Chapter 101: Foolishness (Part 1)

  The midday sun was exceptionally dazzling due to the highland air, illuminating every detail of this large area on the mountaintop. The ground on the summit had been deliberately leveled, requiring considerable effort—the natural mountain contours had vanished, replaced by a large artificially constructed platform. The platform was also meticulously smoothed to ensure the magic circles upon it could achieve optimal effects. This was because the ground wasn't covered by just one or two magic circles, but by dozens, even hundreds, of various magic circles of all sizes.

  On this platform where magic circles converged, an old man with white hair and beard held a jade-green leaf, examining it repeatedly before sighing helplessly. With a mixture of disappointment and regret, he casually tossed it aside. This divine artifact, shimmering with green light, drifted pitifully through the air for a moment before landing on the ground.

  The old man slumped to the ground. For days now, he had slept only two or three hours nightly, spending all his remaining time on this small leaf, yet the result remained fruitless.

  He was the most intelligent, knowledgeable, erudite, and capable person on the continent—able to rescue several near-extinct subhuman races from human oppression and inspire them to build a city from nothing in barren lands. But now, faced with this small leaf, he could only feel his own powerlessness.

  Sedros sighed deeply, glancing at the magic circles covering the ground. His once vibrant, energetic eyes were now bloodshot, weary, and clouded. He had tried every method imaginable, yet remained unable to decipher the magic contained within this leaf, purely condensed life force.

  Was it simply because it was a divine artifact?

  Gods. Sedros had never believed in such things. Not only was he intelligent and knowledgeable, but he was also a true powerhouse with genuine self-confidence and self-awareness. Every achievement, every bit of progress he had made came from his own sweat and effort, not granted by some nonexistent entity. He had always believed the world could be held in one's own hands. But now, this small leaf showed him a truly unreachable mystery—a sense of the ethereal that made his heart race with agitation and frustration.

  After a few soft sounds, General Gru leaped onto the platform edge behind Sedros. The mountain was high and incredibly steep, yet he moved as easily as stepping onto a staircase. General Gru was also carrying someone, whom he dropped upon reaching the platform. This person was very short, only half General Gru's height.

  General Gru looked at the magic circles covering the ground and the Leaf of the World Tree, asking Sedros: "Any progress?"

  "Not yet." Sedros sat cross-legged, supporting his head with his hand, closing his eyes as if resting or perhaps thinking. "Come up with a few more reasons to help me stall for a few more days."

  "The respected General Gru dislikes lying. When questioned, he can only say he doesn't know. And I can't find a better reason to delay either." The dwarf brought up by General Gru walked behind Sedros, making a rather strange grimace. "In my reports, you've been bringing the Leaf of the World Tree to return it to her, but encountered a small accident, met two old friends, and went to handle some affairs for an illegitimate child. So these past two days, that beautiful elf lady's temper has grown increasingly worse. She says our place is filthy, smelly, and full of monsters, insisting on leaving with the divine artifact as soon as possible. I'm out of options. That's why we both came to inquire about your progress."

  "But I have no solutions here either." Sedros sighed deeply. He paused, then asked. "Do we still have enough food for this month?"

  This dwarf had originally been just a low-level official Sedros recruited recently, but he soon discovered that this unremarkable fellow possessed a mind and talent completely contrary to his appearance. So Sedros immediately made him his assistant.

  As a good leader, besides personal ability, knowing how to employ people was crucial. Sedros, with his unique insight, recognized this as a rare talent and someone very trustworthy. That's why he had been promoted to Oufu's highest management in such a short time. Thanks to this capable assistant, Sedros had been able to step away and conduct his magical research here.

  The dwarf assistant replied: "The expenses for purchasing food this month have exceeded the budget again. With the continuous influx of outsiders, the food problem has become increasingly severe. Although we can sustain ourselves through trade in the short term, the soil in the barren highlands is truly too infertile. Transporting fertile soil from Lizard Marsh remains limited, and the results are slow."

  Sedros nodded slowly, saying: "The food problem has always been the most important factor restricting our long-term development. That's why I pinned my hopes on the magical power of the Leaf of the World Tree. I hoped to try using magic to alter plant growth capabilities, fundamentally solving this problem. Otherwise, our development will always be greatly constrained." He sighed deeply again. "But the divine artifact completely exceeds my imagination... Now, let alone the planned simulation and conversion, I can't even analyze the characteristics and effects of its magical power. Perhaps only the elves are most familiar with and capable of using this divine artifact, which they have guarded for tens of thousands of years."

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  "Then why not ask them to help you with it?"

  "Can you ask a devout priest to give his cross to zombies and skeletons as decoration?" Sedros smiled wryly. "The Leaf of the World Tree is a divine artifact worshipped by the elves. Orcs, on the other hand, have always been the race they despise most. I even have to conceal my research on this from them."

  The assistant nodded, then shook his head and said: "But the food problem is something we must solve. It's not just about continuing development—it's crucial to whether Oufu City can even survive. Oufu's development has already detached from its own productivity, almost entirely sustained by trade. Although it's indeed prosperous now, its foundation is unstable. If the surrounding countries that supply our food all cease trade... that would be troublesome."

  Sedros shook his head: "It wouldn't come to that. Unless there's a continent-wide famine, how could all of them simultaneously stop trading? They need our trade too."

  "No, it's possible. If they form an alliance, or are controlled by a powerful and influential organization, like the Church... Of course, that seems unlikely to happen, I'm just speaking hypothetically."

  But a sharp light flashed in Sedros's eyes as he nodded slowly: "No, you're right. That means we must obtain the power of this Leaf of the World Tree. If I truly cannot decipher it, then we'll have to keep this item. I could create a magic circle directly with it to simulate the environment of Whispering Woods, increasing the growth rate of crops within dozens of miles tenfold."

  "You mean we won't return this to the elves? But doing so will surely make you enemies with them."

  "They? They'll only know that this item has fallen into the hands of the Necromancer Guild. I'll handle this very discreetly."

  After hearing this, the assistant fell silent for a moment, then shook his head like a rattle drum, saying: "But I don't think this is wise. It's merely drinking poison to quench thirst—harmful in every way without any benefit."

  "Why?" Sedros asked in surprise.

  "Walls have ears. No matter how well you conceal this, sooner or later there's a risk of information leaking. And if this gets out, imagine the consequences? Not only would the elves become your complete enemies, but what about other forces? This item, though valuable, is a double-edged sword. Whoever holds it becomes the target of all."

  "...Right." Sedros smiled wryly. "It seems I've been muddled by this thing these past two days. Do you have any better suggestions?"

  The assistant scratched his messy hair and said: "My suggestion is still to let the elves help you."

  Sedros laughed involuntarily: "I already told you that's impossible."

  "Nothing is impossible." The assistant didn't think so. "I read this in a book: 'No person is without a price. Some have a price in money, some in power, some in faith, some in emotion. If you offer enough payment and sufficient terms, you can buy them out.' Though I dislike this sentiment emotionally, it seems to hold true in reality."

  Sedros tilted his head in thought, still shaking his head. "But to make them do such a thing, I think any terms we offer would be rejected."

  "Then give them an offer they cannot refuse." The assistant revealed a cunning smile, though the laughter that came out was unpleasant, like a half-drunk person chuckling. "Hehe. That's also something I read in a book."

  "I think I understand what you're saying now. But the details must be carefully considered..." A bright light flashed in Sedros's eyes as he looked at his assistant and said: "Good. I've decided. From now on, you are my senior advisor."

  "Hehe. As expected, City Lord, you have good judgment. Haha." The new advisor wasn't modest, laughing loudly. "Regarding this matter, we should..."

  While Sedros discussed these matters with this person, General Gru remained silent, not even glancing their way, standing at the edge of the mountain platform, overlooking Oufu City in the distance from his high vantage point. He never concerned himself with such matters. When the two finished speaking, he walked over to ask Sedros: "So have you decided to keep the Leaf of the World Tree? Or return it?"

  Sedros nodded with a smile and said: "We've decided to return it to that elf lady first. We'll also need to trouble you to escort her to Tulalion."

  "Not a trouble." General Gru nodded, revealing a barely perceptible smile. "At least I won't let one person's foolish trust in me be disappointed."

  A Wyvern suddenly flew rapidly toward them from the direction of Oufu, targeting this mountaintop platform.

  Sedros frowned slightly. He had instructed that no one except General Gru and this assistant should disturb him these past few days. This must mean some extremely urgent and important news had arrived.

  The Wyvern landed on the platform. The Half-Orc on its back presented two parchments to Sedros. As Sedros unfolded them, his face instantly turned pale, his body swaying several times as if he could barely stand.

  "What's wrong?" General Gru frowned. "I haven't seen you look like this in all these years."

  "News just arrived from Ainfast Empire. Bishop Ronis has been assassinated by a spy from the Necromancer Guild." Sedros's voice trembled, his face pale. His trembling hand unfolded one of the parchments—it was a portrait. "This is the wanted portrait of the spy who assassinated Bishop Ronis. A bounty of five thousand gold coins and the title of first-class imperial viscount."

  "Him?" General Gru and the assistant exclaimed simultaneously.

  The assistant shook his large head. "But... why would he assassinate Bishop Ronis?"

  General Gru sneered: "Although this person is somewhat foolish, I doubt he'd be foolish enough to assassinate Bishop Ronis."

  "Even if he wanted to, he absolutely couldn't. No one could kill him easily. Ronis..." Sedros's expression was twisted by grief, his voice suddenly aging many years, and even his back, usually straight as a young man's, slightly stooped with sorrow. Yet even in this state, he didn't lose his incredibly calm mind and reason. "But he was indeed assassinated. I'm certain. Only an assassination when he was completely off guard could kill him... But it couldn't be this kid... Even if this kid became part of the Necromancer Guild, they would absolutely never risk sending him to do it."

  "Then who do you think it could be?" General Gru asked.

  "Who else could it be? Who else would dare, who could, who would have motive to kill him? There aren't many people like that in that country..."

  "Duke Mrak?" The assistant blurted out.

  "Yes." Sedros nodded. "He somehow managed to frame this kid, while also eliminating the roots of the problem. There's another piece of news here. Duke Mrak has arrested his own daughter, who serves as the Finance Minister. And he has announced to the entire nation that she colluded with the murderer who killed the Archbishop, a crime beyond forgiveness. In one month, he will execute his own daughter in the royal capital in the name of justice. Making such a public announcement probably isn't meant to demonstrate his selflessness."

  "One month is enough time to travel from any corner of the empire to walk into a trap." General Gru said coldly. "I just don't know if that kid is foolish enough to do so."

  Sedros slowly shook his head: "Unfortunately, Duke Mrak probably understands him better than we do. And the duke never does useless or uncertain things."

  "What should we do? Help this kid?"

  "How?" Sedros smiled wryly. "The duke is currently hunting the criminal who assassinated Bishop Ronis. And we have no idea where that kid is..."

  "But, why is the duke so eager to force him to his death? This seems rather strange." The assistant beside him suddenly said. His broom-like eyebrows furrowed together. "With the duke's methods, since he can frame someone else, he would never leave them a chance to turn the tables. So why is he in such a hurry to kill this kid? Although eliminating the roots is good, sacrificing his own daughter, the Finance Minister, seems too high a price."

  Sedros paused, nodded thoughtfully, and gave a smile to this assistant who had repeatedly inspired him: "Advisor Bolgan. It seems my greatest gain during this unfortunate period of continuous misfortune was appointing you as my advisor." He turned toward the east, gazing at the highland horizon. "My only hope now is that that kid isn't foolish enough to rush eagerly to his death."