantoms panicked upon hearing this, tears welling up in their eyes. "Hey, did we interrupt your conversation? I'm sorry, Lyle, we just wanted to get a little closer. Did we chase that cold old man away?"

Lyle felt guilty and it took him some effort to appease the phantoms. When he returned the little phantom to the snake that had been caring for them, the living gardener spoke softly and shyly.

"I'm sorry they caused you and your friends trouble."

“No, no! Little Phantom is very well-behaved! Ivan wasn’t driven away by them. We finished talking, so we left! They are very cute! Ivan also likes children who like snow!” Lyle said in one breath, as if facing a priest on the other side of the confessional, feeling relieved of guilt but also as if carrying a heavy burden.

The snake gave Lyle a heavy bouquet of flowers, though it was unclear whether the weight was just Lyle's imagination. He walked to the roots of the tree called "Wood," leaned against the trunk, chewed on an apple, and listened to the apple tree's comforting words.

“There’s no need to worry about it, Lyle. [Snake] has become sentimental from taking care of the child for too long, and this anxious and insecure attitude always makes both of them feel uncomfortable.”

Lyle looked up and noticed the shade he had reserved for himself; the sweet fruit suddenly tasted a little off.

"How did [Mumu] find out too? Weren't you always guarding the amusement park entrance with [Wall Monster]?"

Applewood twisted its branches, smoothing out the moss and lichen on the top of the wall next to it.

"Lyle, have you forgotten? We phantoms are closely connected, sharing a mental network. Everyone knows what happened in Midgard."

Lyle covered his face and clung to the tree trunk like a caterpillar.

"Everyone knows that I bullied Little Phantom. I really want to die."

[Mumu] comforted him, "Don't say that. Lyle, your joke isn't entirely without merit. Those little ones are undisciplined and some are spoiled."

"Don't say anymore, don't say anymore..." I'm so sorry.

"Lyle, connect to the Phantom Network and listen to their thoughts. No one blames you. Cheer up!"

"No, let me calm down."

Lyle understood: the Phantom would take every word you said seriously, so you couldn't joke about it.

Chapter 762 The Source of Illusions

The cut-and-sculpted replicas failed to achieve Lyle's goal; they were too fragile to support the creator's wild imagination. Lyle had initially thought tracing the phantoms would be quite easy; the top student of necromancy would quickly grasp the phantoms' physiological structure. The structure was very simple, so simple that it seemed somewhat crude to Lyle, like a novice's clay model. A skilled artist could quickly copy its form, but could never capture the spirit outlined by those rough lines.

Lyle was merely creating a fake; he was pondering which crucial step he had missed, causing his forged phantom to either collapse outright or break down after struggling for a few seconds.

Through the selfless dedication of the Invisible Child, Lyle deduced a conclusion.

Creating illusions is theoretically impossible. This conclusion surprised Lyle, because illusions do exist and have become their own kind. After repeated confirmation and combining all that he had learned, Lyle sadly discovered that his conclusion was correct.

One cannot create illusions through one's own talents; more precisely, one cannot create illusions through the knowledge of the evil god. This conflicts with the evil god theory of the origin of all things that Lyle has been studying, which posits that the evil god should be able to transform all things in the world. The appearance of illusions goes against the scope of the evil god's knowledge and bluntly shows Lyle a part of the world that he does not understand.

Chaos is not the only thing. An organization that was originally rather insignificant gradually grew larger in Lyle's eyes.

The Mystics, an obscure local organization of spellcasters, completely rejected the teachings of the evil gods and established a logically consistent mystical system. The Phantom Clan was created by the Mystics, and proof that the Mystics differed from Chaos. Lyle began to think of the Unseen Children's unwarranted hostility towards the Phantom Clan; they called the Phantoms freaks. Perhaps this dislike held a deeper meaning than arrogance and prejudice.

A true seeker of knowledge should remain skeptical. Lyle, ever attentive, began perusing the Book of Omniscience kept in Paradise, paying attention to the obscure references found in ancient historical texts. Lyle discovered new pages within the Book of Omniscience.

The oldest concept: mystery.

Chaos does not exist independently; where there is darkness, there is also light. What arises in opposition to chaos is order, the rules that must be followed—that is, concepts.

"The power of evil gods can be mutated into concepts. The Child of the Formless once called the concept a divine power. Now it seems that not all concepts originate from the evil god itself."

【Mystery】is a concept revered by all members of the Mysterious Contracts and governs their code of conduct.

Lyle closed the Book of Omniscience, and an aged face appeared on the red cover. He looked at Lyle with an expression that was neither good nor bad.

"I thought you would never see the true face of [mystery] in your entire life."

Lyle frowned, unsure what this phantom, transformed from a former Mystic, was trying to convey. The young man, though not saying anything, still displayed a touch of arrogance and feigned indifference.

"It's nothing, just realizing that [Mystery] might be as old as the Evil God. [Mystery] and the Sleepers might be from the same era, but it's much weaker than the Sleepers. Otherwise, the Evil God wouldn't be the ancestor of all life now."

The Book of Omniscience shook its head, its pages rustling in the air as it swayed and opened.

"Recognizing that 'mystery' is not a good thing is that it is a kind of terror different from evil gods. 'Mystery' is a concept that needs to be respected, but it does not mean that order is beautiful. That era will only give birth to barbaric evil gods."

“Be careful, Lyle. Look at us, look at Posuwa. What have those who swore to worship the Mystic for life received…”

The kingdom was destroyed, and the Mystic Order was wiped out in an instant because one of them broke their promise to keep secrets. The wounds inflicted by [Mysticism] were far less severe than the corruption of the Sleepers, but that was for the entire world. The Sleepers were sealed away, and [Mysticism] now hangs its last servant.

"Forcibly extracting the malice from life, watching a once complete life shrink into a helpless defective product... that is the illusion." Removing individuals from the genealogy of evil gods, extracting order from chaos, and isolating offspring originally influenced by dark bloodlines from flesh and blood. Lyle was somewhat unsure what expression he should make when facing the Book of Omniscience.

"You have inflicted the same effects of [mystery] on your next victim."

"Therefore, the secret covenant holders are not innocent. Every secret covenant holder carries the evil passed down through blood and flesh, and under the discipline of order, sin is born from our evil."

Lyle shuddered and looked up at the huge gap at the corner of the tower, from which he could overlook the entire park. Lyle saw the phantom's serene smile and the children running and playing in the woods, and only then did he feel warmth return to his heart.

"Do they know... that their former selves were criminals from Poswa, whose evil roots were uprooted to reveal their pure goodness? So they are servants, experimental subjects, incomplete beings existing for sacrifice or atonement."

The Book of Omniscience shook its head, climbed back onto the platform, and lay down in the neat groove in the middle.

"Posuwa is gone. Who could have imagined that the former prison would become a paradise? Project Phantom was just a modification plan I provided back then, and very few people knew about it. The rebellious prince led the entire Posuwa to its demise, and Phantom lost its allegiance. Isn't it wonderful to weave a fairytale paradise?"

"They have long since abandoned the past and been reborn."

"A pure and immaculate paradise, free from sin and hatred, as white as snow."

"My innocent child will always dwell here."

“Lyle, I do indeed have a method to extract malice, but that is also a power of the Mysterious, a secret that should not be passed down. Knowing this secret means you will be targeted by the Mysterious. Brass and chains, the corroded king is a noble misfortune.”

"Do not bring about any change, my respected king of the tribe, this moment is the most beautiful ending."

Lyle heard the plea in the weary voice; the Book of Omniscience, as a book, did not want to be opened.

"Okay, I promise you." Lyle said goodnight, not wanting to disturb the old man's sleep.

The laughter outside the building did not cease, and the dark shadows gradually blocked the sunlight that was entering the tower. Lyle's figure was gradually swallowed up by the ominous sign.

[If giving up the choice to become stronger is your decision, then of course I will comply.]

Unfortunately, we are the beings closest to that being; primal malice flows through our veins, an instinct that relentlessly pursues the higher.

Fairy tales are the ultimate tragedy.

Chapter 763 Rosa the Exile

"Do not hate, do not be angry."

“Resentment is evil and poison; anger is calamity.”