Chapter 126
The number of his followers was several times that of Hebe, and under the cover of night, the campfire illuminated their faces, making them appear like ghosts.
The number of disciples a philosopher has is often linked to the quality of his thought.
As Hebe scrutinized the philosopher, the philosopher was also observing Hebe.
"The black iron Crown of Thorns on her head undoubtedly proclaims that her thoughts are inherently dangerous; the sleeveless, simple white dress undoubtedly represents that her thoughts are less about extravagance and more about practical needs."
The middle-aged philosopher's gaze finally settled on Hebe's slender feet, and his eyes revealed shock.
"Philosophers swore to go barefoot, to keep their promise to be grounded... But after the Philosopher King fell silent, this ancient and strict vow was replaced. A philosopher who can practice this asceticism must have a depth of thought that should not be underestimated! Oh, Philosopher King, open your eyes."
The middle-aged philosopher's gaze was intense.
He extended his right hand to Hebe.
This is a sacred ritual that philosophers must perform before engaging in debate.
"Who are you? Where do you come from? And where are you going?" the middle-aged philosopher asked.
Hebe didn't answer, but instead asked for venison, which she cut and ate as she ate.
This action enraged the Philosopher's Kid opposite him, but the middle-aged philosopher stopped them.
"Don't do that. She's a truly profound philosopher," the middle-aged man said. "She has already answered my question. Look. When we arrived, they were having dinner; and now they're going to continue eating."
"This is an idea that can meet human needs."
"As far as I know, a similar system of thought appeared a hundred years ago..." The middle-aged man squinted, his tone persuasive.
"[The Uncrowned King] ".
"What?"
Hebe raised her eyelids impatiently. "Every philosopher from a different school of thought is a mortal enemy. How long are you going to keep arguing like this?"
Moreover, these philosophers, who were instigated by Elizabeth to come to the North to "preach," were also mortal enemies of Hebe in terms of their stance.
From the very beginning, she had no intention of letting go of this target who was practically right in front of her face.
"Hurry up and tell me your real philosophical name, I still need to eat dinner."
The middle-aged man's smiling face finally crumbled.
"[Thales]".
"I never imagined it would actually be a hundred years ago, that they would be so audacious as to try to usurp the throne of the Philosopher King." Thales, the contemporary ruler, took a step back and spoke with a gloomy expression.
Unlike musicians, philosophers are generally equal in status, but when it comes to the spread of schools of thought, there are always some distinctions of priority.
Within the Academy of Philosophy, every so often, priority is given to seven philosophers representing different schools of thought to give lectures and spread their ideas.
The philosophers who received this honor were known as the "Seven Sages".
The positions of the Seven Sages can change in real time, but above the Seven Sages, there are prominent positions known as the "Three Sages".
They are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Each of these Three Sages represents a school of thought that will always occupy the largest share in the Academy of Philosophy.
Thales, who was once one of the Seven Sages a century ago, was in the midst of a period of great ambition when a disaster struck the Academy of Philosophy.
Uncrowned King, Grandmaster, Master, Supreme Tutor, Innate Sage... all these terms were used to describe that young scholar who forced an ancient citizen family to bow down.
She openly established a private school, accepting students regardless of their status or position, enabling those Philosopher's Kid to grow into independent philosophers at an extremely rapid pace. Theoretically, when they matured into philosophers, the school should have disintegrated, but it didn't.
Even though those philosophers created their own systems, they still wholeheartedly regarded her as their mentor!
If the Philosopher King is the sun residing on its throne, then the uncrowned king is the solitary moon in the sky, suppressing the myriad stars of the Academy of Philosophy from daring to speak loudly.
In that massive Critique! that engulfed the entire Academy of Philosophy, two of the Three Sages were killed by her arguments, five of the Seven Sages committed suicide after their defeat, and dozens of philosophers and more than three thousand accomplished scholars left the Academy of Philosophy.
Thales' school of thought subsequently declined.
"After a century of training and reflection, we have learned from our mistakes and have long since surpassed the past."
Thales rallied himself. "Come on, the name 'Thales' is not what it used to be... I will win."
The Philosopher's Kid spread out two mats for the two philosophers to begin their Critique!.
Previously, when inquiring about identities, Thales asked first, so this time, it was Hebe's turn to strike first.
But then Hebe straightened his back, clapped his hands, and asked a question in a loud and rapid voice.
What is history?
This style of questioning left Thales speechless.
Moreover, her question was quite peculiar. History is a topic philosophers have traditionally avoided.
Three seconds passed in the blink of an eye, Hebe raised his hand and struck Thales with his stick, making Thales see stars and hear a ringing in his ears.
"Stop!" Thales covered his face with his arm. "Do you know the answer to the first question?!"
This time it was another blow, causing Thales to scream and cry, but Hebe's voice remained clearly audible:
"In your school of thought's terms, history should be like a river. It flows relentlessly, day and night!"
This time, not only Thales' eyes widened, but the Philosopher's Kid behind him also forgot their anger and took out their paper and pens to start recording the details of the Critique! debate.
The Thales school viewed water as the origin of all things and has always tried to explain their worldview using water, but when it comes to history, it has always been a serious flaw.
It's not that they couldn't think of it, it's that they dared not think of it! Throughout history, apart from Philosopher King, only the school of the Uncrowned King has ever been involved in history... She once compiled history books!
"Do you understand?" Hebe asked.
Despite the pain, Thales shouted, "I understand!"
He was forced to bow to Hebe once again.
After three questions and three answers, the debate will end, and the winner will gain everything, while the loser will be beheaded!
Now it's Thales' turn to ask a question.
What is the concept of global unity?
This is a trap. He wasn't asking about the "material unity of the world," but rather the "unity of the world"!
As Thales posed his trap-laden questions, the surrounding darkness surged in like a tide, and an invisible pressure descended from above. The Philosopher's Kid on Hebe's side collapsed to the ground, their ears ringing as if they were in the deep sea.
The power of Thought Sorcery is so arbitrary and terrifying.
"The wasteland," Hebe replied calmly. "In Plato's system, it should be 'ideas'; in Aristotle's view, it should be 'forms'... In your school's view, it should be 'water'. All these views are attempts to explain that above the changing world before us, there is an immortal essential world."
This answer was completely unknowable and unsolvable for the philosophers of Atlantis who were unable to enter the wasteland.
That's why the Three Sages and Seven Sages used their different theoretical systems to describe the essence of the real world, attempting to unify and summarize the real world.
"But I've been there, so I can give you the answer: beneath the surface of the real world, above all dreams, there is indeed a more real and essential world."
Hebe swung his bat down, and a crisp cracking sound came from Thales' skull. He trembled all over as if electrocuted, and blood or some other liquid flowed from his nose and ears.
Thales fell to the ground, but he struggled to sit up again and bowed deeply to Hebe.
He was nearing death, yet the two problems that had plagued his school of thought for nearly a century were answered by Hebe.
Thales was in excruciating physical pain, but he felt a great sense of pleasure in his heart.
Hebe regained his footing and gently tapped his palm with the wooden stick. "What is the foundation of good governance?"
As expected, this is the kind of governance problem that the Uncrowned King School loves most... From Thales' split skull, there was a gurgling sound of viscous water, which was the golden Youthful Dew.
"Water is the source of all things, and the way to govern the world should follow the example of nature! You said before that history is like a river, but now the river is flowing down in torrents, how can it ever turn back?"
After the Philosopher King fell silent, the Three Grand Harmonizers lost control of the situation. People's hearts turned to despair, pure water was overturned, and turbid water flowed freely.
This is how philosophers see the world as it is now: one day, Atlantis will disappear into the deep waters.
"And then what? Will consuming the spiritual dew brewed by the Pure Water Spirit elevate your character?" Hebe shook her head. "Without moral guidance and legal constraints, how can people know shame and establish noble character?!"
"Water that is too clear has no fish! Your Propriety and Law will surely stifle humanity!"
The school of thought of the Uncrowned King has been extinct for a century, but as a school of thought that was once suppressed by the Uncrowned King, Thales recorded many of the core ideas of the Uncrowned King.
For example, "Propriety and Law," and "Restrain Self and Return to Propriety." Now he intends to attack Hebe's very ideology through records...
When did you ever see me talking about Propriety and Law?
Um?
Hebe sneered and pointed his stick at the earthenware pot on the campfire, where fish soup was bubbling and boiling.
"Am I saying that morality should be the highest standard and the law should be the minimum constraint?"
"If the water is at room temperature, the fish cannot be cooked; if the water is boiling, the soup will be inedible. Therefore, we need to consider both ends and find the middle ground."
"Have you forgotten that your school's motto is 'too much of a good thing'?!"
Thales's hand trembled, and Hebe strode forward and knocked him to the ground with a blow.
"Can your empty talk about water skills stop you from using spiritual dew without restraint, from greedily pursuing youth, and from corrupting and tainting your minds?"
"After the Philosopher King fell silent, morality was left in a vacuum. You don't address people's actual needs, yet you're here contemplating what's right in front of you—repent!"
Repent!
The sound of water grew louder and more turbulent from Thales' skull.
He staggered and bowed to Hebe, then collapsed to the ground, his body turning into a pool of murky water that quickly seeped into the earth and disappeared.
The modern Thales was defeated in the debate and was literally argued to death!
From among the Philosopher's Kid following Thales came undisguised sobs.
Most of them drew their knives, slit their throats, and died as martyrs, turning into murky water and disappearing; a few, however, cowered and bowed to Hebe, attempting to follow her.
Hebe, of course, agreed.
Philosopher's Kid may not have their own ideas, but their Philosopher's Kid number can increase the scope and power of the influence of Thought Sorcery.
In other words, they are mobile thought drives.
As the campfire flickered, the earliest Philosopher's Kid who followed Hebe began to take out paper and pen and record the details of their debates.
Normally, philosophers do not engage in continuous debates, but as dawn broke, Hebe led the Philosopher's Kid across the sea to find the next philosopher.
She forced herself to argue with him, and once again, she completely outmaneuvered him!
Thus, Hebe's followers grew to several hundred.
All the philosophers who were traveling and preaching in the North flocked to Hebe, hoping to engage in philosophical exchanges with him.
But to their surprise, Hebe's whereabouts suddenly disappeared.
Because Hebe found Elizabeth, Grand Harmonizer.
196 Recalling the Past, Efficient Slaughter (Two-in-One)
Heavy rain fell on the rugged islands and mainland.
Boudica approached Joan of Arc of Arc and whispered, "Ishtar was too hasty... She wasn't just facing Elizabeth, but also six philosophers with their disciples. Issu is truly formidable..."
The Queen of the North fell silent for a moment.
"You, you should go visit her yourself."
Joan of Arc's mind went blank; her heart was gripped by the sudden bad news. She didn't have time to ask any more questions and hurriedly stepped over the jagged rocks.
Before she even stepped into the cave, she saw a layer of clear, shimmering water flowing on the ground.
Water dripped down from the top and walls of the cave, like a sudden downpour.
It looked like transparent serpents were swimming in the water. Upon closer inspection, the serpents coiled in the water and transformed into the shapes of many aquatic creatures such as seals, jellyfish, and rays.
The green-eyed girl was sitting on a protruding rock with one leg dangling down.
She kept her head down, her long flaxen hair swaying like algae in the water. If it weren't for the soft breathing echoing in the cave, Joan of Arc would have thought she was already a corpse.
Why did it come to this?
Joan of Arc shook her head, her voice hoarse with resentment. "Do you have to be so autocratic? Do you have to do this yourself? Do you think I'm a burden to you?"
Soft, intermittent coughs and panting came from the green-eyed girl's chest; they weren't loud, but rather sounded somewhat like laughter.
The girl, who had been hanging her head, finally raised it. Half of her face was shattered, and terrible scars, like cracks in porcelain, ran all the way down to her neck.
Flutter.